Central Christian Church sits at 650 West William Street on the west end of Decatur, Illinois, a few blocks from Millikin University's campus. From its three-story red-brick building, the congregation runs one of the most active Disciples of Christ ministries in central Illinois: three Sunday services held in two worship spaces, a Chancel Choir that fills the Sanctuary every week, a Saturday concert series, a year-round nursery and Sunday school, a youth group that draws kids from kindergarten through senior year, a men's Bible study that starts before dawn with coffee, a women's circle called the Dorcas Disciples, and a signature BBQ Ministry that throws an annual block party and Trunk-or-Treat for the surrounding neighborhood. Its mission statement is short enough to fit on a hymn board: To Share Christ; Change Lives; Deliver Hope.
Three Sunday Mornings, Two Worship Styles
Central Christian makes room for both traditional and contemporary worshippers with three Sunday services that share the same message and the same open communion table.
The Sanctuary, on the second floor, hosts the two Traditional services at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM. Hymns are sung from the pews and accompanied by piano or the church's Casavant organ, and the Chancel Choir prepares a weekly introit, prayer response, and anthem for the later service. Both Traditional services serve communion.
The Great Hall, on the bottom floor, hosts the Contemporary service at 9:15 AM. A praise band of singers, keyboardists, guitarists, and percussionists leads the music, and the set list for each week is shared in advance. Communion is served here too, and the same sermon is preached at all three services. The 9:15 and 10:30 services are livestreamed on the church's Facebook page.
Sunday School runs at 9:15 AM on the third floor of the Education Wing, in age-appropriate classes: one for ages four through sixth grade with Bible study, crafts, and conversation, and another for seventh through twelfth grade with hands-on activities and discussion designed to help students articulate their faith.
Children from birth through kindergarten are cared for in a newly refinished nursery on the first floor of the Education Wing (Room 150), staffed by trained, CPR-certified attendants. Parents are given a beeper so nursery staff can reach them during the service if needed.
Dress is open: the Traditional services tend to see a mix of dressier attire and jeans, and the Contemporary service runs casual. Communion is open to anyone who believes in Christ, members and visitors alike.
What the Disciples of Christ Believe
Central Christian Church belongs to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and shares ministry with the Christian Church in Illinois and Wisconsin. The denomination is identified by a red chalice with a white St. Andrew's cross, and its roots reach back to the early 1800s, when Scottish Presbyterians on the Pennsylvania and Kentucky frontier, weary of the feuding within their own churches, yearned for all Christians to be united in a simple recommitment to a New Testament faith.
Five practices mark that faith at Central:
- Open Communion. The Lord's Supper is celebrated every Sunday and is open to all who believe in Christ. Visitors are welcome at the table without becoming members first.
- Baptism by Immersion. For those who grow up at Central, baptism is by immersion after a public confession of faith. For those transferring in, other forms of baptism are accepted, and re-baptism is not required.
- Freedom of Belief. Disciples are gathered around one essential faith: belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Members are free to follow their consciences under the Bible, the Holy Spirit, study, and prayer, and are expected to extend that same freedom to others.
- Unity of the Church. All Christians are called to be one in Christ and to seek opportunities for common witness and service.
- Ministry of All Believers. Ordained clergy and laypersons lead together in worship, service, and spiritual growth.
There is no formal creed used as a test of membership. The congregation professes a common faith in Christ, and Disciples say the shape that faith takes in individual lives and in the community may vary. People of many backgrounds often find a home here, and that breadth is treated as something to celebrate.
Music: Chancel Choir, Praise Band, and the Diller Organ
Music is woven deep into the identity of Central Christian. The Chancel Choir is an accomplished ensemble of singers who prepare service music every week at the 10:30 service and often invite guest artists like the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra. The choir covers classical, gospel, newly composed, and international music, and rehearses Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30.
Through a partnership with Millikin University that has run for more than seven years, a rotating ensemble of six choral students from Millikin serves as choral interns with the Chancel Choir, gaining real congregational experience while adding depth to the music on Sunday mornings.
At 9:15, the Praise Band - including singers, keyboardists, guitarists, and percussionists - leads the Great Hall. The Praise Band includes Louis Kappler, Thomas Karunas, Kevin Miller, Kevin Turner, Steve Turner, Keith Wood, and David York, with Kappler and Steve Turner coordinating the group.
