113-year-old Midtown church adds to existing building

The congregation of historic Central Christian Church, located in the Midtown district at the corner of Division and Washington, had some important decisions to make. They knew that to meet the changing needs of their members, they had to change the building.

Church members wanted to add a handicapped-accessible ramp next to the sanctuary, install a new elevator, add a set of bathrooms, change the church's main entrance to the west side of the building and most ambitious build a new fellowship hall and new offices for the church staff.

Reverend Larry Snow, the church's pastor, said it would've been cheaper to just move to a new building, but "the congregation decided it wanted to stay exactly where it's been since 1888."

History

1888 was the year that Central Christian began as a mission its purpose to spread Christianity to the railroad workers who lived in the area.

It was built with a $10,000 gift from one Matilda Weaver, who donated the money only with the proviso that no musical instruments would ever be allowed in the church services.

In time, the church bought Weaver out with $5,000 and a quitclaim deed, and musical instruments once again were allowed in the sanctuary. "The story goes that she would stand during the singing, but would never participate once the instruments were brought in," Snow said.

The building Weaver paid for was eventually torn down to make way for a new church that included plumbing, electricity and central air and heat.

Of today's new construction projects, Snow said, "We also had to decide if we wanted to move to the south side of town. Churches are moving there because that's where people are moving. But we decided we wanted to stay here because there's ministry to be done."

Besides holding regular services as part of that ministry, some Central Christian members tutor children who attend nearby Boyd and Berry elementary schools. The church also holds an annual Vacation Bible School the first full week in August and an annual Christmas party for children from the congregation, the nearby Missouri Hotel and from Boyd and Berry.

Discussions

Snow said the congregation began discussing the handicapped access issue about a year and a half ago, and that discussion led to the other projects. The biggest one of all is the 8,000-square-foot fellowship hall.

"We're adding a ramp that will get people into the sanctuary with no stairs to climb and an elevator with five stops as well," Snow said. "The elevator is being built between the oldest part of the old building and the education building."

The new fellowship hall is being built on the south side of the sanctuary next to the handicapped-accessible ramp. The new church offices will be near the church's new main entrance on the west side of the building.

Snow said they're moving the offices and the entrance to make them more accessible to the public. "A lot of people have trouble figuring out which entrance to use," he said. "The new grand entrance is a bigger area and will make that easier for people to see. We wanted to put our offices near the grand entrance so we can see who's coming in and out of the church."

Letter

The congregation sent out a letter its to neighbors last September letting them know the construction would be going on.

"We had to tear down the house next door to the church for this addition," Snow said. "The house, which was owned by the church, sat where the new fellowship hall will be. No one was living in the house and we decided it wasn't worth saving because it would cost too much in repairs."

Williams Construction Inc. is doing the construction work, which is scheduled for completion in June. Dave Williams, owner of the company, is a member of Central Christian.

Total cost

The total cost of construction is expected to be $750,000. "We held a campaign and asked for three-year pledges from the congregation," Snow said. "I expect we will owe less than $200,000 when we move in. The church had been out of debt for about 40 years."

Snow said the church addition has been a growing experience for the congregation. "This experience has confirmed our commitment to Midtown," he said. "They hadn't undertaken any big challenges in 40 years. I really believe this church's best days are ahead."