Oklahoma merger reflects a desire to serve as ‘a single, unified body of Christ.’
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
DURANT, Okla. — Just off U.S. 69/75 beside a Choctaw Travel Plaza billboard, nearly 500 Christians gather in a multipurpose room filled with four-legged cushioned chairs.
“You are the melody. You are the harmony. Praise to your name I will bring,” the Durant Church of Christ sings as Sunday morning worship begins.
About 15 miles north of the Texas state line, this growing church in the home city of Southeastern Oklahoma State University is building a new, 800-seat auditorium.
But while the construction proceeds, members will need to rearrange the chairs and set up tables for the monthly Friends & Family Day potluck meal following the assembly.
Not that they mind.
The faithful prefer to focus on the blessings of a multiyear journey that brought together two Durant congregations: the Seventh and Beech Church of Christ and the Northwest Church of Christ.
This story appears in the online edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Photo by Matt Swearengin
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 