Second Presbyterian Church is a historic congregation located at 7700 North Meridian Street in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. 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 PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its theological roots lie primarily in the Scottish Reformat ...

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 Abolitionism, abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery ...

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 Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and wrote the popular novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (185 ...

. 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 Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a tall neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. In the years ...

), 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 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 Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature and war memorial located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. and (PDF) It was conceived in 1919 as a location for the ...

. 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 diagn ...

. 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 Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

, First Lady of the United States

Barbara Bush Barbara Bush (; June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was the first lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of the 41st president of the United States, George H. W. Bush. She was previously second lady of the United States fr ...

, and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

, who performed " Skyline Pigeon".

References

External links

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