Our Mission is to empower disciples to serve and glorify God.

We care for the spiritual needs of a culturally diverse community, encourage creativity, and awaken people to the joys of life with Jesus Christ.

We are open to and affirming of all people regardless of gender, race, age, culture, ethnic background, sexual orientation, economic circumstance, or difference in ability as we continue to embody our vision of God’s peace and justice.

Our motto:

Widening The Circle For ALL God's Children!

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For a sermon series on our Mission Statement, click HERE!

Circle Commitments:

(click on the name below for more information)

For a news article on our congregation's new Mission Statement, click HERE!

Anti-Racism/Pro-Reconciliation  ~  Open & Affirming  ~  Accessible To All

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We share in the Vision, Mission, Imperatives, and Covenant of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):

 In our quest to embody Christian unity, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we believe God calls us:

OUR VISION
To be a faithful, growing church, that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for justice. (Micah 6:8)

OUR MISSION
To be and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps "to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

OUR IMPERATIVE
To strengthen congregational life for this mission. (Ephesians 4:11-13, 15-16)

To accomplish this, we shall:

Become the Good News:
Nurturing faith
Practicing and teaching the spiritual disciplines
Fostering Disciples identity
Renewing congregational life
Developing leaders
Share the Good News:
Emphasizing ministry with children, youth, young adults and families
Doing evangelism
Establishing new congregations
Creating ministries with older adults
Serve from "our doorsteps to the ends of the earth":
Engaging in ministries of reconciliation, compassion, unity and justice.

OUR COVENANT
In accepting our Vision, Mission and Imperative, we affirm our need to: be an anti-racist/pro-reconciliation church, strengthen relationships among all manifestations of the church, share mutually and more fully the stewardship of God's gifts of our life in Christ, encourage our growing diversity within our church family and community, work with our many ecumenical and global partners to heal the brokenness of the body of Christ and the human community.

2020 VISION

1000 new congregations
1000 transformed congregations*
The leadership development necessary to realize these new and renewed congregations
All within a context of being an anti-racist/pro-reconciling church.

*Franklin Circle Christian Church, Cleveland, Ohio is one of these 1000 transforming congregations!  To explore more resources for redevelopment and transformation, click HERE!
 

For a detailed history of our congregation, click on this button:

Great Article On The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

What is our Core?
By the Rev. W. Chris Hobgood
Chris is a former General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and former Regional Minister of the in the Capital Area

What are the core values of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)? In other words, what special convictions define us? The difference between a core value and a "regular" value is like the difference between the hubcaps and the transmission of your car. One is nice to have, but the other really helps the auto function. What are those elements without which we'd not be who we are? I'm not talking about things like the way we Disciples love to eat, for example, No, these core values run even deeper. For me, five-core values stand out.

Our belief in the Lordship of Jesus Christ and our sole stipulation that a member of its movement confess this and accept Jesus Christ as Savior. Beyond this sole test of fellowship, we do not put belief requirements on people. Beyond this one essential conviction, beliefs will differ, and we will accept one another without insisting that all agree. This kind of inclusiveness defines us.

Our celebration of an open Lord's Table. We celebrate this feast weekly, and no human can bar any other human from participation. It is Christ's table, He is the host, we are all simply His guests. The hospitality that characterizes the Lord's Table is, we pray, true of every part of life.

The ministry of all believers, We don't limit ministry to the ordained. All of us are called to ministry at our baptisms. All are called to represent Jesus Christ to the world. All of us have a vocation of servant-leadership. No one is absolved of this call.

The Love of unity. We have long carried this in our pursuit of Christian unity. Our founders made this a clear vocational call of this movement. Yet we are called to be uniters, not dividers, of all God's created order. So let us build a united church, yes, but let us also work for a united human community as well.

