North United Methodist Church is an historic church located at the corner of 38th and Meridian streets in Indianapolis Indiana. The church is a large metropolitan and neighborhood church that is socially conscious and inclusive to all in the Christian community.1 It is known for its symbolic architecture and design as the sanctuary bears more than 1000 crosses. 2
Contents
1. History
2. Present
3. Structure
4. References
History
The first congregation for North United Methodist Church began long before the structure was built at its current location. A Methodist Circuit rider ministered to six families who had settled in a maple tree grove just north of Indianapolis as early as 1843.3 Those families eventually established the Sugar Grove Mission in 1855 and later built a church building. In 1900, a new structure was built and its members named it the Mapleton Methodist Episcopal Church. 20 years later, two industrialists, John Esterline and Fred Hoke, began to discuss the need for a new Methodist church north of Indianapolis. Both men were members of different Methodist congregations in the city but believed, along with several other prominent men in the city, the Methodist church needed a larger structure and congregation on the north side of the growing city. The Bishop of the Northern Indiana Conference at the time, Bishop Frederick Leete, agreed to determine a location and selected acreage just 50 feet away from the existing Mapleton Methodist Episcopal Church.4 The businessmen and the Mapleton congregation came together to pursue a new church for the northside community. In 1922, the land was secured and a name, North Methodist Episcopal Church, was selected. It took 9 years for the structure to be completed. It took another 20 years for the Christian Education wing to be built.5 The church has continually maintained its affiliation with the Methodist doctrine, changing from North Methodist Episcopal Church to North United Methodist Church shortly after the merger of the Methodist Church with the Evangelical United Brethren Church in April 1968.
Present
North is an open and inclusive church with the motto, “Where Spiritual Journeys Meet.” It holds a membership of approximately 2000 members that reach across all of metropolitan Indianapolis and several surrounding counties. The congregation’s diversity stretches over many lines including race, socio-economic status, culture, and gender identity. 6 North Church strives to minister to the surrounding urban neighborhood while reaching out other missions in the world. The church is the home office for the League of Women Voters of Indianapolis.7
Structure
The main sanctuary building was completed in 1931. The founding fathers decided a English Gothic style would express the ideals of the church to the passerby while an Italian Gothic design on the interior would induce a spiritual attitude for the congregation.8 The exterior is made of variegated sandstone from the Briar Hill Stone Company in Glenmont, Ohio. The trim is limestone from Bedford, Indiana. The roof is made of slate and copper. The interior design carries religious significance in every corner. More than a thousand crosses of various designs are featured in the windows, arches, ceiling, and pews. The religious significance of the numbers 3, 5, 7, and 12 are represented in various forms around the sanctuary. The 12 stained glass windows represent the 12 apostles. Arches in the chancel rail are grouped in sets of three for the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. The seven steps on either side of the alter going up to the pulpit represent the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.9 A red sanctuary lamp hangs behind the pulpit high over the choir loft reflecting the presence of God.10
References
2. A Celebration of Faith: The Story of North Church, page 28
4. The Story of A Church, page 11
5. The Story of A Church, page 45
8. The Story of A Church, page 23
9. A Celebration of Faith: The Story of North Church, page 28
10. The Story of A Church, page 42
Very well done. I can tell you put a lot of time and research into this posting. Did you actually make a page or just do the formatting? Anyway...looks great!
ReplyDeleteVery nice. It is clear that you did thorough research in order to put this together. Very concise; good references too. Also, Blogger never lets me use the WordPress account to sign in.
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