First Christian Church of Louisville sits along US Highway 42 in the northeastern stretch of Jefferson County, a single-story Disciples of Christ congregation that has built its identity around a single, repeated phrase: All Means All. From that commitment flows an open communion table, a slate of service partnerships across the city, and a children and family ministry that runs the entire span from infants through high school. On Sunday mornings at 10:30, the congregation gathers in person and through a Facebook Live stream for a service built around storytelling, music, and the weekly sharing of the Lord's Supper.
Worship Every Sunday at 10:30
The week centers on a single Sunday service at 10:30 a.m., offered in the sanctuary and broadcast live on Facebook. Music is led by Tommy Cook, the church's Music Minister, alongside a worship band; the service moves through an opening song, an offering, a sermon, special music, the celebration of communion, and a sending blessing. Communion is the focal point of the gathering, observed every Sunday as well as on Christmas Eve and Maundy Thursday, and is administered by the elders and deacons of the church. While an ordained minister usually presides, lay people often do as well, a practice rooted in the congregation's belief in the priesthood of all believers.
Visitors who arrive a few minutes early will find the nursery already open. The professionally staffed nursery welcomes children from newborn through age three beginning at 10:00 a.m. and continuing through noon. Children ages four through second grade are invited to Children's Wonder and Worship, a parallel hour of faith formation with storytelling and ritual that begins at 10:30. Young worshipers may come down just before the service starts, or stay in the sanctuary for the opening songs and receive a blessing before heading to their own space.
The Open Table and What It Means Here
The phrase The Open Table is more than a worship style; it is the theological center of the church. At First Christian, communion is open to everyone without exception - believers and seekers, adults and children, members and first-time guests. The congregation explains the practice this way: just as Jesus offered grace to those who sought him before asking for declarations of allegiance or baptism, the communion table is a point of grace for anyone who wishes to experience it. Parents of young children are trusted to make the decision for their own kids and are offered simple words such as, "This bread and juice remind us that Jesus loves us very much," to use at the table.
This radically open approach sets the tone for the rest of the congregation's life. The same posture shows up in the church's stated core beliefs, where the only confession ever asked of a newcomer is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and Lord and Savior of the world. No creed is required, no membership class is imposed, and the centrality of Scripture is honored while leaving room for individual study, prayer, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
A Movement for Wholeness in a Fragmented World
The mission statement - "a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world" - shows up on every page of the church's site and is meant as more than a slogan. Senior Minister Amanda Wagoner-Meade frames the calling as a baptismal one: every Christian is invited to be a healing presence in their community and world. The church puts legs on that vision through ongoing relationships with several Louisville and regional organizations.
Outreach is coordinated by Jerry McBroom, the Associate Minister of Outreach and Engagement. The church gives ongoing support to Forgotten Louisville, Eastern Area Ministries, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, and WaterStep, and partners with Build-A-Bed, St. Mark's UCC Soup Kitchen, and Eastern Area Community Ministries for hands-on projects. Members also serve through the church's own small groups, which include Bible studies, book discussion groups, social gatherings, and online meetings. New groups are encouraged to form around shared interests, and seasonal church-wide events plus the popular Food Truck Wednesdays during the summer give the whole congregation reasons to gather outside of Sunday morning.
Children, Youth, and First Kids
Children and youth programming is led by Merideth Sprigler, the Associate Minister for Children and their Families, who works alongside the team at First Kids, the church's weekday childcare and out-of-school-time program. Merideth oversees faith formation for children and youth, while First Kids, directed by Debbie McCune with assistant director Michelle Smith, runs as a licensed early childhood and school-age care center under the Kentucky All Stars quality rating system.
Faith formation for children extends well beyond Sunday morning. Throughout the year, children and youth meet for fellowship, service projects, and worship leadership opportunities that span multiple generations. Special events include a Fall Festival, Easter Egg Hunt, Camp Sunday, Chili Cook-off, Summer Bash, and an intergenerational Advent skit. Each summer the church sends children, youth, and adult leaders to camp, where spiritual growth and lasting friendships are part of the experience. The philosophy is straightforward: children and youth are fully welcomed into every part of church life, and the congregation values what each generation can teach the others.
