From Ned, Elder and servant of Christ Jesus, to First Christian Church and all God’s people living in Independence, those who are faithful in their life in Christ Jesus: May God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
The above is a composite of greetings from Paul to the churches to which he wrote. I hope I did not offend anyone. I certainly am not Paul; I was attempting to use a little humor to emphasize the importance of tying the Bible to everything we do in our daily lives.
I was born to parents who were members of this church. My mother’s parents were members of this church. I was baptized in Bearden Chapel in this church in 1961. I have two older brothers; one, Dan, is a Timothy of this church.
I have served as Junior Deacon, Deacon, first elected Elder about 1978, chair of Christian Action Committee (no longer a stand-alone committee), chair of a past Search Committee, chair of Christian Education, currently chair of the Property Committee, Teacher, Youth Sponsor, and Scout Master. I also taught the Bethel Series and was part of the Alpha program. One of my fond memories is preparing the communion emblems every Sunday morning for about three years. At that time I prepared 14 cup trays and 14 bread trays using a piece of apparatus that is currently on display in the hallway across from the memorial plaques, all of which means very little.
What is important is what I believe. I believe that we should pray unceasingly. I believe in a serving church. I believe that we should be open to the opinions of all. Evaluation of those opinions should be based on interpretation of scripture. To interpret scripture, we need to study the scriptures. I believe in baptism, but I believe that a person’s faith, spirit and sincerity are more important than water. I believe in communion at every opportunity – Sundays, New Year’s Eve, Christmas Eve, camps, retreats, around the campfire – whenever and wherever God is present. Again, I believe the action, faith and attitude are more important than whether the liquid is wine, grape juice, orange juice or water and the “bread” is bread, cracker or cookie.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
~ Submitted by Ned Stichman