Midway Christian Church
Our History Remembered
“A Moment in History” is a series of articles consisting of excerpts from If These Walls Could Talk: A History of The Midway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) by Margaret Ware Parrish, July 1998; The Bluegrass Clipper; and other sources, appeared in the church bulletin each Sunday, in the weeks leading up to Midway Christian Church’s 175th Anniversary celebration, as a way to share and recall our history.
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Hall of History Display:
“Midway Christian Church Through the Years”, a collection of old photos, cookbooks, church directories, Board Meeting Minutes, and other mementos, was on display in the Hall of History during the month of July.History for Sale:
Note cards featuring many of the stained glass windows of the sanctuary were for sale in the Hall of History. These individually wrapped note cards were handcrafted by the Disciples Women of Midway Christian Church.
The new Midway Christian Church T-shirts were also available. These high quality, crew and V-neck, T-shirts were designed by the Care Team and feature the Disciples of Christ chalice on the front, and a sampling of the many missions Midway Christian is involved with on the back.
Prints of the Midway Christian Church watercolor, signed and numbered by the artist, Sammie Cundiff of Woodford County, were also for sale.
We reached a milestone in 2019. Midway Christian Church’s 175th Anniversary! Midway Christian was chartered on July 20, 1844, and on Sunday, July 7, 2019, we marked this occasion with a special day-long celebration for our members as well as former members, ministers, and friends of Midway Christian.
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The day started off with a special Sunday School lesson as church Historian John Batts led a brief Midway Christian history presentation followed by a few of our current members sharing stories about recent history Midway Christian Church history. The morning worship service began with a video from Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Linda Jones, CCK Associate Regional Minister, was in attendance and brought greetings from the region. And, our beautiful anniversary banner (above), created and assembled by Melinda Whitehead with the help of Mary Sayre, Carole Munson, and Helen Agee, was presented. The choir performed “We Answer to the Call”, an anthem commissioned by Midway Christian Church for this occasion and written Dr. Johnie Dean (Assistant Conductor of the Lexington Singers). A Fun Activity Sheets packet was made available for youth (of any age!). And a keepsake Christmas ornament, featuring the angel from the ‘Daisy Blackburn Memorial” stained glass window, was presented to all. Immediately after worship, we gathered outside for a group photo and a picnic on the grounds with food trucks from Red State BBQ and Spotz Gelato providing the meal, drinks, and dessert. Musical entertainment was provided by The Highs & The Lows. The Hall of History was open with a “Midway Christian Church Through the Years” month-long display of old photos, cookbooks, church directories, and other mementos. At the end of the day, a souvenir anniversary Christmas keepsake ornament was given to all.
Also on July 7, we kicked off the “Infinite Hands in Service & Love” capital campaign with a goal to collect $175,000 over three years. These funds will be used for two purposes: toward completing capital projects on our “Wish List“, and to invest in the Endowment Fund. Check out the July 7, 2019, issue of the Midway Messenger for a summary of our big day.
Worship Bulletin For Sunday, July 7, 2019
Rev. Terri Hord Owens’ Video Greeting
175 Acts of Kindness
How do you measure a year? How about Love? Throughout Midway Christian Church’s 175 years as a community of faith, service and mission have always been core values incorporated into the life of this congregation. So this year—Midway Christian Church’s 175th Anniversary—we measure our year with love. Members were challenged to perform 175 Acts of Kindness each month. We began by collecting 175 hats and mittens for Lexington’s Hope Center in January, and continued this throughout the year.
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January:
Collect 175 hats and mittens for the Hope Center in Lexington.
February:
Perform 175 Acts of Kindness and record them on paper hearts to be displayed in the sanctuary.
March:
Collect 175 canned goods for Hope Ministries Food Pantry.
April:
Collectively purchase 175 trees, or shares of trees, for Heifer International. ($60 per tree or $10 per share.)
May:
175 Things to be Done at Church. Throughout the month, we will work together to check items off this list!
June:
175 Volunteer Hours. Log your volunteer hours, whatever they may be, and turn in to Heather.
July:
Collect 175 pounds of bottle caps toward another bench for Northside Elementary.
August:
Collect 175 school supplies for Northside Elementary School.
September:
Collect 175 items for Military Care Packages.
October:
Collect 175 items for the Backpack Project.
November:
Collect 175 pairs of cozy socks for The Homeplace.
December:
Collect items to assemble 175 Blessing Bags for the homeless.
The Celebration Continues
The celebration of Midway Christian Church’s 175th Anniversary continued throughout the fall.
Midway Christian Cane Ridge Day: On Saturday, September 28, a group of 13 from Midway Christian Church gathered at the Cane Ridge Meeting House, the birthplace of the Disciples of Christ.
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Cane Ridge Curator, James Trader, presented a history of the 1791 building as well as review of the Campbell-Stone Movement from which the Disciples of Christ was created. Former Midway Christian minister, Rev. Bill McDonald, spoke about our history and connection with Cane Ridge. Afterwards, the group explored the 1791 log Meeting House, grounds, cemetery, and museum. We then shared a picnic lunch on the grounds.
Oyster Stew & Chicken Salad Lunch:
Following the worship service on October 27, we held the first “Infinite Hands in Service” capital campaign fundraiser. As a nod to the original Midway Christian Church Thanksgiving Market, which dates back to 1897, an Oyster Stew and Chicken Salad lunch was served with a goal to raise $1,000 in donations.
The menu, planned by our own Chef Ouita and prepared by her Holly Hill Inn staff, included oyster stew, butternut squash bisque, chicken salad, green salad, county ham biscuits, Midway Bakery dessert, and assorted drinks. As part of the fundraising effort, carry-outs were available for $15 and a silent auction of homemade pies was held. Over $3,000 was raised!
Lexington Cemetery History Walk:
On Saturday, November 2, church Historian John Batts led a History Walk through Lexington Cemetery. It was a beautiful, although brisk, day to explore the grounds, and to learn about and visit the grave sites of several Disciples of Christ founders and former ministers. Lexington Cemetery is the final resting place of L. L. Pinkerton, Richard Ricketts, John S. Shouse, and Mark Collis as well as members of several Midway Christian Church families.