Omaha Church of Christ

Written By Tom Jones

Over the last twenty three years, twenty five Restoration Forums have now been held bringing together men and women from the Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in the acapella tradition to build relationships and to break down the wall that has existed formally since 1906 between these two streams of the American Restoration Movement.

Restoration Forum XXV was just completed in Joplin, Missouri, on the campus of Ozark Bible College. For the first time, to our knowledge, those of us who have been part of the International Churches of Christ and its immediate predecessors were included on the program.

I heard of the Forum (then called Restoration Summit) when it was held first in 1984 while I was still living in Missouri. I read with considerable interest about it in a publication begun by Don DeWelt known as The One Body. In May when I saw in a current issue of The One Body that the last Forum had been scheduled for September of this year, I contacted the organizers and asked if Gregg Marutzky and I might make a presentation about the International Churches of Christ. In July, after sufficient time to find out about us, we received word that we would be given a place on the program.

Sheila and I drove from Nashville and Gregg drove from Omaha. We had dinner together Monday night. The Forum opened on Tuesday morning. I would guess that there were about 200 to 250 registered participants. Speakers on the program best known to many of us from our background in Churches of Christ included: Rick Atchley, Rubel Shelly, Marvin Phillips, Jerry Rushford (Pepperdine) Royce Money (president of ACU), and Doug Foster (ACU dean). In attendance was Lynn McMillion, editor of the Christian Chronicle. Well-known leaders from the Christian Churches were also on the program. Many of these people have hearts that come through with great clarity even when being heard for the first time.

There was a good spirit at the meeting. Only those eager to build relationships tend to attend. Worship was done both with acapella and instrumental music. Both groups sing new songs in the praise genre that we in the ICOC fellowship usually do not know, but familiar hymns were mixed in. The messages were Christ-centered, biblical and delivered with conviction, though the preaching style of many of the speakers tends to be more low-key than our guys. The question and answer sessions after two presentations were characterized by candid questions and by honest and humble answers.

I went with a concern that there might be an emphasis on unity just for the sake of unity, but several speakers went out of their way to make it clear that unless unity results in greater efforts to carry out the mission of taking the gospel to the world, it will not serve God’s purposes. Marvin Phillips was clear in saying that unity will not matter unless it comes from submission to the Lordship of Jesus. “Jesus will not be Lord at all until he is Lord of all.” Though there was not a lot of emphasis on it at this meeting, it was evident that those in this group share the same convictions about how one responds to the grace of God and becomes a Christian. That apparently had been made clear in their twenty-four earlier meetings.

On Wednesday afternoon there was a place on the program for people to visit one of the many ministries of the Christian Churches in the Joplin area. Those who wished to hear “What’s Happening with the International Churches of Christ” were given the option to attend our session and many chose to do so.

I first shared an overview of our history; Gregg then shared about our mistakes and sins. Next I shared about the good things we had learned that we did not want to lose, and finally, Gregg shared about possibilities for connecting in the future with their churches. Our presentation was followed with about thirty minutes of Q & A. Questions were good, and were asked respectfully.

At one point Lynn McMillion, editor of the Christian Chronicle, referred to my statement that in1986 the Chronicle editor at that time had announced that they would print no more stories about the Boston Movement. He said, “Tom, that was then and this is now. The Chronicle will be happy to print any news about what is going on in your churches.”

Another brother from the Churches of Christ said he was from a very legalistic wing of that group and that we in the ICOC were not the only ones who needed to do some apologizing. Still another brother from the McKnight Road Church in St. Louis asked us to forgive him for not reaching out more to our leaders. More hands were up for comments or questions when we had to end. Gregg, Sheila and I were surrounded by many after it was over. Some offered to volunteer to help with DPI; others just wanted to encourage us or talk about people we had in common.

Sheila, Gregg and I enjoyed a very encouraging time with Doug Foster who is associate dean of the school of theology and professor of church history at Abilene Christian. He had read the manuscript of my new book on the way to the Forum and shared that it gave him a very different perspective on our movement. He has a great heart and is a person I look forward to connecting with much more. After the event, he emailed this note: “Thank you so much for the time we could spend visiting with you, Sheila and Gregg. I think there is great potential for learning and being encouraged and enriched by one another in the “mainline” and ICOC bodies. I hope we can continue our conversation and contact in the future.”

Back in July, Sheila and I had lunch with Jim and Anne Bevis. Jim was one of the originators of the Campus Evangelism (CE) Program in the ‘60s that spawned the Campus Advance effort at the University of Florida that eventually became the Crossroads Church. At that lunch, we had mentioned we were going to Missouri for the Forum. Jim immediately said he and Anne would pray about going. For the last thirty years they have had an inter-denominational ministry but more recently have been reconnecting with some of their Stone-Campbell roots. On Tuesday when we arrived for the opening session, Jim and Anne were some of the first people to greet us. What a thrill! We may not be at all the same places theologically as the Bevises, but in all our times with them we have been greatly encouraged by their love for Christ and giving hearts.

On another personal note it was so good to be reunited at the forum with Larry Sharp who became a disciple of Jesus in our ministry in the ‘70s, served an internship in campus ministry with us and has gone on to serve 27 years as an evangelist for the church in Normal. Illinois.

I will have a good bit to say in my new book about why I believe these kinds of times are important. There is no Forum planned for 2008, but everyone was encouraged to pray and see where God leads. We shared with the group our plans to advance dialogue through our www.connect4change.net Web site. If you have not visited this site, try to do so soon.

