A Church on Meramec Station Road, Open to All
Community Christian Church sits on Meramec Station Road in Manchester, a suburb in the St. Louis area, and its identity is shaped by what its leaders call an unconditional welcome. The congregation belongs to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a movement that took root on the American frontier in the early 1800s and now numbers more than 3,200 congregations across the United States and Canada. At Community Christian Church, that heritage is lived out through a widely shared commitment to welcome anyone who walks through the doors, regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, ethnicity, marital status, physical or mental ability, family configuration, political affiliation, economic circumstance, or theological perspective.
The church has formally affirmed this stance. After a two-year process of study and conversation, members voted to become an official Open and Affirming congregation, a designation the regional and general church leadership have been informed of and that the congregation publicly proclaims. The church is publicly open about who it is and who it is called to be, and committed to preaching and teaching a gospel which understands that God does not reject or condemn people solely for their gender expression or sexual orientation, nor for any of the other attributes listed in the Open and Affirming statement.
The Senior Minister is Rev. Jacob Thorne, a third-generation Disciple and graduate of Eden Theological Seminary. In a note to first-time visitors, Thorne writes, "We are not a perfect church. I am not a perfect pastor. But we are a community of faith that is committed to living out our vision statement to be unconditionally welcoming, courageously serving, and fearlessly growing in faith." On a typical Sunday morning, around 125 people gather for worship, a size that allows both a wide variety of programs and the kind of personal ties that make a small congregation feel like family.
Sunday Morning at CCC: Worship, Sunday School, and a Children's Moment
The weekly rhythm at Community Christian Church centers on Sunday morning. Worship begins at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary and is offered both in person and via live stream, with services also archived so that anyone who misses a week can catch up later. The order of worship blends traditional and contemporary elements, with music led by the Chancel Choir and the Voices4Hymn praise team, a Children's Moment included early in the service, and biblically based sermons that the church speaks of applying to daily life.
Communion is celebrated every Sunday. As is typical in the Disciples tradition, the table is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, regardless of denominational background or church affiliation. Special services mark the seasons of the Christian year, including Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday worship during Lent and a Christmas Eve service in December.
Adult learning begins an hour earlier. Three Sunday school classes meet at 9:00 a.m., each with a different character. The Pastor's Class, led by Jacob Thorne, covers a broad range of timely topics. The Inquirer's Class, for senior adults, gathers in the suite next to the church office and studies the scripture The Present Word. The Searcher's Class, led by Norm Pereira in Room 202, also uses The Present Word as its base and is on vacation in June and July. A separate group called The Searchers meets slightly earlier at 8:45 a.m.
Children stay in worship with their families for the Children's Moment, then are invited to Sunday school. Children's Sunday school begins at 10:15 a.m. for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, with lessons drawn from both Old and New Testament stories, taught through crafts, songs, games, and storytelling. Children in first through fifth grades return to the sanctuary to be with their families just before communion is shared.
The nursery is staffed by experienced paid caregivers from 8:45 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. every Sunday, available for any family who would like to use it. There is no dress code. On a typical Sunday, some wear their Sunday best while others arrive in jeans and a favorite shirt, with both equally welcome.
Faith Formation for Every Age
Beyond Sunday morning, Community Christian Church supports a full slate of ministries for children, youth, adults, and seniors, with a strong emphasis on small groups and fellowship.
Children's Ministry welcomes kids age 3 through fifth grade. God's Kids Choir, the children's choir, is open to children age 4 through fifth grade and rehearses on Sundays right after worship and fellowship. The choir performs two musical dramas each year, one at Christmas and one at the end of the school year, and the children also sing in worship several times during the year. Vacation Bible School is held annually and is open to 3-year-olds through fifth graders. In recent years VBS has taken the form of a single afternoon event followed by a family meal.
Youth Ministry meets on Sunday evenings from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. during the school year, gathering at the Wunderlich Family Life Center and gym. The youth group is built around three rhythms: discussion of topics that matter to their lives and faith, shared meals and recreation, and service and mission work both on and off site. Mission activities for youth have included preparing and serving meals at the Ronald McDonald House, packing meals through Feed My Starving Children, collecting shoes for the Shoeman project, and helping rebuild after natural disasters in Joplin, Missouri, and New Orleans. Each year, the youth plan and lead a full thematic worship service called Youth Sunday, taking roles in music, prayers, the children's moment, the sermon, and presiding at communion.
Adult Ministry encompasses three Sunday morning classes plus dedicated women's and men's ministries. Two women's small groups meet monthly from September through May: the Priscilla Small Group at 7:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month, and the Rebecca Small Group at 9:30 a.m. on the third Tuesday. Women's ministry organizes service projects throughout the year, including collecting healthy snacks for a local elementary school, kid-friendly food for Circle of Concern, gift baskets for shut-ins, and toy and book donations at Christmas, as well as making fleece blankets for Project Linus.
