Disciples of Christ
Early on Saturday morning, March 23, First Christian Church welcomed the Cleveland community into our Fellowship Hall for our Annual Pancake Breakfast. This year FCC raised money for our local Habitat for Humanity. Guests were treated to hot pancakes with crispy bacon, topped off with melting butter and sweet syrup. Hot coffee, orange juice, and bottled water washed it all down. It was a delicious meal and a fun time
Another fun event of fellowship and fundraising occurred on February 11th as FCC members participated in our annual Souper Bowl of Caring day. As always the event was held on Super Bowl Sunday after worship services. Lots of good food and good times were available as we enjoyed pitting KC Cheifs and SF 49ers fans against one another. On the menu were the traditional baked potatoes (x-large!), several delicious
“So come Lord Jesus, find in me,The child you came to save.Stoop tenderly with wounded hands,And lift me from my grave!”– MALCOMB GUITE The Advent season is a wonderful time – a celebration of the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It brings out the child in all of us as those He came to save! FCC members celebrated this joyous Coming with worship and fellowship this year. It was
FCC held its 2nd annual Trunk N Treat on Halloween evening at the church circle. Always a fun event, this one was also memorable. Beautiful weather (though breezy) greeted our members that participated in this year’s event along with spooky background music and sounds of Halloween. Kids of all ages showed up to claim their sweet rewards from the trunks decorated with spooky Halloween characters. We had
First Christian Church has entered into a formal agreement with ORPHANWISE allowing the organization use of our facilities. ORPHANWISE is a Cleveland based non-profit group whose mission is to bring hope and healing to children from hard places by equipping their caregivers with trauma-informed resources. The organization’s office will be located at the FCC facility along with a teaching center. ORPHANWISE will also periodically utilize the Fellowship Hall for training
Come Trunk or Treat on October 31st, from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm at First Christian Church! 3925 N. Ocoee St, Cleveland, TN.
The members of First Christian Church are saying a fond farewell to Rev. Zoe Renfro. Rev. Renfro informed FCC leaders of her intent to resign as Interim Minister effective October 1st. The Official Board reluctantly accepted her written resignation on September 3rd. Her last Sunday will be September 24th. She and Dave plan to remain as FCC members. FCC owes a debt of gratitude to Rev. Renfro. During the past
FCC BELL TOWER REFURBISHED A beautiful event occurred on May 24, 2023 at our church. After many years of assessing and planning improvements to the Bell Tower at FCC we were truly blessed to finally accomplish our goals. Coppersmith Andrew Frazier was hired to fashion caps for the Bell Tower. The caps were custom-made by hand and fitted specifically for our Bell Tower. A local sign company was contracted to
It may be a surprise to some that First Christian Church has an established scholarship fund to help FCC members and their immediate familys cover the costs associated with undergraduate and graduate studies. We have not promoted this program recently but it is indeed still active. If you would like to know more about this program, please speak with one of our Elders at FCC.
Saturday, March 25th was a day of service for many FCC members as we sponsored a community pancake breakfast in our Fellowship Hall. We served our community – we served The Caring Place – and we served God by helping others. And did someone say “pancakes?” They were delicious, served hot off the grill with melting butter and golden syrup to sweeten things all ‘round. And bacon! Hot coffee, orange
Cancer was in the cross-hairs of thousands of local citizens on Saturday, April 29TH in downtown Cleveland. Members of the FCC DOC Team were there as well to support the Relay For Life event by passing out flower seeds, offering free candy, and creating a prayer list for cancer victims and survivors. We had a nice tent and table set up with our sign to let the public know who
EASTER Services at First Christian Church.
