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A Legacy of Faith:
The Central Church Story
A tent-meeting on South Saginaw Street, across from
the courthouse, during the summer of 1920, led to the
organization of Central Church of the Nazarene in the
city of Flint . On the closing day of the tent meeting,
twelve persons expressed their desire to become affiliated
with the denomination. Property at the corner of Beach
and Eighth Streets in Flint was purchased for $12,000.
Rev. Marvin S. Cooper remained one year as pastor, and
under his leadership the work was fully organized. In
1922, a majority of the congregation, with Pastor C.
L. Bradley, voted to move to the property at Lyon and
Wood streets. This became First Church of the Nazarene
in Flint .
Seven families remained with the property at Beach
and Eighth, and it became known as Central Church of
the Nazarene. Rev. C. Preston Roberts, who was serving
as District Superintendent, was called to pastor this
small congregation. Known as “The Singing Church,”
the congregation flourished until it outgrew the facilities.
On Dec. 14, 1958 , land was purchased at 1261 West Bristol
Road. The first service in the new church was a prayer
meeting on January 8, 1962 .
Through several years of strong leadership and dynamic
pastors, hundreds of lives were changed. Growth in membership
and attendance became continuous, and as the century
began to come to a close, Central Church had secured
its place as one of the cornerstone churches in the
denomination. Then, in the early morning hours of December
23, 1996 , the church building was consumed in a devastating
fire. Without a senior pastor, and without a building
in which to worship, the congregation pressed on. “The
church is not a building! The church is the people!”
was their rallying cry.
Through the rebuilding process, God
blessed the church with incredible numerical and spiritual
growth. On April 18, 1999, the new, nearly 50,000 sq.
ft. worship facility was dedicated. Out of the ashes
of yesterday, the congregation today worships in a beautiful
edifice, with between 1,500 and 1,800 people experiencing
God's presence here each week.
The heritage of Central Church spans almost 84 years
and has been served by 20 ministers. In January of 2004,
the members of Central Church elected Rev. Glen Gardner
as our 21st pastor. We look forward to the future as
God continues to move in our community.
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