Church Leadership
Rev. Dr. Arthur B. Keys, Jr.
Minister
Arthur graduated from Washington High School, Bethany College and has a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University Divinity School. His Doctor of Ministry is from Emory University. He served the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries, and was Executive Director of Interfaith Impact in Washington, DC. He and his wife Jasna founded International Relief and Development (IRD) in 1999 and he was President/CEO until 2014. He received the Wm. Sloane Coffin Award from Yale, the Social Justice Award from Howard University, the Emory Medal, and an honorary degree from Bethany. He was ordained at First Christian and was a former Youth Director. Arthur and Jasna have three children, four grandchildren and manage a beef cattle farm in Lone Pine.
Mrs. Diane Lindley
Director of Music
Diane grew up in Bethel Park and graduated with a degree in Music Education from Capital University. She has taught kindergarten thru 8th grade in public schools while living in Ohio. She has served as a children’s choir director, an adult choir director and music director in several churches. She served the Boardman United Methodist Church in Boardman, Ohio and the Epworth United Methodist Church in Marian, Ohio. Upon moving to PA, she was the Music Director of the Lone Pine Christian Church and First Christian Church. She lives with her husband Bill on Green Springs Farm in Lone Pine.
Elders
• Mrs. Holly Kearns
• Mr. Guy Montecalvo
• Mrs. Marie Montecalvo
• Dr. Michael Crabtree
Deacons
• Mr. Edward Bonus
• Mrs. Susan Bonus
• Mr. John Snyder
• Mr. William Snyder
Advisory Committee
• Mrs. Susan Bonus
• Dr. Michael Crabtree
• Mrs. Carla Isiminger
• Mrs. Holly Kearns
• Mr. Guy Montecalvo
Youth Fellowship Leaders
• Mrs. Barbara Jones
• Mr. Bryan Jones
Our MINISTRY
The mission of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is to share the story of Jesus Christ through worship, educational ministries, fellowship events and mission projects. The Proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ will be the primary mission of the congregation. The church is a center for Christian growth and faith development. It provides an environment where people find healing for pain from everyday life, and marriages and families become better people.
Leadership will be shared between clergy and the laity with many trainings offered for both, enabling them to effectively lead the congregation. First Christian Church seeks cooperation, conversation, and collaboration with ecumenical organizations and other faith groups. It is part of the regional and general manifestations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a worldwide fellowship of 600,000 people in 3,000 congregations in the US, who beginnings were in Washington County, PA in the early nineteenth century.
We support worldwide missions sharing the Gospel and working for social justice. We seek just peace, harmony, and equity among all people. Our congregation is a new, old church. We were founded in 1831 but our ministries strive to be contemporary and meaningful in the twenty first century.
Our Identity: We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.
Our Vision: To be a faithful, growing church, that demonstrates true community, deep Christian Spirituality and a passion for Justice. Micah 6:8
Our Approach: To be and to share the good news of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps “to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Our Practices: We believe and practice – New Testament Christianity, Weekly Celebration of Communion, Preaching the word, Believer’s Baptism, Community Service, Social Justice, and Christian unity. We believe in the thorough historical research of the scriptures and an intellectual awareness of contemporary social trends. In practice, we strive to express the Christian message in new and exciting ways to connect to all segments of the population. We welcome all persons to our fellowship and sacraments, even as God welcomes everyone.