My father passed away on a Friday in January 2005. I ended up staying a little over a week. The first Sunday I attended the Presbyterian Church I'd joined at age 17. The next Sunday I attended two churches, representing opposite ends of the Stone-Campbell Movement. This is the diverse and divided fellowship I've been a part of since 1995. At the time of my father's passing I was the preacher for an independent Christian Church in New Mexico. That particular Sunday, neither church was of that branch of the movement. The first I attended was a Disciples of Christ congregation, and the second was an
a cappella Church of Christ, of the "mutual edification" variety.
For a year or so while I was in college I was a member of a Disciples congregation, so I was familiar with some of the inner workings and culture of this denomination. The church I attended that Sunday was pretty typical. There was singing from hymnals, the Lord's Supper, and offering and a sermon. In fact, this was pretty much the same experience I had later the same morning at the Church of Christ. The details are where the differences can be found.
The Disciples church had instrumental accompaniment, while the Church of Christ did not. Women actively participated in helping lead worship at the Disciples church. Such was not the case at the Church of Christ. The Disciples pastor talked about Martin Luther King Jr. The elder at the Church of Christ prayed for the troops overseas "fighting for our freedom."
I joined in congregational singing at with both churches. Yes, I had the Lord's supper twice, once per congregation. I listened to the sermons and announcements and chatted briefly with people before and after services.
This may or may not seem odd, but I was perfectly comfortable with both congregations. Oh sure, I probably wouldn't join either one if I lived in that area, but that isn't the point. What I found was that despite the apparent chasm separating these two branches of the same religious movement, I found myself at home, at least for one Sunday, with both.
