For those who have experienced loss, the joy of the holiday season can often feel elusive and out of reach. Everyone who is reaching for that joy is invited to this service. Bring your grief. Bring your weariness. Bring your fatigue, and allow yourself a quiet space to reflect and draw near to God.

Due to the sensitive nature of this service, it will not be livestreamed.

Join us for our final Holy Happy Hour of 2024!

The church office will be closed for Thanksgiving.

The church office will be closed and all meetings have been rescheduled to November 12.

Guns to Gardens is a national movement based on Isaiah 2:4, “…Beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks,” which gives an opportunity for people to dispose of unwanted firearms in a safe and anonymous way. Guns to Gardens shares the vision of making our communities safer and more richly connected by encouraging the repurposing of dangerous firearms into garden tools and kitchen implements.

Central will be hosting a Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender event on Saturday, October 12 from 10am-2pm with assistance from community organizations and volunteers. During this event, people can anonymously surrender their unwanted firearms, which gets rid of unwanted firearms without putting them back onto the street. This is not a buy back. A gift card for a grocery store will be offered as a token of appreciation for each surrendered firearm.

Participants are invited to safely surrender your unwanted, UNLOADED firearm(s), which are to be stored in your vehicle’s trunk or back seat. You will remain in your vehicle in the church parking lot while trained volunteers dismantle your firearm. Following this event, the dismantled firearms will be repurposed into garden tools.

Central has a team participating in this year's Heart of America CROP Hunger Walk. The 3.5 mile walk (optional 1.1 mile walk) will take place on Sunday, October 6 at 2:00pm (registration at 1:00pm) and will begin and end at Country Club Christian Church. Every year, 25% of funds raised stay in the local community.

When it began in 1947, CROP was an acronym for the Christian Rural Overseas Program. Its primary mission was to help Midwest farm families to share their grain with hungry neighbors in post-World War II Europe and Asia. Today, the CROP Hunger Walk is a nationwide movement with continued sponsorship by Church World Service to raise funds to end hunger and poverty in the U.S. and around the world.

Visit the Kansas City Crop Hunger Walk Event website to sign up, and make sure to register as a member of the Central Presbyterian Church team. If you cannot participate in this event, you may still make a donation through the event website.

Guns to Gardens is a national movement based on Isaiah 2:4, “…Beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks,” which gives an opportunity for people to dispose of unwanted guns in a safe and anonymous way. Guns to Gardens shares the vision of making our communities safer and more richly connected by encouraging the repurposing of dangerous firearms into garden tools and kitchen implements.

Join us for a tool dismantling demonstration and volunteer training leading up to our Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender event. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up at the following link: Guns to Gardens Volunteer. A meal will be provided.

Guns to Gardens is a national movement based on Isaiah 2:4, “…Beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks,” which gives an opportunity for people to dispose of unwanted guns in a safe and anonymous way. Guns to Gardens shares the vision of making our communities safer and more richly connected by encouraging the repurposing of dangerous firearms into garden tools and kitchen implements.

Join us for a tool dismantling demonstration and volunteer training leading up to our Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender event. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up at the following link: Guns to Gardens Volunteer. A meal will be provided.

Welcome Home!

Join us on September 8 for Central’s Homecoming Sunday. We will Worship together at 10:30am followed by lunch in the Fellowship Hall.

Please RSVP with the church office by Monday, September 2!

Guns to Gardens is a national movement based on Isaiah 2:4, “…Beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks,” which gives an opportunity for people to dispose of unwanted guns in a safe and anonymous way. Guns to Gardens shares the vision of making our communities safer and more richly connected by encouraging the repurposing of dangerous firearms into garden tools and kitchen implements.

If you would like to learn more about Guns to Gardens, an informational session will take place on Tuesday, September 3 at 6:00pm. Additional information leading up to the Safe Surrender event will be provided in our enews, on social media, and our website.

Central will host the Dividing Lines Driving Tour discussion on Thursday, August 29 at 6:30pm (new time). Prior to the meeting, participants are encouraged to take a self-guided driving tour of the history of Kansas City residential segregation and its far-reaching impacts. This tour was organized by the Johnson County Library, and more information about how to access and participate in the tour can be found at jocolibrary.org.

Join us for a screening of Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence as part of our Guns to Gardens event series. We will meet in the Sanctuary.

We are filled with gratitude having shared our home, laughs, and many memorable moments with our friends from Thelma’s Kitchen as they operated out of Central for over two years. We miss our friends, but we are excited to celebrate their newly renovated space!

Thelma’s Kitchen with Reconciliation Services will be reopening for lunch services at 31st Street and Troost Avenue after over two years of renovations. The grand reopening celebration will be held on July 22, 2024 at 9am. The celebration will begin with a ribbon cutting followed by a reading of Glenn North’s poem, “City of Reconciliation,” and words from Reconciliation Services founder Father Alexii and CEO Father Justin Mathews. We hope to see you there!

Central is looking forward to hosting choral ensemble Musica Vocale for their next concert on Sunday, June 2 at 3:00pm. Annelies is a 75-minute choral work for soprano soloist, choir, and instrumentalists. The libretto is compiled and translated by Melanie Challenger from The Diary of Anne Frank with music by James Whitbourn. This is a free concert, and no tickets are required. A light reception will follow.

Join us for Worship on May 19 as we reflect on ways we, the church, continue to receive the Holy Spirit. We will also take time to recognize our church’s home. Over the past century, our building has stood the test of time and has seen many changes. What has never faltered is the dedication the people of our church, making this a place of healing and love. We will celebrate the original dedication of our building along with a rededication of our Women’s Parlor.