A new chapter

Jeanette Kroemer and her husband, Melvin, are longtime members of Central Park Christian Church, 1535 S.W. Clay, and have seen many changes over the years.

"When we moved to Topeka, a neighbor invited us to come to the church," said Jeanette Kroemer, 66. "Everyone there is like family to us."

Over the years, attendance at the inner-city church dwindled to about 30 people.

"We are an older congregation," Kroemer said. "Some folks have just moved on."

Besides the Kroemers, who have attended services the past 30 years, a few other faithful families have held on, hoping and praying Central Park Christian Church would survive and grow.

Their prayers were answered in a most unlikely way, when members of a large Topeka evangelical church sent about 180 of its people to the Central Park congregation, to shore up numbers and assist with outreach ministry. The church now has more than 200 members.

Northland Christian Church didn't stop there, also sending one of its pastors, the Rev. Tim Maddock, to serve as minister of the Central Park congregation. Maddock is associate pastor of outreach at Northland.

"We didn't want to see it just survive," said Maddock of the Central Park church. "We wanted to see it grow."

Maddock expects to spend most of his time at Central Park Christian Church beginning in December, after renovations to the old, three-story brick building at S.W. 16th and Clay are completed. Members of Northland also will begin attending the Central Park church when the renovations are done.

The Rev. Rob Kirkpatrick, executive pastor at Northland Christian Church, credited volunteer labor with completing about 80 percent of renovations at the Central Park building.

Kirkpatrick said about $100,000 in repairs was needed to get the building ready for the first service on Dec. 12.

"It's quite a project," Kirkpatrick said, "but it's a facility that is worth saving, and more than that, it's a community worth saving."

The Rev. R.D. Cogswell, lead pastor of Northland Christian Church, 3102 N.W. Topeka Blvd., said families were required to make a one- year commitment to go to Central Park.

There was a lot of hesitation at first by families, Cogswell said. People were entering uncharted waters.

"We've never done anything like this," Cogswell said. "It's a fear of unknown."

However, Cogswell added, members also showed their confidence by making the move: "They were putting their faith in God."

Cogswell said there is a variety of people who will be moving to the Central Park church from Northland, including families, single people and older couples.

Lori McCarter, her husband Brad, and their three children will be moving to the Central Park church from Northland.

They have been members of Northland for the past eight years and have attended services there for more than 10 years.

"This summer, my husband and I felt we were being led somewhere else," Lori McCarter said. "When they announced the planting of the new church, we thought we should go."

Central Park is recognizing that many of the new members have children, and is turning to ministry and outreach programs geared for youngsters.

Already, the church --- bolstered by support from Northland members --- had a Halloween Alternative at the Central Park Community Center.

Renovations at the Central Park church, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this past August, have closed the church for services. Repairs are scheduled to be finished by Dec. 12, when the church plans to reopen its doors with its launch Sunday.

When that day comes, a new chapter will be written for what amounts to a new church with a long history in central Topeka.

Capital-Journal reporter Phil Anderson contributed to

this report.

Heather Jones is an intern from Washburn University. She can be reached at (785) 295-1195.

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Church: Volunteers help with repairs

Please see CHURCH, Page 2B

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NOVEMBER 20, 2004

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