Northtown Church of Christ, has always had a special place in my heart. I was a member back in 1978, when it was a mission Church supported by Highland Street Church, in Memphis, TN. It was a very close knit Christian community, then, and from recent articles I've read, in an effort to catch-up, since returning to Wisconsin, from South Texas, where I settled, and worked, once my children were grown. It was a wonderful church to bring up children in, giving them a a great understanding and a solid foundation in the Bible, which is the foundation for the Churches of Christ. "Where the Bible speaks, we listen, and try to live it. Where the Bible is silent, we are silent." I hear this simple, straightforward statement about walking in and living a life for Christ, when I first became a Christian, at the age of 17.
After becoming very dissatisfied with the Catholic religion, the only formal contact I had with a church, as a small child attending a Catholic school. My parents were Christian, but neither attended any church. As a teen, I wanted to have a place to renew my spirit, and began searching. A family that I babysat for, invited me to attend church with them, one Sunday, it was an instrumental Church of Christ. I found something there that had been missing in my life, studied, and at 17, was buried with Christ in baptism, in obedience to God's word. After graduating from nursing school, I relocated, after I was married. This is where I started attending a non-insturmental Church of Christ, being the only Church of Christ in the area. The basic beliefs do not change between instrumental and non-insturmental, except that, though there is nothing wrong with musical instruments in the church, the Bible doesn't include them as a necessity. The non-insturmental churches consider the natural Acapella voices make a joyful noise to the Lord, without competing with musical instruments in the mix! In my personal opinion, having to sing Acapella encourages worshipers to sing with their best voices. It's beautiful!
Sorry I digressed, somewhat, but Northtown Church of Christ was a great church, as a mission Church, with Harold Shank and Bob Epperly as ministers, and also, missionaries working to establish a much needed church, in a very undeserved area of Milwaukee! In the mid 1980's, I believe, when church member had reached about 200 families and the church was becoming more self-sustaiñing, Harold was asked to return to Highland Street, in Memphis, while Bob Epperly stayed to support Harold's replacement.
Shortly after Rob McRay replaced Harold, my life also took a turn, which required me to relocate, and necessitated attending a Church of Christ closer to my new residence.
Since leaving Northtown Church of Christ, and with the ability to obtain information quickIy on the new information highway, I have, from time to time checked to see what wqs going on, at Northtown. Though most of the original members of the 1970's and '80's, seem to have moved on, the church, itself seems to have maintained its following and brought in parishioners from the surrounding neighborhoods, which was the goal when it was established as a mission Church.
When I was working and traveling, in the south, Texas, Tennessee, Arizona, and other, "Bible belt states, I had occasion to visit some of the, "mega churches" that are prevalent in those areas of our country. I have to say, though the services were inspiring and the people very nice, it reminded me more of a business, trying to reach a fiscal goal rather than a church! Being so large it seemed that any possibility of fellowship was remote.
For myself, a small community/neighborhood church, like Northtown with it's membership of around 200 families, is more in keeping with the model of the early Christian churches of the Bible, such as Northtown, and the small neighborhood Instrumental Church of Christ, I attended, as a new Christian.
With racial diversity, a membership of about 200 families, and simple, Bible based values and teachings, it is a down to earth church emphasizing family values, spiritual growth, and retention of the youth, as they reach the age where they understand being obedient to God's word by being buried with him in baptism for the forgiveness of sins and being reborn, or putting on Christ, in their own lives, as they become adults. However, this is taught from early Bible School, forward without pressure or guilt. A great place to spend a Sunday morning, coming away refreshed and recharged, in spirit, for the coming week! read more
