Churches merge and move forward

A celebration of the merger is planned for June 4.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
BOARDMAN -- And the two became one and now will officially be known as Disciples Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Boardman Christian Church, 565 Boardman-Canfield Road, and First Christian Church, formerly located at 562 Wick Ave., Youngstown, merged and are based at the Boardman site. The two first worshipped together in November 2004 but legal paperwork, including filing nonprofit information with the state of Ohio, had to be resolved before the merger was official.
A celebratory service is planned for 10:30 a.m. June 4. The Rev. Dr. William H. Edwards, regional pastor for the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, will speak. A reception will follow.
"We want people to come from the faith community and celebrate our new church," said Dottie Johnson of Boardman and Boardman Christian.
"We've moved forward with a new identity," she said. An interchurch committee worked to mesh the two churches and congregations, said the membership chairwoman of Disciples Christian.
Three years in the making
"The process began about three years ago," said Jean Montgomery of Boardman, an elder and chairman of the board at First Christian. "We knew financially and by the membership we were faltering. As a congregation we wanted to continue and decided to consolidate with another church."
First Christian had about 50 active members. "Some go back and forth to Florida. We were an older congregation ... the manpower was depleted ... we had fewer people to take on more jobs," Montgomery said. "And we realized we just weren't a neighborhood church any more. Our members were scattered on every side of town."
"We wanted our ministry to shut-in members and the general mission to continue," Montgomery said. Eleven elders of the church visit shut-in members and take Communion. The church investigated options and approached Boardman Christian, which welcomed the idea. About two-thirds of First Christian members joined Disciples Christian.
Now an education center
First Christian, located next to the Butler Institute of American Art, has been reborn as the Dennison Education Center. The church building, which has 20,337 square feet, added that to the 120,000 square feet of the Butler and provided an area for more educational offerings and storage. A previous Vindicator story on the merger noted that First Christian was established in 1841 in Youngstown and the neo-Gothic church building on Wick Avenue was constructed in 1934.
Montgomery said remembering First Christian was important but there's not an "emphasis on the past." Some items from First Christian relocated to Disciples Christian were a large cross, Christ candle and piano. "The ultimate plan for the bell [from the tower] is to mount it outside -- not on the building but close to it," Montgomery said.
Boardman Christian was chartered in 1958, and the building was constructed in 1960. Coincidentally, Boardman's first pastor was installed during a service at First Christian and reflected a long-standing tie between the two.
Naming the church
The membership didn't hesitate in suggesting new names for the merged churches, said Mary Ciavarella of Poland and Boardman Christian. The chairwoman of the new name committee said: "It was a creative process. We asked for nominations and the committee gradually pared the number down. It was quite a process."
She emphasized that the naming of the church was "very democratic." "We wanted everyone to have ownership," she said.
The committee whittled the suggestions to two and a vote was taken. Disciples Christian Church reflects the affiliation with the Disciples of Christ denomination.
When the merger process began, First Christian had a pastor and Boardman Christian, an interim pastor. Co-pastors were the plan but the situation changed. The Rev. Walter Coy became the pastor of Disciples Christian last July. "In a way, I'm a neutral person," the Rev. Mr. Coy said, and added "that's turned out to be a good thing."
"It's a process of letting people get to know one another," he said.
Church activities
Mr. Coy said Disciples Christian has about 400 members. The church operates Boardman Learning Center and Preschool for children from 18 months to 12 years old. Among church programs are DARE, a divorce support group, and Bible study for adults and children, youth group and choir. Sue Mayerchak is organist and choir director. Members also volunteer at Salvation Army and the Rescue Mission.
Mr. Coy said he was "impressed by the generosity and concern" of the members, who donated about $2,600 to hurricane relief. "They are a talented group," he said.
As for the pastor himself, Mr. Coy said he "made a tour of Ohio churches" and served in various pastorates including stints as a hospital and prison chaplain. Originally from the Youngstown area, Mr. Coy is a Canfield High School graduate and holds a degree in religious studies and police science from Youngstown State University. He graduated in 1989 from Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland.
Of his diverse work background in the secular world, including a job as a reserve and then deputy sheriff in Mahoning County, Mr. Coy said he's "well-seasoned."
Robert Kimmel of Boardman Christian, chairman of the board of Disciples Christian, sees the merger "as a positive thing."
"Everyone gets along and we're not strangers. Over the years, you get to know members of the same denomination from other churches," the Boardman man said.
When the new pastor, Mr. Coy, came on board, Kimmel said he also thought that gave the church a "fresh start."
Looking ahead, Kimmel said, "I'm thinking we need to concentrate on growth and getting people in the church seats. We'll try our best to make that happen."