About First Christian Church
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First Christian Church of Salem was organized in the fall of 1842 with twenty-six charter members.
First Christian sprang from the "Disciples of Christ" or Christian Church movement in Washington County. The ancestor congregation of this movement in Washington County was the old Blue River Christian Church organized in 1819.
Our congregation is part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a mainline protestant denomination that has its roots in America. This larger faith community is comprised of 850,000 members in 4,100 congregations in the United States and Canada.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) began in the early nineteenth century with the merger of two Christian movements seeking unity based upon the faith and practice of the first century church.
We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that He is Lord and Savior, the model for our lives. We view the Bible as the living word of God - an account of God's action in history and the basis for our faith. We believe in the oneness of the Church and we seek unity with all Christians. We endeavor to reach out to the community and the world in acts of service and witness to the Gospel. We believe that the Lord's Supper and Christian Baptism are central acts of faith and worship, with communion served each Sunday, open to all Christians.
We offer opportunities for worship and study, to grow spiritually through sharing faith and good works, to love and care for one another, and to serve those in need in our community and the world.
The first sanctuary of our church was built about 1850. Since that time it has been remodeled, enlarged and added to so we could meet the needs of our growing congregation and expand our ministires and outreach to share God's love. Presently, the congregation is in the process of renovating the sanctuary and the fellowship hall.
We encourage each person to share the gifts that they have received from God and to listen to God's call. We have 11 Timothies from our church who have responded to God's call to enter the ministry.
The church has observed an open door policy toward the community allowing the building to be used as a public service by many organizations including: Alcoholics Anonymous; Al-Anon; Boy, Girl and Cub Scouts; Home Economics Clubs; Actors' Theatre; Food Bank; Church Women United; FEMA; and T.O.P.S. There is also a weekly Community Fellowship Dinner.
The mission statement for our congregation is "To share God's love and serve God's children through the person of Jesus Christ." The goals are evangelism, faith development and service. We believe this mission and these goals will take us well into the future. We are glad for all who are part of the journey.
If you are without a church relationship, we invite you to share in our witness for Christ.
