A Walk in Alexander Campbell’s Shadow

By Rev. Jesse Jackson

From July 24-27, 2024 Randy Kuss, Interim Regional Minister and Jesse Jackson, Regional Moderator-Elect traveled to Washington, PA and Bethany, WV to the College of Regional Ministers and Forum of Regional Moderators to attend “A Pilgrimage to Sacred Sites”. The experience was hosted by the Rev. Thaddaeus Allen, Regional Minister and President of the Christian Church in West Virginia, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Pennsylvania, and the Northeastern Regions.

Campbell Country

I had visited Cane Ridge in Kentucky several years ago, the ministry site of founder Barton W. Stone, but this was my first time in “Campbell country.” And the shadow of the shared legacies of Thomas and Alexander Campbell continues to loom large. On that first night, after dinner, we visited the historical marker that marks the spot where Thomas Campbell wrote “The Declaration and Address,” one of the Restoration Movements foundational documents.

The following day is when we truly began to walk in Alexander Campbell’s shadow. We visited Bethany College, founded by Campbell. Our additional stops were the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, the Campbell Mansion, and God’s Acre Cemetery, where both Thomas and Alexander Campbell, as well as many other Disciple leaders are buried.

Disciples Historical Society

At the Historical Society we were greeted by Dr. Joel A. Brown, president of the Historical Society, and staff members who would lead our tours. The Historical Society is a fascinating place and a treasure trove for researchers and history buffs alike. We discussed the “kinds” of things that they were interested in preserving there, versus things that should be preserved in congregations. The message was to have a conversation with them, before just packing up your congregations’ old documents and sending them in boxes. I did notice a bit of Oklahoma on the wall, the incorporation certificate and picture of the Pennsylvania Ave. Christian Church in Oklahoma City.

Additionally, there is also a Disciples Oral History Project that seeks to record personal narratives of congregational members and leaders that add a layer to the story of who we are as Disciples. Along with the terrific books that you can order online, there are also baseball cards of historic Disciples figures like Dale Fiers, President James Garfield, Sarah Lue Bostick, and Preston Taylor for sale.

Campbell Mansion

The guided tour took us through the Campbell Mansion, its history, including famous visitors, and the ownership transfer from his father-in-law to Campbell and his descendants and finally the church. But the mansion also has the original headstone of Thomas Campbell, which had been stolen and recovered years later. The homestead was even complete with a one room schoolhouse from the 1800’s.

God’s Acre Cemetery

We then visited “God’s Acre Cemetery” and witnessed the final resting place of both Thomas and Alexander Campbell and many family members and well as Disciples leaders and faculty from Bethany College. And that was before lunch!

Campbell’s Teaching Legacy

After lunch was easily the most challenging part of the trip, climbing the many steps to get from the cafeteria to “Old Main,” which housed Mr. Campbell’s classroom. This beautiful edifice is a splendid example of 19th century Gothic Revival architecture. I am sure that Bethany College students have little problems with the many steps and the steep inclines and declines of the Alleghany Mountains, but it has been a while since I was a college student.

We were joined on this day by our General Minister and President the Rev. Dr. Terri Hord Owens and the President of Disciples Home Missions the Rev. Dr. Chris Dorsey. After Dr. Hord Owens addressed the combined group in Alexander Campbell’s classroom, the Regional Moderators separated for our own meeting.
We next made our way down the steps from “Old Main,” past the cafeteria and down the mountain to the “Old Meetinghouse” where Alexander Campbell preached. Walking into that building was more than walking into history, I was walking into nostalgia. The “Meetinghouse” had wood floors, windows (that opened), wood burning, or as we called them in Mississippi, “pot bellied stoves” and unless it was freezing, the doors of the building were left wide open. My father once served a congregation terribly similar to that in rural Mississippi when I was a child, and it brought back wonderful memories.

The Legacy of Alexander Campbell

This was an opportunity to walk in the physical shadow of Campbell, but Chris Dorsey introduced us to the intellectual and advocacy legacy of Alexander Campbell. As mentioned before, Dorsey is the President of Disciples Home Missions, whose founder is Alexander Campbell. Campbell believed that the goal of education was to “eradicate ignorance.” That is why he founded Bethany College. But he also believed that the mission of the church was to “share the love of God and transform the world.” That means that the church must be active in social engagement and advocate for the oppressed and marginalized. We talked about the many ways that DHM meets everyday needs of individuals and congregations. I invite you to explore Disciples.org to learn exactly who we are as a church and what we do.

Church visionaries realized early on that if we were going to transform the world, then we needed social engagement. Mission, advocacy, and programs became a priority as they engaged society through Christian Education, youth programs, laity, and mission work.

We ended with a dose of realism. Each congregation is different, and we have different calls. Dorsey said that “Some of our churches will never grow beyond the number they have now” (in terms of attendance). But numbers have nothing to do with vitality or impact. Impact is what God requires and what the world needs.