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Second Presbyterian Church is a historic congregation located at 7700 North Meridian Street in
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mar ...
. With 4,049 members as of 2013, it is one of the largest congregations in the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...
.


History

The congregation was founded in 1837 when fifteen members of the Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis, which would subsequently be known as First Presbyterian, broke off as part of the
Old School–New School Controversy Old or OLD may refer to: Places * Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...
. The new congregation adhered to the New School General Assembly and soon took the name Second Presbyterian. On May 13, 1839,
Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. His r ...
was installed as the first minister, the brother of
Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel '' Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the har ...
. Beecher would go on to become one of the most famous men in nineteenth century America. He became known for his use of humor and informal language in his preaching and built the congregation to the largest in the city during his tenure as pastor. The congregation built its first house of worship on Governor's Circle (modern day Monument Circle), the focal point of the Indianapolis street grid. As the population grew, in the 1860s it was decided to move three blocks north, to a property on the northwest corner of Vermont and Pennsylvania Streets. The new
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
building was completed in 1870 at a cost of $105,000, although the chapel had already been in use since 1867. In the 1920s the city block, on which the church stood, was mostly cleared to make way for the Indiana War Memorial. The church, along with a number of other buildings, held out from demolition. The church was not razed until 1960, after the completion of the congregation's current home on North Meridian Street. On April 11, 1990, Second Presbyterian Church held funeral services for
Ryan White Ryan Wayne White (December 6, 1971 – April 8, 1990) was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States after his school barred him from attending classes following a diagnos ...
. Over 1,500 people attended the standing-room only event, including
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
, First Lady of the United States
Barbara Bush Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously w ...
, and
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
, who performed "
Skyline Pigeon "Skyline Pigeon" is a ballad composed and performed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It is the eighth track on his first album, ''Empty Sky''. It was originally released by Guy Darrell and Roger James Cooke simultan ...
."


References


External links

* Churches in Indianapolis Presbyterian Church (USA) churches Presbyterian churches in Indiana {{Indiana-church-stub