Hey football fans! Sunday, February 12 was a great day at FCC!! As our tradition on Super Bowl Sunday we host our own version – the SOUPER BOWL OF CARING. For almost 30 years we have held this special event following worship to raise funds for our own Meals-For-Kids program. Always a fun time, this year was another great event and very successful in our efforts to fund the MFK
The 2022 Advent season was another beautiful celebration of our Lord’s birth. The four Sundays before Christmas we focused on blessings of Advent: HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE. We reached out to our community with a gift of our Cocoa & Carols drive- thru service just before Christmas. The gift featured our commemorative 125th anniversary mug with cocoa mix, mini-marshmallows, and peppermint candy canes, along with a flyer
February 22nd is Ash Wednesday. Drive through our circle drive way to receive ashes and a prayer from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. First Christian Church, 3925 N. Ocoee St., Cleveland, TN.
Halloween is such a fun time for children and adults alike. Everyone enjoys dressing in costumes from contemporary fantasy characters to the more traditional, and more frightening, ‘ghostly’ ones. FCC joined in the celebration this year as we hosted our first ever Trunk or Treat event. Everyone involved said it was a big success, therefore, we plan to continue doing the event in the future. A big thanks to those
September 25th was a highly-anticipated Sunday at First Christian Church as we all gathered for a special Hymn-Sing and Worship service outside under cloudy skies. The weather would NOT dampen our spirits as we were in God’s beautiful creation out in front of our Sanctuary. With a picnic lunch planned afterwards, we were looking forward to a good time for all! The worship program included many “good-ole” hymns, led by
Sunday, May 22, was a beautiful day to gather for worship at FCC, but was made even more special as we celebrated our 125th year in Cleveland. We were blessed to have around 60 in attendance with some special guests included. Some old friends returned for the occasion. We recognized three longterm members and had a wonderful hymn by our FCC choir. Dr. Rev. Christal Williams, Regional Minister, delivered a
We are blessed to be able to return to our tradition of loving one another through Fellowship. Our choir gathered together on April 10 for a special luncheon after worship. Looking at the photos one can see that they had a fun time with some delicious dishes. Then the women of FCC got together to hold a CFW (Disciples Women) restart after covid. The photos tell the story so please take
In May FCC will celebrate 125 yrs. in Cleveland. We are so blessed! As we look forward to what God has for us, here are some things I’m thankful about at FCC. Nick Grisham – Elder Our beautiful church family. The bell tower – we ring the bell every Sunday. Our renovated sanctuary-still looks and feels brand new. Fellowship breakfasts, fellowship lunches, fellowship dinners. Our music – Melody leading choir, Amy
Yes, the Souper Bowl, not the Super Bowl. The big winner was the children of Cleveland as $350 was raised at this year’s event to support our Meals For Kids program at Mayfield Elementary. The traditional Potato Bar fare was delicious as always. We had sweet potatoes this year along with regular baked potatoes, two types of chili, cornbread and a large Tuscan salad. Sweets included pineapple upside down
Advent came earlier than usual this year and the members of FCC readily anticipated this joyous season. Many of our members participated in the preparation for our annual Hanging of the Greens service and our sanctuary came alive with the sights of Christmas cheer. We lit the Hope candle on Nov. 28 followed by Peace, Love, and Joy. We also celebrated the season with a fellowship event that featured some
Last year First Christian Church donated 8-10 Sunday School chairs to our local Arts & Education organization to be used in the recent Chair-ries Jubilee event. This annual fundraiser benefits Arts education in Cleveland/Bradley schools. The process of converting a plain very used chair into an inspiring work of art is under taken by a host of talented local artists. These items are then sold at the event. Please see
Sunday School will begin on August 1st, 2021, at 9:30 am. Class will meet in the education wing, in the last room on the right. The study is called “Imagine God’s Limitless Love” and will be led by Rev. Zoe Renfro. See you there!
