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Our LeadershipThe gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. ~Ephesians 4:11-13 |
At MCC, you will see men and women, lay and clergy serving side-by-side. We believe all people of Christ are called to offer themselves back to God. God wants us to be partners in bringing about the kingdom on Earth, as it is in heaven. We believe that there are no barriers to God's call. (In fact, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been ordaining women since the late 1800s!) Thus we boldly claim the vision of Galatians 3:28, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."
Our Pastor
Rev. April in her home office
Pastor. Jesus-follower. Wife of an engineer. Momma of 6. Home educator. Music nerd. Writer. Artist. Thinker. Bread-baker. Book-reader. Coffee-drinker.
These are some of the words Rev. April McClure Stewart uses to describe herself.
April was born and raised in Eureka, IL, a small town 20ish miles east of Peoria. She graduated from Eureka College with a B.A. in Vocal Performance and planned to study classical voice until she realized that Church, and all its weird and wonderful workings, is what truly thrills her.
She received her M.Div. from Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, KY and served First Christian Church in Richmond, KY and First Christian Church, Lancaster, KY as an associate pastor for music and youth. April then served First Christian Church of Rock Falls, IL as a solo pastor. In 2009, she left pulpit ministry to embrace the ministry of motherhood. During that time, she began home educating her children (now ages 3-17), teaching at a local classical Christian school, and serving in various ministries and leadership positions.
April returned to ministry in 2017 within the fellowship of the Mennonite Church (USA) as Pastor of Worship at Roanoke Mennonite Church in Roanoke, IL. She was called to MCC in August 2020
April currently serves as the 2020 Cohort Leader and Interim Executive Director for the School for Ministry, an innovative program designed to guide lay persons through educational training for pastoral and church leadership. Her blog with occasional posts and art can be found here.
Our pastor is full of ideas for a future of ministry to and with the congregation of Memorial Christian Church. Read April's A Celebratory Recap of 2021 activities here.
Our Elders
MCC Elders Annette Felker, Donna Gladson, Kathy Simpson, Jerry Simpson, Scott Dunham
(not pictured, Kathy Warren)
As a congregation in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we are governed by the members of our congregation. The Elders are nominated by the congregation and are elected to serve as our Spiritual Leaders along with Rev. April, who is an ordained elder. The Elders serve at the Table, offer prayer and discernment, lead worship, preach, teach, and tend the congregation in times of need. We are blessed to have six faithful, humble, and compassionate individuals who serve as the Elders of MCC.