| Historical: | The Elmira Central Christian Church’s origins can be traced to 1893 when a group of local worshippers began meeting as an informal outgrowth of the national Disciples of Christ movement. In October 1898, the group moved to a two-story building at the corner of South Main and Partridge Streets. The group was formally incorporated in November 1898 as The First Church of Christ, Disciples, and moved into a newly-built church on the South Main St. site in 1906.
In January 1951, the organization changed its name to the Central Christian Church, though it remained a local branch of the Disciples of Christ denomination. The church remained active for the next six decades, with highlights including the establishment in the 1980s of a World Outreach Committee, responsible for significant charitable work, and the establishment in 2004 of Spanish language services (the Hispanic Ministry project). In 2013, the church legally disassociated itself from the Disciples of Christ and dissolved in 2018. Notable pastors included: Clayton Chandler Crawford (1896-1909), who served as minister to the initial Disciples of Christ group; Charles M. Kreidler (1909-1924), whose efforts were instrumental in saving the church from financial crisis in its early years; Ronald L. Parker (1970-1974) and Harry L. Taylor (1974-1981), who provided leadership in reconstruction projects following damage to the church caused by Hurricane Agnes in 1972; and Ramon Osorio Jr. (2004-2011), who initiated the Hispanic Ministry project.
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| Scope: | The Elmira Central Christian Church contains church newsletters and annual reports, 1940s-2010s; service programs, 1930s-2017; correspondence, 1898-2017; meeting minutes, 1910-2017; administrative documents, 1896-2017; photographs and albums, 1910s-2000s; assorted documents.
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