Just one bit of reflection:
During the forum, I would notice things that were said and done differently from what we have known our recent history in the ICOC. Noticing my own tendency to judge, I kept thinking of how judging others was such a part of the church culture I grew up and such a part of, particularly, the “acapella” wing of the Restoration Movement as I knew it in the mid-twentieth century. I think I understand that this happened in reaction to a good deal of theological flabbiness in the religious world, but the outcome was often arrogant and ugly. This passage from Romans kept coming to my mind. I hope to reflect on it and write more about it later.

Romans 14:10-13

You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written:

” ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.’ ”

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

And finally there is the great message of Romans 15:5-6:

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I hope that the changes to the website make it a better resource for folks to use. The changes are listed below:

• Sections are grouped better.
• Sitemap on the top-right corner should make it easier to find what you want.
• Sunday Announcements are now included. If possible, weblinks are provided where they are helpful.
• Teen Information is under Ministries.
• Teen events are in the Teen section and in the Announcements.
• The sitemap shows the section where you are currently browsing in RED.
• New Links have been added.
• Midweek schedule, Sunday service, and any other events I know are in our calendar.
• Dates on the post are clearer. It will say “August 6th, 2007″ instead of 08062007.

As always, feel free to email me: john [at] omahachurchofchrist [dot] net if there is anything else you would like added or to point out errors.

By Dr. Gregg Marutzky

Sunday, July 15th is a special service for our congregation to celebrate our singles ministry. The group has been very active the last several months through devotionals led by the single brothers. The fellowship times have unified our singles and strengthen the ministry. Praise God for the talent and commitment of our single brothers and sisters. Our church is blessed by the diversity, service and overall contribution by these indispensable disciples. Our small groups are integrated for all the adults which allows for family relationships to develop. The devotionals have forged the ministry. I have edited the following article that I wrote several years ago for us to consider as a congregation.

Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds–his name is the LORD– and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
Psalms 68:4-6

Ministry to singles has taken many forms over the years in our church. Typically, the singles have been separated out from the other adult ministries including married and college students. Unfortunately for the singles this is not always helpful. A book entitled, Single Not Separate, by Virginia McInerney, is insightful regarding ministering to singles. The thesis of the book is the need for singles to be integrated into an adult ministry which does not make distinction between married and single members. The reasons are manifold. The greatest need for singles according to studies is relationships. Loneliness is the greatest hurt for single people. Their greatest temptation is not purity as many non-singles assume but despair over being alone. Another false assumption is that single people are not as busy as married people. True their schedules may be more flexible but because single people are responsible for every aspect of their lives and do not share responsibilities with a spouse, they often can feel overwhelmed. It is time to be family in the church and be open to integrating all the adults into small groups which will be holistic to meet the needs of all our members. College students, teens and preteens are still in school. These groups have not launched into a regular routine which will dominate them for the rest of their lives. Please do not get me wrong. I still believe in meeting specific needs. At times married couples will need to have a series on marriage. Parents will want to learn about parenting which will also include single parents. Singles will meet for devotionals. The demographics in our society are changing. The trend is that more and more adults are living as singles. This is due to many reasons including: preference, divorce, circumstances, and death. How many people do you know that have lost a spouse due to divorce or death? They have truly suffered multiple losses – the loss of a spouse and the loss of most of their friendships.

It is time to give single adults more respect. We should include singles in every level of leadership in the church. Singles can follow but they can also lead. They can usher and they can teach. We have too often made our singles feel like second class citizens and that only through marriage will an individual become our peer. Singles are eager to build relationships with all adults and integrate. Ministry requires flexibility and creative solutions to needs. What are the needs of the singles and how can their needs be met? Let’s root out false assumptions and get to know one another. Christian singles should be respected for their spirituality, talent and faith. Many of our singles have been strong Christians for a long time. They are proven disciples with commitment, knowledge, gifts and heart. But unfortunately sometimes married members do not have singles as friends and include them in their repertoire of activities. When was the last time we had a single person over to our homes? When was the last time a single adult was served? We can all remember the last time a single served us or offered to help us out. The singles are valuable to our church. The singles are usually the first to help. The singles in our church need to be part of a church family which will bring them meals when they are sick, or help them make repairs, or celebrate special times. Our kids can become their kids also. Most parents get great joy from watching their children play, perform, and participate. Our single adults enjoy the fellowship at these activities. We can fellowship together without making anyone feel like a third wheel.

Let’s be family. Families can be two, three, four or more. Do your children have babysitters or do they have spiritual aunts and uncles within the church? God has always intended for His church to be a family. The number of examples in the Bible of singles and marrieds being together are numerous. There are no examples of segregation between couples and singles in ancient society because there were few singles due to arranged marriages. Extended families remained together in close proximity for social, economic and spiritual reasons. We have too much separation and individualism in our society. Every lifestyle has pluses and minuses. Have we forgotten that Jesus was single! Too much pressure is often put on singles to date and pursue marriage. Some want to marry others do not. Most singles are content and not concerned with finding a mate. They are busy with their careers, faith, friendships, family and recreation. The trend is for more and more adults to live single. Utilitarian models of the church such as an army or a corporation can be inflexible and insensitive to personal needs. The Golden Rule guides us as we consider these changes. Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.
Let’s now choose to restore the church as God has intended to – A family.

Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.
Mark 3:22-35

I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields– and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Mark 10:29-31