The justice of God. Abraham Lincoln said, "I tremble when I realize that we serve a just god." God's justice roots in the truth that God is creator of everything, non-human as well as human. It becomes our responsibility , therefore, if we are going to be faithful to God, to treat every person and every thing as being precious to God. Wouldn't this make a difference in the way we live our lives? Wouldn't it revolutionize our stewardship of money, time, talent, relationships, war and peace and everything else in life? Ultimate justice belongs only to God.

I believe they are the core principles on which our founders acted and we are called to act. In a world fractured by war, where fear and suspicion of those who dare to disagree with policy and practice sometimes prevail, isn't it time the Disciples of Christ showed who we really are?

Some Famous Disciples of Christ

(This list is thanks to John Hagan and his Facebook page "1,000,000 Disciples Strong.  I cannot verify all these are completely accurate, but believe most of them to be so.)

Some Prominent members of our small denomination include some pretty awesome and historic people! Including 3 American Presidents, a Prime Minister of the UK, a White House Press Secretary and one Supreme Court Justice! We also got the KFC Colonel, Uncle Jessie, the Hoover vacuum, The Dixie Chicks and many more! Updated regulary, so if you have any suggestions on people to add, just let us know.

* Edgar Cayce, psychic and healer, (I would say he was the Nostradamus of the last century)

* J. William Fulbright, U.S. Senator from Arkansas (photo left)

* James Garfield, 20th President of the United States. He was an ordained minister having received his ordination, while serving as president of Hiram College. During the period he preached almost every Sunday in congregations around the Western Reserve

* David Lloyd George, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who delivered open air sermons on temperance

* W.H. "Boss" Hoover, founder of The Hoover Company, also a founding member and ordained minister of Community Christian Church in North Canton, Ohio (photo left)
 

* Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States, who taught Sunday School as a young man and regularly attended National City Christian Church on Thomas Circle in Washington, D.C. during his time as President (but whose family, however, had been staunchly Baptist and whose wife Lady Bird Johnson was a devoted Episcopalian)

* Ken Lucas, former Congressman (D) candidate for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District.

* Frances McDormand, Oscar-winning actress (that cop lady from the movie Fargo, dontcha know) (photo left)
 

* James Clark McReynolds, United States Supreme Court Justice (1914-1941)

* Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States (baptized into the Disciples as a youth, and graduated from the Disciples' Eureka College, but a member of Bel Air Presbyterian Church in his later years)

* Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (GO COLONEL!)

* Ike Skelton, congressman from Missouri's 4th Congressional District

* John Stamos, actor (better known as Uncle Jessie on Full House.)

* Rebecca Romijn - Wife to John Stamos, fasion model and actress.

* John Tanner, congressman from Tennessee's 8th Congressional District

*Dr. David Satcher, doctor, Surgeon General of the United States from 1998-2002 (photo left)

* Lew Wallace, Civil War general and author of one the best selling books of all time Ben-Hur; his membership with the Disciples is somewhat uncertain, but his stepmother, Zerelda G. Wallace, was a founding member of Central Christian in Indianapolis and active in the WCTU, with her portrait still in the Indiana Statehouse

* UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. He is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (class of 1961) and a coach (class of 1973). He was the first person ever enshrined in both categories; only Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman have since been so honored. His 10 NCAA National Championships in 12 years while at UCLA are unmatched by any other college basketball coach.

*Erin Grey DeLisle - Billed as a "Superstar Voice Actress" on the Anime News Network, DeLisle currently plays the leading role in at least six current animated series. Harp Magazine has called Delisle "golden-voiced" and recognized her for her roles in Fairly Oddparents and What's New, Scooby-Doo? as well as Clifford the Big Red Dog. DeLisle has had voice acting roles in many computer and video games.

* Laura Hall, the pianist from the Drew Carrey show "Whose Line is it Anyway?". Laura has also played at 2 DOC events, Mix in '06 and a General Assembly.

