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OKLAHOMA CITY — I’ve helicoptered across Israel and cruised past…
A year of Sundays
Time with fellow Christians — at home and on the road — brings blessings.
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NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS — I worshiped last Sunday morning with the Legacy Church of Christ in this Fort Worth suburb.
An invitation from a friend, Stewart McKenzie, to talk about The Christian Chronicle in his adult Bible class brought me to town.
Bobby Ross Jr., right, with his friend Stewart McKenzie at the Legacy Church of Christ in North Richland Hills, Texas.
The trip proved a double blessing Sunday night as I got to attend the Briar Church of Christ in Azle, Texas — about 25 miles away — as my brother, Scott Ross, filled in as the guest preacher.
Legacy is a big church. Briar is a small one. But each inspired me equally with the friendly greetings from brothers and sisters in Christ and the biblical sermons (Tim Hall is the preaching minister at Legacy).
People frequently ask how often I travel in my role as editor-in-chief of the Chronicle.
I’ve never really had a solid answer.
Until now.
At the beginning of 2024, my wife, Tamie, bought me a daily diary journal. I started taking Sunday notes in it (including listing my whereabouts) and jotting down a weekly prayer list.
Based on my journal, I can tell you that I’ve spent 31 of the year’s first 49 Sundays at my home congregation, the Edmond Church of Christ in Oklahoma.
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Most of those Sundays, I’ve sat in the balcony and slipped out before the final announcements to help in the kindergarten class taught for decades by Camey Johnson, an amazing student of God’s word.
I love the Edmond church, where Tamie and I have spent most of the past 35 years (except for three years away when I worked for The Associated Press in Tennessee and Texas from 2002 to 2005).
But I also love visiting other congregations across the U.S. — and even around the world.
Besides the Sundays I’ve already mentioned, where have the year’s other 17 Lord’s Days taken me?
Well, I started the year at the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ in Brentwood, Tenn., joining my friends Steve and Holly Holladay while on a reporting trip to the Nashville area.
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I spent a different Sunday in the Tennessee capital — while in town for the annual Lads to Leaders convention — researching a piece on a church planted after the sale of the old Hermitage Church of Christ. That afternoon, I caught up with my friend Chris McCurley, minister for the Walnut Street Church of Christ in Dickson, Tenn., to report on his congregation’s new approach to Sunday nights.
After a mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade, I visited the Greater Metropolitan Church of Christ in that Missouri city.
One Sunday took me to the Roseville Church of Christ in the Minneapolis area, where I interviewed minister Richard Inyang after he nearly died in a fire.
Bobby Ross Jr., right, with minister Richard Inyang on a reporting trip to Minnesota.
Another Sunday took me to the Canadian Church of Christ in the Texas Panhandle, where I delved into relief efforts after a major wildfire.
Still another Sunday took me to the Seabrook Church of Christ in New Hampshire (morning) and the Kittery Church of Christ in Maine (evening), where I talked to folks about those two New England congregations becoming one body.
I spent other Sundays at:
• The Metro Church of Christ in Sterling Heights, Mich., doing a story on a pro-life ministry;
• The Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in Bellvue, Colo., doing a story on the legacy of the late Bob and Helen Bland;
• The Bridgewood Church of Christ in Fort Worth, doing a story on a “bread and Bibles” ministry serving the community.
• And the Metropolitan Church of Christ in Carson, Calif., doing a story on Black Christians’ election perspective.
Of course, not every Sunday away from home has been work related.
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I worshiped twice in person — once on vacation and once on the job — at the Memorial Church of Christ in Houston, where my friend David Duncan preaches. I also “attended” Memorial’s online service a couple of times while dealing with medical or weather concerns.
A few times I visited the Greenwood Church of Christ in the Decatur, Texas, area — where my father, Bob Ross, preached until the congregation’s recent closing — while spending time with family.
Another time I worshiped with the North Davis Church of Christ in Arlington before a Sunday afternoon Texas Rangers game. (Maybe I’ve mentioned that I’m a Rangers fan?)
And yes, I spent one Sunday morning in the Pittsburgh airport awaiting a flight home after the Religion News Association annual conference.
As I reflect back on 2024, I thank God for my Sunday experiences — for the weekly blessing of the Lord’s Day and the varied opportunities to hear lessons from God’s word and partake of the Lord’s Supper with fellow Christians.
I am grateful for the common bond that binds us together as Christians and the chance to experience it up close and in person — sometimes at home, other times on the road.
I am grateful for the common bond that binds us together as Christians and the chance to experience it up close and in person — sometimes at home, other times on the road.
Lord willing and barring breaking news elsewhere, the final three Sundays of 2024 will see me in a familiar pew at home.
But I’m already excited about 2025 and praying that God blesses the Chronicle — and me — with more opportunities to travel and tell stories that inform, inspire and unite our fellowship.
BOBBY ROSS JR. is Editor-in-Chief of The Christian Chronicle. Reach him at [email protected].
