Unique Opportunity for Worshiping Congregations from Lakewood Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

“Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” – Acts of the Apostles 4:32-33 (NRSV)

My name is Rev. Christopher Stark and I am writing to you as a representative of Lakewood Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In the past three years that I have served the Lakewood community, I have witnessed several churches close their doors due to lack of funds or lack of participation. These depleted congregations represent a larger number of faith communities in Lakewood that are exhausting their resources, both physical and financial; to keep their doors open for those whom we are all called to serve. Perhaps your faith community falls into this category of struggling stewardship, or perhaps your congregation is healthy and thriving. No matter your specific situation; scripture, tradition, reason and experience point to indicators that our individual congregations can better witness, better minister, and better serve the world with greater participation and ecumenism.

Our congregation of Lakewood Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been working through a time of discernment. During this time, we have been struggling to find ways to better be the Ekklesia, those called out by God to continue Christ’s work in this world. One specific concept in which we find hope is that of a communal church, or a Church Co-Op. Our current situation of nesting with Cove United Methodist Church has allowed us to focus less on building and structural overhead and put more effort into mission and outreach. Unfortunately, not having a building of our own leaves us unable to reach out in specific ways. What we propose is a unity of those two unique situations. We are looking for other congregations, and faith communities to join us in a completely cooperative venture. This Church Co-Op would allow several faith communities to share completely in ownership of a building, specifically designed for the unique task of sheltering several distinct congregations. This Church Co-Op would allow those who participate to drastically cut back on building maintenance and overhead and allow all of us to jointly work together in ministry, outreach, stewardship and fellowship while still maintaining our unique histories and heritages. In my mind, this would also allow us to more closely resemble that early church in Acts, coming together as sisters and brothers in Christ to more powerfully build God’s kingdom in Lakewood, Ohio.

As the maxim goes, “In essentials unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity”. May this be a chance to unite on the essential task of sharing that Good News that has been passed on to us, in love, peace, and charity; while still maintaining our own individual liberties. If your faith community prayerfully discerns to continue discussing some of the specific details of how this vision might be realized, we invite you to further deliberate with us on August 4, 7 p.m. at the Lakewood Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)/ Cove United Methodist building. We are located at 12501 Lake Ave. Lakewood, OH. If you have any further questions or comments in the meantime, or if you plan on attending this meeting, please call our church office at (216)221-2716. We hope that you prayerfully consider this opportunity for unity.

Yours in fellowship,

Rev. Christopher K. Stark