The Sanctuary's organ, the John and Margaret Diller Memorial Organ, was built and installed by Casavant Freres Limitee of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, in 1954 and 1955, with 2,500 individual pipes in thirty-eight ranks. In 2001, Robert Dial of Springfield built a new moveable console with English keyboards and a solid-state control system, and added pipes and digital stops that expanded the instrument's range. Today it is one of the most revered organs in central Illinois.
Central also runs a Concert Series that brings three or four touring artists to Decatur each year, plus a few additional concerts by local talent and Millikin University partners. Past programs have included the Agape Ringers handbell ensemble.
Children, Youth, and the Next Generation
Central Christian makes a deliberate investment in the next generation, with a paid Youth Director, age-graded Sunday school classes, a Sunday-afternoon youth fellowship, and a Faith Quest mentoring program.
The Youth Director, David Martin, has been on the Central staff since 2016 and has been part of the church's youth program since 1998. A graduate of Illinois College with a degree in sports management and communication, he also works as a substitute teacher in Decatur Public Schools and coaches varsity baseball at Cerro Gordo Bement. In the summers he serves as a counselor at the regional Camp Walter Scott for JYF, Chi Rho, and CYF camps.
The Sunday youth fellowship gathers from 4:00 to 6:00 PM most Sunday afternoons, for grades K through 12. After a short opening worship, the group divides by age. The third Sunday of each month is set aside for a service project or a group-building outing; the last Sunday is off. The youth group curriculum is rooted in Acts 2:42 - the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and the prayers - and weaves games, music, Bible study, worship, crafts, and snacks into each gathering.
For adults who mentor, Faith Quest pairs older members with young people walking through their own faith questions. Vicky Woolridge, Pastor for Families, oversees the children's and family ministries.
Adults: Journeymen, Dorcas, Book Club, and Care Ministries
Central organizes its adult ministry around six core ministries, none of which require church membership to join.
Journeymen is the men's Bible study, meeting Tuesday mornings from 7:00 to 8:00 AM in the Connection Cafe (West Entrance). The group of roughly ten to twelve men studies the scripture text from the preceding Sunday's worship, opens and closes with prayer, and runs on coffee and candor. The members describe it as a place where they gain historical perspective on the Bible and real camaraderie with other Christian men.
Dorcas Disciples is the women's fellowship, a multi-generational group that serves, fellowships, and gives together. A women's book club meets every second Tuesday at 3:00 PM in the Connection Cafe, and additional women's events are scheduled through the year.
A weekday Prayer Group meets Mondays from 9:15 to 10:15 AM.
Care ministries offer quieter ways to serve. The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets prayer shawls and lap blankets that are prayed over and given to those who need comfort. The Christcare Stitchers sew blankets for children experiencing trauma and gather to pray together. Decatur Needle Arts also meets in the building, though it is not a Central program. The Card Ministry writes and addresses cards to members and friends going through hard times or good times. A Hospital Calling and Visiting team checks in on members who have been hospitalized. The Elderberries group gathers monthly for fellowship.
Volunteers also run a Little Free Library on the church property and accept book donations to keep it stocked.
The BBQ Ministry: Block Party and Trunk or Treat
Few things are more Central Christian than a smoker trailer and a bounce house. Each year the congregation opens its campus to the West End neighborhood for two signature gatherings built around food, music, and fellowship.
In June, the church hosts a neighborhood block party that draws church members, families from the Central preschool, and neighbors from surrounding blocks. The Praise Band plays, an award-winning pit master and church member smokes his signature fare, and the lawn fills with bounce houses, face painters, glitter tattoos, and other games.
In October, the campus hosts Trunk-or-Treat, with trunks decorated for Halloween and the same award-winning BBQ served. Families from the church, the preschool, and the surrounding blocks fill the parking lot.
Volunteers are recruited for both events, and the BBQ Ministry has become one of the church's most visible outreach efforts in the immediate neighborhood.
Reaching Decatur: Good Samaritan Inn, DOVE, Northeast Community Fund, God's Shelter of Love
Central Christian's mission to share Christ, change lives, and deliver hope extends well beyond William Street. The church partners financially and with volunteers with several Decatur-area service organizations.
The Good Samaritan Inn serves a hot, nutritious mid-day meal to anyone who needs it, seven days a week, year-round, with no questions asked. Central volunteers there once a month on a Monday and every other month on a Saturday.
The Northeast Community Fund, founded in 1969, has grown from a small food pantry into a large social service organization that connects Decatur residents to resources, financial help, and pathways out of poverty. Central collects food donations for the Fund monthly and supports it financially.