* Murray Hammond, bassist from the Old '97s. Husband of Erin Grey DeLisle. This duet performs at Christian Churches. The Old '97's have appeared on the King of the Hill soundtrack, the 2006 Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston movie the Break-Up, a Fuse TV commercial, a Chili's commercial, a Mastercard Commercial, and have also been featured on the TV show Scrubs.

*Millard Fuller - the founder and former president of Habitat for Humanity International, former missionary to the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
 

*Tony Snow - Former White House Press Secretary. Radio and TV news host.

* Mary Steenburgen - Actress from such movies as Elf, Whats Eating Gilbert Grape and Step Brothers.

*John Henry Kreitler, also credited as John Henry, is an American television composer and song writer. He has worked on such shows as Passions, Law and Order, Melrose Place and Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. He has won 9 Day Time Emmys, and was nominated for 5. John directed the choir at Madison Avenue Christian in Covington Kentucky, before business lured them to Hollywood, where they joined N. Hollywood Christian.

*Ted Danson - (attends with his wife Mary Steenburgen.) Ted was the star of the tv show Cheers and he was in the movie 3 Men and Little Baby.

* Emily Robison and Martie Maguire - 2 of the founding members (both sisters) of the Dixie Chicks.

*Kirk Cameron -Child Star from Growing Pains tv show.

*Steven Alexander - former Washington Redskins player and His wife Mandy Alexander are members of FCC (doc) Chickasha Ok

*Tim Howard - the goalie for USA soccer Olympic team goes to Lindenwood DOC in Memphis.
 

Click HERE for Pastor Allen's New Member Presentation on Discipleship at Franklin Circle Christian Church

Historic Cleveland Congregation Officially Becomes “Open & Affirming”
Historic Cleveland Congregation “COMES OUT!”

On Sunday, October 12, 2008, one day after National Coming Out Day, Franklin Circle Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), located on Cleveland’s Near West Side, voted without dissent to become an  Open & Affirming, Anti-Racism/Pro-Reconciling, and Accessible to All Congregation.. A revised mission statement now intentionally claims the church’s calling to welcome and affirm all persons in the life of the church, regardless of gender, race, age, culture, ethnic background, sexual orientation, economic circumstance, or difference in ability. In this way it is living into the church’s motto, “Widening The Circle For All God’s Children.”

In fact, this historic congregation – 166-years young – has been a diverse community of faith for many years. In the early part of the 20th century the church’s “Chinese Sunday School” taught life-skills to the Chinese immigrants who moved to the mid-west at the conclusion of the industrial revolution. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, when the neighborhood around the church and the city of Cleveland experienced rapid urban decay, the congregation’s leaders stood firmly to their commitment of maintaining a vibrant urban faithful presence in the midst of the changing population and the shifting needs of its neighbors. Persons of color joined and became leaders of the congregation, serving as deacons, elders, trustees, and pastors.

Following Christ’s call for compassion and justice, the church in the 1990’s reached beyond fear and welcomed visitors and family members of the church living with HIV/AIDS. In 2001 the congregation called the Rev. Allen V. Harris, an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), to be their pastor and teacher. Rev. Harris, a person with a contagious passion for community ministry and ten years of experience in urban ministry, is the first openly gay pastor to serve the church. He and his partner, the Rev. Craig Hoffman, have been together for 19 years.

Under Rev. Harris’ leadership the church has already begun responding to the various needs of the church and surrounding community through the Circle Project. This campaign to raise awareness and funds began in 2005 with a goal to make the church’s historic edifice handicap accessible so that members of the church and community alike would not face physical barriers to their participation. Within two years the church was able to complete the installation of two lifts and a sanctuary ramp, making the building accessible to all.

For nearly three years the church has hosted a series of occasional discussions, called Widening The Circle Forums, to engage its members and others in the community in exploring in creative and personal ways what it means for a faith community, as well as a neighborhood, to live out diversity with integrity, thoughtfulness, and harmony. These forums have included viewing films such as the academy-award winning “Crash,” the delightful children’s story-book recreation of “Oliver Button Is A Star,” the thought provoking documentary, “The N-Word: Divided We Stand” and the compelling story of gentrification in a Columbus, Ohio neighborhood, “Flag Wars.”

