First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Adrian, Michigan

11/02/2024

Democracies can turn into dictatorships. Be prepared.

Be a Christian partriot. Rev. John Boley shares 20 lessons in citizenship for those wanting to serve God and resist tyranny in these challenging times.

10/11/2023

08/11/2023

Dear Community Members,

As many of you know, our church made the heartfelt decision to close its doors and sell the building to Habitat for Humanity of Lenawee County for one dollar with the intention of providing a space to house Habitat workers within our community. This decision was made with a deep sense of purpose and a desire to continue serving our community even as the physical structure of our church changed...

First Christian leaders, along with a Habitat representative, attended an Adrian Township board meeting to secure rezoning for this purpose. First Christian leaders also attended a Habitat board meeting to share information on the condition and costs associated with the building. After the groundwork had been laid, the building was signed over to Habitat. Habitat issued a press release saying “Habitat for Humanity of Lenawee plans to repurpose the space to house visiting volunteer groups, including teams from AmeriCorps NCCC.” Habitat also acknowledged our outreach to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Several days later we were contacted by Habitat and told they were considering scrapping the plan to house workers and may instead sell the property to another church. After some research we learned the church interested in the property does not share our acceptance of and outreach to the LGBTQIA+ community. We replied in a letter to Habitat stating our objection and asking any movement toward selling the building to the other church be halted. Habitat replied with no such assurance and pointed out our sale to Habitat was made with no legal restrictions.

We put our trust in Habitat to move forward in an ethical way. Our intention has been disregarded. We appreciate that conditions can change and plans may need to be altered. But we would hope that any change in course by Habitat in regard to our generous gift be done in collaboration with us.

We invite our fellow community members to stand alongside us. Your collective voice and support can make a difference as we strive to ensure that the spirit behind our gift is honored. We encourage you to engage in respectful conversations and express your thoughts to Habitat for Humanity and First Christian Church leadership. We are optimistic that, through open communication, understanding, and cooperation, a solution can be reached that aligns with both the spirit of our donation and Habitat for Humanity's noble mission.

With Love,
First Christian Church Board

"For we are all members of one body, and we all have different gifts that we can use to serve each other." - Romans 12:5

08/01/2023

04/17/2023

Under the caring leadership of Rev. Alex McCauslin, our congregation held its final worship service Sunday, April 16. This was the end of our active ministry. Our ministry will continue through the distribution of our resources in exciting ways to be made public in the near future.
We are thankful for the ways our church has shown the love and acceptance of God through worship, service, study and fellowship through the years.

02/21/2023

Dear First Christian Church Community,

As you may know, our church’s final service will be Sunday, April 16 at 10:45 am. If you are unable to attend, we would like to invite you to share your memories and thoughts with us. We would be grateful if you could write to us, sharing how the church has impacted your life, and any special moments you have experienced here. Your letters and memories will be shared at the final service.

Please send your letters and memories to Fran Kottke [email protected] or Mike Pickney [email protected]. Also, please share this invitation with anyone you know who has a special connection to our church.

Thank you for being a part of our church community. We will always be thankful for the memories and friendships we have made.

First Christian Church Transition Committee

02/05/2023

Dear First Christian Church Community,

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the final service for our church, as we must close our doors due to various circumstances. This has been a difficult decision, but we are grateful for the memories we have made throughout the years.

As we prepare to say goodbye, we would like to offer to return any items that were donated to the church to those who gave them or their families. Please contact Mike Pickney or Fran Kottke to arrange for their return.

Our final service will be held Sunday, April 16 at 10:45 am., We hope that as many members of our community as possible will be able to join us for this bittersweet celebration of our time together.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

First Christian Church Transition Committee