God's Shelter of Love, established in 1991 as a ministry for homeless women and children in Decatur, continues to serve homeless families and individuals with food, clothing, advocacy, case management, financial counseling, resource referrals, pastoral care, and ongoing support.
DOVE Inc. coordinates religious institutions, volunteers, and advocates around unmet needs and social injustices, with programs addressing domestic violence, homelessness, education, and emergency needs. Central hosts the DOVE Inc. Children's Clothing Room in its own building two days a week (Monday and Wednesday afternoons), where volunteers welcome families and help them find what they need. DOVE Financial Assistance (DFA), a joint effort of area religious organizations, provides emergency funds for water, power, eye prescriptions, dental care through the Macon County Health Department, and some prescriptions, and partners with Energy Assistance Foundations on the Warm Neighbors, Cool Friends utility assistance program.
The church also keeps a Little Free Library on its property, collecting books so neighbors can borrow and return at will.
The Pastoral Team
Rev. Michael E. Karunas has served as Senior Minister since March 2012. Before coming to Decatur he served as senior minister at First Christian Church in Centralia, Illinois (1998-2004) and at First Christian Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2004-2012). A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, he holds an A.B. from Butler University (1991) and a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago (1998). Earlier in his career he served as a Global Mission Intern with the Division of Overseas Ministries in East Germany (1991-1993) and on the Week of Compassion Advisory Committee (2006-2010). An avid distance runner who has logged nearly 20,000 miles over fifteen years, he also sings, plays trumpet, and has memorized and performed the Gospel of Mark as a one-man show. He is married to Amy Ziettlow, an ordained Evangelical Lutheran Church minister, writer, and researcher, and they have three children.
Vicky Woolridge serves as Pastor for Families in a part-time role, focusing on supporting families as they share faith with their children. A former early-childhood teacher trained in Positive Discipline, she holds a degree in Religious Studies from Eureka College and earned a certificate in pastoral leadership from the Illinois-Wisconsin Regional church's School for Ministry in June 2022. She joined the Central staff in August 2022.
Rev. Melinda McDonald joined the staff as Pastor for Spiritual Formation and Pastoral Care after a 2023 call from Central's search committee. She holds a B.A. in English literature from Berea College in Kentucky, an M.A. in Education from Morehead State University, and an M.Div. from Gardner Webb Divinity School, along with a certificate in the Ministry of Spiritual Direction from the Center for Spiritual Formation in Pennsylvania. An ordained Disciples of Christ minister, she previously served at Unity PCUSA in Inman, South Carolina, and at First Christian Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She began ordained ministry with the United Methodist Church in western North Carolina.
Dr. Ben Hawkinson has served as Interim Music Director since July 2021. He also teaches at Millikin University, where he conducts choirs and vocal jazz ensembles. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from Texas Tech University, a Master's in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College, and a Bachelor's in Music Education from Northern Arizona University. He has performed with the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra, and prepared choirs for performances in Alice Tully Hall. He is in demand as a jazz clinician and adjudicator across Illinois.
David Martin, as noted, has been Youth Director since 2016.
Pastoral Assistant Kathleen Dudley and Administrative Assistant Diane Guinn keep the office running. The music team also includes organists Cordelia "Dee Dee" Gain and David Williams, and a roster of nursery attendants, caretakers, and Praise Band members.
The Building and Staying Connected
The Central Christian building houses a Sanctuary on the second floor, a Great Hall on the bottom floor, the Connection Cafe (West Entrance), the nursery and Education Wing, and various meeting rooms. A Little Free Library sits on the grounds. The building is also home to the DOVE Inc. Children's Clothing Room twice a week.
The church hosts weddings for members and those connected to the church. Couples work with the office to check date and clergy availability, review the wedding policy and fee schedule, and submit a $200 deposit to hold the date.
The congregation stays in touch through The Visitor, a bi-weekly printed newsletter, with an email Mid-Week Update on the off weeks. A newsletter sign-up is available, and back issues are archived online. Worship bulletins and Connect Sheets are posted for every Sunday service.
Sunday services are recorded and posted online. Livestreams of the 9:15 and 10:30 services run on the church's Facebook page; recordings are also posted to YouTube by Monday morning. The sermon archive stretches back through 56 pages of past sermons and series that include Back to Basics, Wonder: Rediscovering Hope in an Age of Cynicism, The Power of Story, Construction of a Disciple, Faith, Hope, Love, and many more.
Giving is available online through a donation portal, with all gifts supporting both the church's ministries and the community partners listed above.
Central Christian Church welcomes all to the Lord's Table, as the congregation says, as God has welcomed them.