A Living History

The legacy and history of the National Benevolent Association is filled with the healing care and faithful commitment to service of many “clouds of witnesses.” In 2017, the NBA is blessed and humbled to celebrate 130 years of health and social service ministry with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)!

Throughout these 130 years, the NBA has been a ministry that responds to the health, social service, and justice needs of the day—ministry starting with our six founding women in a prayer circle. From these humble beginnings, Disciples churches and leaders helped build an expansive network of direct service providers and residential facilities. The NBA today continues in this founding vision of “creating communities of compassion and care” through collaborative partnerships, peer networks, issue-based affinity groups, support for emerging ministries, and a young adult Disciples service-learning residency program.

During this commemorative time and beyond, we are striving to build a “living history”—one that incorporates a variety of voices from across our Disciples ministry partners and the denomination, deepens NBA’s relationships throughout the life of the church, and continues to connect our foundation to our future.

We invite you to join us as we celebrate 130 years!