Heritage
Central Church traces its beginnings to First Presbyterian Church which was chartered with fourteen members on May 25, 1857. Among the small group of charter members was John C. McCoy, surveyor of Westport and Kansas City. Central's current home is located on what was once farmland owned by John C. McCoy.
The congregation weathered the Civil War, with the membership's war dead being on both the Union and Confederate sides. Before the turn of the century, a significant group of members from old First Church formed another congregation which is Central Presbyterian Church.
Just after the Great War (World War I) Central's Session and membership decided to leave their downtown location at 9th Street, into a neighborhood that was becoming known as Hyde Park. Plans for the new structure were drawn in 1920 by the Kansas City architectural firm of Shepard and Wiser. The congregation began worshiping in the basement of the new building May 1921, and continued holding services there until the rest of the building was completed in 1924.
By the middle of the 20th century Central was the grand dame of Presbyterian churches in the area. Through its vision and beneficence thirteen other Presbyterian congregations were chartered in the city. Central Presbyterian Church has continued to live its mission and to re-imagine itself in this place where the congregation has a tradition of community service and involvement.
The congregation's membership has included several mayors, city council person, school board members and the young Mattie Rhodes (namesake of the Mattie Rhodes Center, a program of outreach and support for city children and youth).
Today the diversity of the Hyde Park neighborhood is reflected in the church's membership. In the name of Christ, Central brings together people of different ages, races, abilities and incomes, seeking to make manifest in its own ministry the unifying and healing power of the Holy Spirit.
The Building
Central was housed in two different downtown church buildings before moving in 1923 to our present location at Armour and Campbell. At the time the present church building was erected, this mid-town neighborhood was on the southern edge of the city's growth pattern in the area already known as Hyde Park. The foundation of the building was laid in 1919 and the congregation began worshiping in the basement in May, 1921. The entire structure was completed in 1924 and has never been altered.
The sanctuary and outside front of Central follow the lines of classic Greek revival architecture so faithfully that no traditional Christian cross is visible on the exterior. Inside, the sanctuary is full of crosses. In the stained glass and lattice work there is the repeated "X" St. Andrew cross; sometimes enriched by an "O". The X (also the first Greek letter in the word Christ) and the O combination have been read through the church's history to mean "Christ for the world."
The interior of the sanctuary instills a senses of awe with vaulted columns, painted woodwork and fine plaster detail. Image-less opaque stained glass windows allows the space to fill up with light.
A large dark wood Celtic cross hangs on the chancel wall above the choir loft. Hand carved by a local pastor, it was designed by a member of the congregation who was a career artist for Hallmark.
The baptismal font, made of Italian marble, was a gift to the church in memory of John and Charlotte Campbell, charter members who's contributions to the wider community also earned them the names of the two city streets immediately west of the church.
