Gloria Millay’s family moved to Evansville when she was 7 years old and her parents, who wanted a good place for their four kids to attend Sunday school, decided to visit Central United Methodist Church.
Millay is 78 today, and sheโs still a member. Central UMC celebrated its 175th anniversary with a special service April 14 that retiring Indiana Conference Bishop Julius Trimble attended.
Millay says the church remains a treasured place to nurture faith and friendship. She adds that UMCโs youth ministry is one of the churchโs most endearing qualities, and โweโre all still trying to carry that on.โ
Central UMC originated in 1849 when the Methodist Church established Evansville City Mission at North Main and Pennsylvania streets.
In 1853, a church was built on Ingle Street between Seventh and Eighth and named Ingle Street Methodist Episcopal Church. That building was outgrown, but an attempt to build anew on Eighth Street in the 1870s was abandoned due to a nationwide recession.
A new church opened at Franklin and Mary streets in 1906, and it was renamed Central United Methodist Church. That building rapidly ran out of space, and construction of the present sanctuary at 300 Mary St. started in 1924. Congregants met at Veterans Memorial Coliseum while the church was under construction.
The current building has been expanded over the years with an educational wing and family life center.
Central UMC is active on many fronts in Evansville โ it was a charter member of Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment in 2003.
โThe thing that stands out the most to me is some really good people who are deeply committed to their faith and to their church,โ says the Rev. Dewey Miller, who has pastored the church since 2019. โ… Weโre looking forward to a good long future.โ