Most forums also included personal stories. For example, a transgender member of the congregation, Jay Cheiky, shared his journey of living “between two worlds.” Laura A. Gold, Director of ADA/Accessibility Services for Independent Living, Inc. encouraged the church and community to think more broadly about accessibility. After watching a film about lesbian and gay Latinos, City Councilman Joe Santiago shared his perspectives on being gay and Hispanic. More recently, Charles R. See, Executive Director of Community Re-Entry of Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries, urged participants to take action to bring justice to formerly incarcerated individuals.

Feeling as if the church had been living out the call of Christ to serve “the least of these” for many years, the Elders of the congregation began a conversation in January of 2008 about putting into words the deeds they were already living. Sharon Thomas, chair of the Board of Elders and a 20-year survivor of AIDS, led the process. After much prayerful consideration and research into other congregations in many different denominations which have also affirmed the worth, dignity, and full participation of God’s diverse people, the Elders adapted the existing Mission Statement and sent it to the Board for consideration. On September 21, 2008, with minor changes, the Board approved the Mission Statement and forwarded it to the congregation, which voted On October 12 to approve it, without dissent.

The new Mission Statement reads:
Our Mission is to empower disciples to serve and glorify God.

We care for the spiritual needs of a culturally diverse community, encourage creativity, and awaken people to the joys of life with Jesus Christ.

We are open to and affirming of all people regardless of gender, race, age, culture, ethnic background, sexual orientation, economic circumstance, or difference in ability as we continue to embody our vision of God’s peace and justice.

Thomas said of the need for the vote, “Many churches say they ‘welcome all’ but really don’t.” The specific language in the statement is so that “people can be honest about their circumstances while we help to nurture the joy of Jesus Christ in their lives,” she proclaimed.

Chair of the Board, Al Betts, noted that he had come to see the congregation through the image of an RTA bus, which he rides frequently. “Both the bus and our church are diverse, just like Cleveland, and we’re going places!” A five-year old boy who kept raising his hand was asked what he wanted to say. He exclaimed, “What would Jesus do?”

Franklin Circle Christian Church becomes the eighty-first congregation or church organization in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada to become Open & Affirming, and the first congregation in Ohio in the Disciples of Christ to do so. There are over 3,100 congregations of various denominations throughout North America that have taken a faithful and public stance on welcoming all persons, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons into the life and leadership of the congregation.

The church also is one of 2,292 congregations in the United States to have signed onto the Accessible Congregation Campaign of the Religion & Disability program of the National Organization On Disability.

Since 2007 the congregation has officially been committed to engaging in Anti-Racism/Pro-Reconciliation training through the Ohio Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), although the entire denomination for decades has been deeply committed to eradication of racism, the transformation of individuals and communities, and the fostering of dialogue among people of all races, ethnicities, and cultures.

In all these commitments, the congregation is well aware that voting on such a statement is neither a completion of a process nor an excuse to become comfortable. In fact, naming them sets a challenge for the congregation to live out more fully and deeply the call its members feel from Christ to be and spread the Good News of God’s love to “the ends of the earth.”

For more information, go to www.FranklinCircleChurch.org  or call the Rev. Allen V. Harris at 216-781-8232.

Links:
Widening The Circle Forums
http://www.franklincirclechurch.org/WideningTheCircleForums.htm

Accessible Congregation Campaign:

http://www.nod.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showFeature&FeatureID=1326 

GLAD Alliance Open & Affirming Congregation Program:
http://www.gladalliance.org/oaa.html 

Institute for Welcoming Resources of the National Gay & Affirming Task Force:
http://www.welcomingresources.org/ 

Reconciliation Mission of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
http://www.reconciliationmission.org/themission/