Adult Ministries and Small Groups
Adult life at First Christian is shaped by small groups. The congregation offers Bible studies, book discussions, social gatherings, and online meetings, and members are encouraged to start new groups around shared interests. For fellowship across the whole church, seasonal events and Food Truck Wednesdays during the summer draw a multigenerational crowd.
For older adults, monthly lunch outings give the 55-and-up crowd regular reasons to gather. A men's breakfast group and a variety of adult small groups round out the schedule. Service opportunities for adults run alongside study and fellowship: members participate in Build-A-Bed projects to assemble beds for children who need them, serve at the St. Mark's UCC Soup Kitchen, and pitch in with Eastern Area Community Ministries. Information about upcoming adult ministry events is shared through the church's weekly e-news, available through the church news page.
Music as a Way of Moving Toward God
Music is treated as ministry in its own right. Tommy Cook leads the worship band, drawing on a background that includes a degree in Music Performance from the University of Louisville, two years at Lexington Theological Seminary while serving as a youth and worship intern at Beargrass Christian Church, and five years as Minister of Music at The Valley, a satellite of Middletown Christian Church in Southwest Louisville. He also teaches guitar and has performed in pit orchestras and with bands ranging from rock to traditional Irish music. Jerry McBroom, better known as the drummer of the Christian rock band BRIDE, also plays drums in the church's worship band on Sundays. The result is a blended musical style that draws on contemporary band leadership while leaving plenty of room for the church's communion-centered liturgical identity.
What the Church Believes
First Christian has staked its identity on five core convictions. The first is the simple confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and Lord and Savior of the world - and that this confession, by itself, is enough to form the basis of life together. The second is the centrality of Scripture, understood alongside the freedom and responsibility of each person to study the Bible within the community of the church. The third is a special calling to make visible the unity of all Christians, holding that diversity belongs within the body of Christ. The fourth is the practice of gathering for the Lord's Supper as often as possible, experiencing at the table the gracious forgiving presence of Jesus Christ. The fifth is the affirmation of the priesthood of all believers, rejoicing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the common good and welcoming both ordained ministers and laypersons into leadership.
Leadership and Staff
Amanda Wagoner-Meade became Senior Minister in January 2022. A Louisville native who grew up at Edenside Christian Church, she holds a B.A. in English and poetry from Kenyon College and an M.Div from Lexington Theological Seminary, where she received the Robert and Linda Cueni Homiletics Award. She is married to Mark, co-director of the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University, and together they are raising their daughter Brooke across two faith traditions, Catholicism and the Disciples of Christ.
Jerry McBroom has been involved in ministry for thirty-five years, including eleven years as the drummer of the Christian rock band BRIDE and more than two decades of service at First Christian Church. He moved into the role of Associate Minister of Outreach and Engagement in 2021 after serving as youth pastor from 2000 to 2021. Merideth Sprigler, the Associate Minister for Children and their Families, brings more than twenty years of ministry experience with children and youth and a love of Marvel movies, Star Wars, Pokémon, and Super Smash Bros. that she channels into conversations about God.
The broader staff includes Tommy Cook as Music Minister, Debbie McCune as Director of First Kids, and Michelle Smith as Assistant Director of First Kids. Gina Jennings serves as Office Administrator and is usually the first voice people hear when they call or visit.
Getting Connected
Sunday morning visitors can plan ahead through the Plan a Visit page, which addresses common first-time questions. Online worship is available through Facebook Live each Sunday at 10:30, and sermon archives are kept on the FCC Louisville YouTube channel. A Connection Card on the church's Church Community Builder site lets newcomers share contact information and questions. For those ready to give, online giving is available through Pushpay, and donations can be set up as one-time gifts or recurring gifts supporting the General Fund, Acts 2 (benevolent support for church members in financial need), or Memorial Gifts. A separate giving link supports the church's Capital Campaign. Giving by text is also available by texting FCClouisville to 833-267-9138, and checks may be mailed to PO Box 1342, Prospect, KY 40059.
Those who want to dig deeper can read about the church's beliefs, watch members explain what the open table means to them, and follow the weekly e-news for upcoming events, service opportunities, and adult ministry gatherings. Whether someone arrives as a longtime Disciple, a curious neighbor from along Highway 42, or a family looking for both a church home and a quality weekday program through First Kids, the invitation at First Christian Church is the same one offered at the communion table: all means all.