County of church: Franklin County
Location of church: US-100 & MO-KK, Washington
Phone: (636) 239-7560
Pastor: David Armstrong
This church started in a store front in town, and gradually grew until it built this huge facility on the western edge of town.
I found it when traveling through Washington toward New Haven, a few miles west of here.
This church sits next to another huge, TV and radio driven congregation.
"First Christian Church is a place where people can feel welcome, engage in life-giving community & meet Jesus.
We believe in creating a space where people can have authentic encounters with Christ,
discover their gifts, and use them for God's glory.
"Whether you come in jeans & a t-shirt or a three-piece suit , you are welcome to join in our worship services–we just want to see you here!
"A typical service will last about 65-70 minutes. You can expect engaging music aimed at glorifying God and inspiring people to connect with Him.
You can also expect to hear a compelling message with a strong Biblical foundation and a focus on real life and the good news. Our services are multi-generational,
so no matter your age you can feel at home with the FCC family.
"The Children's Ministry programming (birth-3rd grade), pre-teen programming (4th-6th grade), and Connexus Student Ministry (7th - 12th grade) meet during the 10:30 service." ~ FCC
OUR STORY
"First Christian Church in Washington has always been lead by God to reach the people of this area. Here is our story of how God has been faithful through the years.
"The preacher of the Christian Church in Union asked an attending family why they didn’t come more frequently. The small family, Mr. and Mrs. Arvel Jones and daughter Velma, explained it was difficult for them since they lived in Washington and didn’t have a car. The preacher, Rex Mitchell, encouraged starting a church in Washington.
"On January 23, 1955, 29 people attended the first worship service of the Washington First Christian Church.
"There were three families from Washington, totaling 8 people, and 21 others from surrounding towns who came to encourage them. The new church met in the old Gregory Building on Lafayette Street where the Missourian parking lot now sits. In the late summer of 1955, the church moved to a storefront at 114 Lafayette, now Lafayette Park.
"Rex Mitchell and Lynn Martin, the first preachers to lead services, were from Union and Sullivan. The pulpit was from Antioch Christian Church in Leslie. The organ was from New Haven. The dream was from God.
"In 1959, a frame schoolhouse at 3rd and Burnside was placed for sale. The church, making the only offer, bought the building for $1010 and renovated it for a house of worship.
"In 1967, Ninos de Mexico was begun by Merlyn and Wanda Beeman with the purpose of loving and evangelizing lost and abandoned children.
"The church family purchased land on Highway 47 in 1973, constructed a building, and relocated. At that time, there were about 75-80 attending.
"In March of 2007, the church family moved into the present facility at 6890 Hwy 100.
"Though the history of a church is often framed in with locations, dates, and buildings, the real story is about a wonderful Savior and people. The church, nurtured and challenged by faithful ministers, elders, deacons, teachers and workers, has continued to make followers of Jesus through the decades.
"As Velma Jones Stroetker, founding church member and longtime Washington Librarian, said back in 1995, “God has been leading us step by step. We’ve never done anything on our own.” ~ First Christian Church, About
"Christian Church is a Protestant ecclesiological term referring to the church invisible comprising all Christians, used since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. In this understanding, "Christian Church" (or "catholic Church") does not refer to a particular Christian denomination but to the "body" or "group" of believers, both defined in various ways. A prominent example of this is the branch theory maintained by some Anglicans. This is in contrast to the one true church applied to a specific concrete Christian institution, a majority Christian ecclesiological position maintained by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox churches, Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the East." ~ Wikipedia