Starting July 1 our church will be host to a new start-up church, The Collectives Church. We have contracted with the new group for an initial 6 month period with possibilities for future extensions. The church is led by Jeff and Rachel Pitts and will focus on leading Cleveland area’s young adults to Christ and developing them in becoming faithful Disciples. The Collectives Church will meet on Sunday evenings for
As summer begins we are continuing to look for ways to upgrade or renovate the facilities at FCC. Recently we repaired and refurbished the Fellowship Hall parking area. Severely damaged areas and cracks were repaired, the area was cleaned and weeded, sealed and topcoated by a professional company. Also, for the first time, lines for parking have been added! We now have 12 parking spaces and 2 clearly marked handicap
Our church sign has new life! It has been in darkness (unlit) for a long while but was recently repaired. Now all commuters on N. Ocoee will be able to see who we are and enjoy the inspirational messages posted on our sign.
Spring has sprung and summer’s not far away. It takes just a moment to pause from the frantic ways of our lives and take in the natural beauty God graciously offers to all. We invite the members and friends of First Christian Church – Cleveland to submit photos of their flowers, landscaping, and vegetable gardens to the website to share with one another. Simply provide your name and SHORT description
Spring has made a grand start at First Christian Church! The beautiful beds of Buttercups around the original Church sign are making a spectacular display this year. A tradition at FCC, the lovely yellow blooms are a sure sign that Spring is coming! This sign, a gift from Dr. And Mrs. Stanley Pettit, was recently renovated to restore it to its original design as part of FCC dating back to
It was a blessed day on February 7th when FCC resumed our Sunday morning services. After many weeks away it was good to be back together in this place of worship. Praise be to God!
Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 20, 20206:00 p.m. First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)3925 N. Ocoee StreetCleveland, Tennessee Please wear a mask.
Rev. Zoe Retained as Interim Minister It is exciting to announce that Rev. Zoe Renfro has agreed to extend her contract as Interim Minister at FCC. Rev. Zoe has done great work for our congregation during her past year with us. At the Official Board meeting on Nov. 17 the proposal to retain Rev. Zoe was unanimously approved beginning Jan. 1, 2021 for one year. Rev. Zoe has graciously accepted
REMEMBERING R.J. MITCHELL1926-2020 As a special part of worship on Sunday, September 27, First Christian Church honored long term Elder, leader and friend, R.J. Mitchell. R.J. died on August 23 at the age of 94. Rev. Zoe Renfro introduced the remembrance followed by a reading on love from 1 Corinthians by Wil Brannen. Gil Furr provided some close personal memories of R.J. and then Bridgett Blankenship presented a plaque to
The REGIONAL ASSEMBLY is scheduled for October 8 & 9. However, it will be virtual, so the Region’s Planning Committee has decided to offer the workshops online, two a month, beginning in July or August. These are always informational and inspirational. For more information, contact Mara Grisham.
As you know, we purchase several copies of The Upper Room daily devotion booklet and have them on the table at the back for you to take home and use. Since so many folks have not returned to worship services across the nation, The Upper Room is offering the booklet free to churches through a download which can then be emailed to members of the congregation. If you would like
One of our ministries at First Christian Church involves supporting The Caring Place to help less fortunate families in the Cleveland/Bradley area. We created the “Manna Wagon” as a reminder for members to donate food and clothing items. The Manna Wagon is located in our sanctuary and visible every Sunday morning at worship. Today a donation was made on behalf of FCC members and it was gratefully accepted. Thanks to all
The video of the Christmas Cantata that was performed by our choir this past Christmas is finished! Edited and ready for you to enjoy: First Christian Church, Cleveland Disciples of Christ presents Celebrate! The Joy And Wonder Of Christmas, a musical arranged by Marty Parks. December 15th, 2019. We hope you are blessed by this presentation! Thank you Mara Grisham and the ladies of our church for providing the food
Our regular Sunday morning worship services are scheduled to resume on May 3rd. While we will be meeting again in person, we will continue to implement precautions such as social distancing. Offering and communion plates will not be passed. Rather, everyone will be invited to the table and to make offerings one at a time. Pre-service Sunday School, Choir practice, and other events will continue to be postponed until further