Central Christian Church had its beginning in 1873 or 1874 when two devoted women organized a Sunday School which met in one of the rooms in the Court House. The organization of the Church took place prior to February 16th, 1877 when Central Christian Church was incorporated.
Services were first held in a rented brick house on Church Street. A lot was later purchased on the corner of Third and Church Streets for $750 where the Church structure was first built at a cost of $3,500. There were many sacrifices made before this house of worship was paid for. One man even mortgaged his farm to save the property. In January of 1882, the building was dedicated. A growing membership soon made necessary the enlargement of the building to twice its original size.
In 1909, the lot was purchased on the corner of Third and Main Streets by a congregation looking forward to a greater building enterprise. The cost of that lot was $6,500. The cornerstone for the building was laid on October 24th, 1909 and the new church was erected at a cost of $43,000. This cornerstone still occupies a prestigious location on the west wall of the ramp.
Beginning in 1948, a capital campaign in the amount of $100,000 was launched to fund the construction of a new house of worship for Central Christian Church. By December, the project’s leadership was able to report that the goal had been exceeded! However, final bids turned out to be $187,843 so the Board authorized indebtedness to fund the additional amount and demolition and construction began. Sunday, September 24, 1950 was Dedication Sunday and the proud congregation of Central Christian Church was home again.Fund raising for a Church expansion and remodeling project was authorized by the Board in October of 1973. A shaky beginning to the fundraising effort ended up $15,000 over the $90,000 goal. Combined with funds already on hand, there was a total of $125,000 available for the project. Two key elements of the project were the remodeling of the Sanctuary to roughly its current appearance and the addition of the ramp area on the east side of the Church. As a result of the improvements brought forward by this project, stewardship rose over one-third. In the first six months, 45% of the pledged funds were received which reduced the cost of borrowing and therefore the overall project cost.
Thus, a band of a few but faithful people has provided for us a place of worship which has been enjoyed across the years. It is now time for us to continue the vision and sacrifices made by those before us to enhance the Ministry of Central Christian Church today and for years and generations to come.