An Open Table on Market Street
First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) sits on West Market Street in Athens, Alabama, drawing a steady Sunday crowd around one defining practice: an open Communion table. The congregation describes itself with three simple phrases - "Open Hands, Open Hearts, An Open Table" - and that welcome shapes everything from how the services are led to how the building is filled each week.
Two Sunday Services, One Weekly Communion
Worship happens twice each Sunday morning. An earlier gathering at 8:30 a.m. is set up as a more informal service, while a fuller service follows at 10:30 a.m. Both services move through singing and prayer and include an adult message along with a children's message. Each week the congregation gathers around the table for Communion, a practice the church considers central rather than occasional.
The 10:30 a.m. service is also livestreamed on Facebook, so members who are traveling or homebound can join the same shared meal and message in real time. Recordings remain accessible through the church's Facebook account.
Worship and Wonder for Children
Children are woven into the main service rather than sent off to a separate program during the sermon. After the Children's Moment, school-age children leave the larger gathering together for Worship and Wonder, a story-based, Montessori-inspired approach to worship designed for younger learners. The arrangement keeps families together for the opening songs, prayers, and Communion before the children head upstairs.
"No Creed but Christ"
The congregation lives out a non-creedal heritage rooted in the American frontier, when clergy were scarce and laypeople began leading worship themselves. Members and visitors are not asked to subscribe to a fixed doctrine. Disciples often quote the saying "No Creed but Christ" and Augustine's instruction, "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in everything, charity." Each person is encouraged to work out their own relationship with God within a supportive community. The red chalice, the recognized symbol of the denomination, reflects this emphasis on shared worship over strict doctrine.
An Open Table Every Sunday
Because Communion is the heart of worship here, it happens every Sunday, and the invitation extends to anyone who walks through the doors. As the church puts it, "Wherever you come from, wherever you're going, the table is open to you." Communion is not held back as something to be earned or tested; it is the weekly welcome mat of the congregation.
Outreach at Home and Across Borders
Service beyond the walls of the building is a shared emphasis. First Christian partners with Limestone County Churches Involved to meet local needs, and the Christian Women's Group often fundraises for various causes. Internationally, the church supports a partner school in Haiti and participates in the denomination's Week of Compassion. Members are encouraged to suggest new outreach opportunities as they become aware of needs in the wider community.
Visiting First Christian
Sunday visitors can pick the service that fits them best: the 8:30 a.m. gathering for a quieter, more informal experience, or the 10:30 a.m. service for fuller congregational singing and the livestream community. The church building is at 400 West Market Street in Athens, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 966, Athens, AL 35612. The church phone is 256-232-5611, and Pastor Clint can be reached at 256-374-9451. Online giving is available through the church's giving page, and a prayer request form is also posted on the site for those who would like the congregation to lift them up.