Men's Ministry brings men together for fellowship, study, and service. Activities include guest speakers who share their spiritual journeys, golf outings, fishing trips, shared breakfasts, and group service projects. The men also coordinate the monthly Senior Citizens Luncheon, an intergenerational touchstone for the congregation.
The Stable: A Year-Round Thrift Ministry with Regular Sales
One of the most distinctive ministries at Community Christian Church is The Stable, a year-round thrift operation that has become a fixture of life in and around the church. The Stable accepts donations of used clothing, household items, furniture, books, jewelry, toys, baby gear, and similar goods. Volunteers wash, repair, sort, and catalog donations on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. into the afternoon, with lunch provided.
A portion of donated items are given away directly to people and organizations in need. Recipients include St. Mary's Hospital (onesies for newborns), homeless ministries served by Pilgrim and Memorial Boulevard churches, the Board of Religious Organizations, Charity Sharity, Matthew Dickey's Boys and Girls Club, and families facing sudden emergencies such as fire or flood. Items are also distributed through St. Cronan's Parish, and Circle of Concern families shop for free at the October Stable Sale. The proceeds of the sales fund a wide range of charity and outreach projects of the church.
The name The Stable comes from the Christmas story. The church puts it this way, "Our stable shelters what others have no room for in the main building of their lives. We give new life to discarded or outdated material goods by giving them a second chance at usefulness."
The Bremer Community Garden: Growing Food for Neighbors
On the church campus sits the Bremer Community Garden, a 10,000 square foot garden enclosed by an eight-foot deer-proof fence. The garden grows fresh produce that goes to Circle of Concern, a local food pantry, to families from a local elementary school facing food scarcity, and to neighbors and families throughout the area.
Volunteer workdays are held most Monday mornings at 10:00 a.m. and most Thursday evenings starting at 5:00 p.m. The garden is managed by volunteers from all walks of life, and the church describes the work as an expression of faith and spirituality: working with the Spirit of God's creation to feed neighbors, members, and friends, including Circle of Concern clients and families from Hanna Woods Elementary.
Mission in the Wider Community
Mission is woven throughout the life of Community Christian Church. Each Sunday, members bring non-perishable food to fill a shopping cart in the Narthex, and that food is delivered to Circle of Concern. For more than thirty years, the congregation has adopted families from Circle of Concern at Christmas through the Giving Tree, with members taking tags from the tree and purchasing gifts for assigned recipients. Quarterly Red Cross blood drives are hosted on site, with about 25 pints collected at each drive to help meet the demands of health care in the St. Louis area.
Local mission projects take many forms. The congregation has hosted clean-up days at Rainbow Village, a developmentally disabled adult facility, collected food at local schools at Thanksgiving, raked leaves for elderly neighbors, and rung Salvation Army bells during the Christmas season. Mission trips have traveled to Joplin, Missouri after the tornado, to New Orleans, and to Houston.
The women and children of the church make fleece blankets year-round for Project Linus, which distributes the blankets to children and adults who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need. The blankets provide a sense of security, warmth, and comfort, and the work brings together generations of volunteers across the church.
Music, Prayer, and Open Communion
Music is central to worship at CCC. The Chancel Choir leads traditional music and special anthems during the service. The Voices4Hymn praise team leads contemporary music. Scott Degitz-Fries has directed Voices4Hymn since 2006 and has been part of the team since 1999. He also serves on the worship committee and has helped lead other musical elements of church life, from Vacation Bible School music to the Maundy Thursday reenactment.
The congregation gathers for prayer, study, fellowship, and service throughout the week. A monthly book discussion group meets in the Narthex to talk about works like The Language of Flowers. Outside groups including Alcoholics Anonymous, the Joyful Notes singing group, and the Needle Arts Club use the church building for their regular meetings. The Wunderlich Family Life Center hosts community sports leagues, kids sports camps, and is available for trivia nights, receptions, and family reunions.
Getting Connected at Community Christian Church
The church can be reached at 623 Meramec Station Road, Manchester, Missouri 63021-5550, by phone at 636-394-2772, or by email at office@disciplesforchrist.org. Contributions can be mailed to P.O. Box 969, Manchester, MO 63011. The Vital Spark newsletter is published monthly and contains articles, upcoming events, and prayer concerns.
Worship services, sermon videos, and special music are archived online, with recent sermons by Rev. Jacob Thorne drawn from passages across the Gospels and the book of Genesis. The Bremer Community Garden, The Stable, the women's and men's small groups, the youth group, and the choirs all welcome new participants. As Jacob Thorne writes to first-time visitors, "Wherever you are on your faith journey, we will meet you there."