Disciples Day at Cane Ridge

On Saturday, June 23, Disciples from many Regions, including Mid-America, gathered at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, to honor and commemorate an important part of Disciples history. The Cane Ridge meeting house – the sight of the 1801 revival led by Barton Stone and several ecumenical colleagues – hosts this gathering of Disciples every year. Participants came together in the old log structure to sing hymns, listen to guest musicians, enjoy a picnic lunch, and hear a lecture by the Rev. Dr. Richard Lowery, President of the Disciples Historical Society, and a sermon by former General Minister and President Sharon Watkins who is now working with the National Council of Churches.

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Lowery reminded the congregation that God is a God who liberates slaves, and Watkins assured hearers that God’s power for sight can transform people even when they are blinded by social injustices and oppressive structures. 

Both Lowery and Watkins spoke about the importance of the history of the Stone-Campbell Movement, and our call to be open to the same spirit that empowered our forebears in the faith. They reminded participants that our “movement for wholeness in a fragmented world” requires faithful decisions and difficult choices, but that we can learn from those who went before us – both their successes and their failures – about what it means to seek out and stand for justice for all people, and live the unity to which we are called as members of the Body of Christ.

Thank you to Webster Groves CC's
Pastor Jeff Moore for story and
member Denise Pahl for photos.