Celebrating a New Church and a New Partnership in Kentucky

Two churches will gather on a Sunday afternoon in September to give thanks and praise that God has called a new church into being in Independence, Kentucky, and we are all invited.

For the members of Kentucky Islanders Christian Church, it will be the culmination of a two-year journey that included meeting in members’ homes and fervently praying that God might lead them to a place where they could worship together in a sanctuary with room to expand their ministry.

 

For the members of Independence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), it will be a celebration of living out the call to respond to this need. After a series of meetings and conversations among Independence pastor Rev. Dr. Olivia Bryan Updegrove, Independence Board Chair Carol Franzen, and Kentucky Islanders Christian Church Pastor Bradly Iknasio and two associate ministers, the two churches entered into a formal nesting agreement and covenant that includes plans to worship together as one a few times a year.

Through weekly worship, fellowship and mission-driven outreach initiatives, Pastor Bradly and his team aim to minister to and with the Chuukese community in Kentucky and beyond—providing welcome and support to the recent immigrants from Chuuk State, one of four states located in the Federated States of Micronesia. To support this calling, the CCK New  Church Team has awarded Kentucky Islanders Christian Church a Spark Grant, which provides seed money for new churches in our region. This summer, with financial support from our region’s Pentecost offerings, the members of Kentucky Islanders Christian Church were excited to travel to the Chuukese Disciples national gathering in St. Joseph, Missouri, and fellowship with other churches in the North American Pacific/Asian Disciples (NAPAD) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

You are invited to join in the welcome and praying for our newest church!

Submitted by
Rachel Nance Woehler
Co-convener of the CCK New Church Team

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