Mission:
The purpose of this church shall be as revealed in the New Testament: to win people to faith in Jesus Christ and commit them actively to the church to help them grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ that increasingly they may know and do His will, and to work for the unity of all Christians and with them engage in the common task of building the Kingdom of God.

Portion of Article 1 of our Constitution
Vision and Value Statement: This process is currently ongoing to set and clarify those areas for FCC.

First Christian Church History
A copy of the printed documentation prepared by Frank Spiva on the First Christian Church History from 1885-2000 is available in the church office. (The below picture is the original church building from 1886 when the location was at North Third and Hickory.)

Addendum to History
2000 through 2006

During this six-year period, the church has progressed under the able leadership of Dr. Tom Lyda. Tom grew up in Othello, Washington where he graduated from high school.
Later degrees were:

• 1985 – Associate of Art and Science from Columbia Basin College, Pasco, Washington.1987 Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Washington.
• 1990 – Master of Divinity from Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas.
• 2001 – Doctorate of Ministry in Homiletics, Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas.

2000
In October of 2000, FCC and Brookhollow Christian Church served as host to the Regional Assembly of Disciples of Christ of the Southwest, which was well attended and presented a positive atmosphere to all attendees.

2001
During 2001 the youth (kindergarten through fifth grade) changed its teaching format to a Rotation Model, which includes arts and crafts, music, bible stories, computers, and lessons. This new teaching structure has been well received by the youth.

To accomplish this change, the physical structure of the children’s area was improved to reflect a biblical background for the new method of teaching. This area was dedicated in memory of Royce Farnsworth, who taught this group for 32 years.

2002
During 2002 a garage sale was held to support the youth. It was such a huge success that it has now become an annual event.

A New Way
In 2002, FCC changed its structure from a committee governing body to one based on the idea that each person is truly a “minister” for Christ and endowed with various “Spiritual Gifts”.  While these Spiritual Gifts may be many or few, they need to be addressed so that as ministers we may use our gifts to accomplish the work of the church. The Spiritual Gifts studies were: Administration, Craftsmanship, Giving, Helps, Intercession, Evangelism, Hospitality, Prophesy, Wisdom, Creative Communication, Discernment, Teaching, Knowledge and Leadership. This manner of running the church is working well.

Wylie Christian Church
For many years FCC has presented two Sunday worship services, an early Contemporary Service (8:30 am) and a later Traditional Service (10:45 am). In 2002, part of the Contemporary group formed the Wylie Christian Church which serves a part of South Abilene and the Wylie area (a small community south of Abilene). Doug Roysden, a licensed lay minister, was instrumental in forming this new church. The church serves about 200 persons in attendance each week and has been very successful to date. They meet in in their newly purchased building at the corner of Buffalo Gap and Antilley Road.

2004
In 2004, a committee was formed for Rebuilding Now for Future Generations. This group recommended remodeling the first floor of our Sunday School Building to make it more attractive and also give it more room and storage space for our Breakfast on Beech Street program that serves the needy. The effort was completed in late 2004 and is dedicated to Emma Perry as The Perry Center for Outreach.

Timothy’s
FCC has continued to place members in the pulpit. During these five years we have had one ordained minister and two lay licensed ministers accept the call.

Brett Coe
Brett was previously listed in the last history update of FCC.  He became a licensed minister in April of 2000, and was ordained in 2005. He served as minister of Central Christian Church of Vernon, and now serves as Associate Minister for First Christian Church of Wichita Falls.

Bob Lindley
Bob and Sibe Lindley joined FCC in May 1971, transferring their membership from FCC of Colorado City, Texas. He has always been involved in the work of the church, having taught several of our Sunday School Classes for years. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University as a registered engineer and surveyor. He became a licensed minister in 2004 and fills many vacancies at First Christian Church.

Doug Roysden
The Roysden family joined FCC in September 1984, by transfer of membership from First Baptist Church of Merkel, Texas.  Doug was the leader of the Contemporary Church group at FCC.  He became a licensed minister in 2000 and and is the Senior Minister of Wylie Christian Church.