Past to Present

                When churches recall memories about their past, they usually remember one or two Sunday mornings that really stand out above the rest. For the members of Christ Presbyterian Church, their last service at their 38th Street address was something special.

Established in 1929, the congregation called 38th Street home since 1950, and held their last service at that location in February 1997. They purchased new property and decided to make a move to a new location. Yet, the transition brought unexpected tears.

On the morning of the last service while they were moving furniture, someone accidentally tripped the fire alarm. Within minutes, a battalion of fire trucks arrived. Sue Lindop, recalls that in 1950, when the church moved down the block to a bigger building, they closed down 38th Street and the entire church family paraded to the new building. She remembers walking behind a marching band and fire truck. She thought it was ironic that fire trucks would show up for the last service—they were there for their first service too. Sue is the only living charter member. She was a little ten-year-old girl when the church started in 1929. Her father used to wake up at daybreak on Sunday mornings to stoke the church furnace, warming the people when they arrived.

Back then the church name was Prentice Presbyterian. In 1989, prompted by dwindling attendance, the congregation merged with Covenant Presbyterian and changed their name to Christ Presbyterian. Most of the churches in the neighborhood had closed. At one time, Prentice boasted close to 1,600 members and Covenant had over 200.

What happened? Kids grew up and moved away. They attended colleges in different towns, took jobs in different cities and followed sweethearts to different states. They married and raised families elsewhere and the neighborhood slowly changed. So Christ Presbyterian, once a neighborhood church, realized that none of their members still lived in the neighborhood. "That’s when we knew it was time to move," said Co-pastor Frank Bean. A search began to find a new place where the congregation could once again create a sense of community. "We wanted a place where everyone in the neighborhood could go and know everyone else," replied Linda Abdon.

When Christ Presbyterian looked for new property, every door seemed to close. They found an ideal piece of land but it was on 80 acres and the owner did not want to subdivide the land into smaller lots. The church needed only eight to ten acres. Across the street another parcel of land was not for sale, but the members decided to inquire about it anyway. To their surprise, they found it all belonged to one of their members. The owner said, "I was not thinking of selling, but if the church needs some land, they can have it." So that’s how the church found their new home.

Mt. Zion Apostolic Church bought their old home church building. "We feel the Lord directed us to this church," Mt. Zion’s Bishop Gates said. Mt. Zion voted to buy land on the Southside of Indianapolis, then they heard about the availability of Christ Presbyterian. Even though papers were complete and ready to sign for the other property, Bishop Gates decided to at least look at Christ Presbyterian. "The moment I saw it, I knew it was where we needed to be," he exclaimed. "From there, everything just fell into place."

Mt. Zion members presented a gift to Christ Presbyterian on the morning of the last 38th Street service. It was a beautiful banner painted in bright, acrylic colors that contained the Lord’s Prayer. As the service unfolded, the Mt. Zion members visiting that day received a gift also. Immediately after the sermon Co-pastors Bean and Comstock suggested that anyone could come up to share memories about the church. One by one, members stood and recalled times that brought both laughter and tears.

"All my children were married here and so were my grandchildren," said Earl King.

"I remember when I received my Eagle Scout merit badge here over thirty years ago. That is the exact place where my mother pinned the medal on my chest," recalled Dick Abdon as he pointed to a spot near the communion table.

"I remember all the cake baking contests we used to have. Edith won it practically every year," said Jane Cradick. Thirty years later, Edith still sits in the same seating area during worship—and still bakes marvelous cakes.

"We buried our son a few years ago—had the funeral here," said one member.

"The children used to play hide and seek all over this place," said another.

"It was a way to honor people’s grief," recalls Pastor Comstock. He arrived at Christ Presbyterian only six weeks earlier yet the service was very moving for the new pastor.

As the service came to a close, the elders began to clear everything from the communion table and platform area while the members quietly watched. They carefully removed the Bible, the gold cross, and a hand-crafted banner that displayed the name Christ Presbyterian Church, while a Highlander wistfully played "Amazing Grace" on bag pipes.

The arrangement was that the Highlander was to be paid to play, but after the service told Pastor Comstock, "I cannot take any money for this."

After removing the last article, the bare tables and podium were all that remained, everything else rested in packed boxes. It was final. Sounds of the shuffling congregation echoed around the sanctuary. The murmur and footsteps followed them one by one out the large ornate doors for the last time. All that remained were the powerful memories that seemed permanently ingrained in the walls.

Patiently, they awaited the completion of their new building in their new neighborhood—the Oaklandon- McCordsville area.
Their first service, on April 5, 1998, (Palm Sunday) was in the new facility at 79th and Carroll Road (7879 N. 700 W.).