A House Built by Eleven Denominations
Central United Protestant Church has stood on Stevens Drive in Richland, Washington, for more than eighty years. The congregation marked its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2018, and the history behind that milestone is part of what makes Central different from its first step. The church was founded by eleven different Protestant denominations working together, and that cooperative origin still shapes the way Central describes itself. A former mission statement put it simply: the church is committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ joyously and eagerly with any and all people, anywhere and everywhere in this world.
Central's stated mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, taken from the Great Commission in Matthew 28. The vision that flows from it is to make disciples by loving people where they are and leading them to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Central believes the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine, that salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and that the shared beliefs of such a diverse congregation are what unify them. The church embraces that diversity as part of its identity rather than as a problem to be solved.
Sunday Morning at Central
The Sunday service at Central begins at 10:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary, with the doors of the building open from 7:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The Traditional Worship service follows a familiar arc. A prelude on organ or piano begins ten minutes before the hour as people arrive. At 10:00 sharp, the Chancel Choir sings a Call to Worship, then a pastor offers announcements, and the Worship Team - singers joined by piano, organ, violins, viola, cello and trumpet - leads the congregation in hymns. A pastoral prayer, including the Lord's Prayer spoken together, follows, then a choral or solo piece, then the sermon from Pastor John Mars, then a closing congregational song.
On the first Sunday of each month, Holy Communion with bread and juice is celebrated right after the sermon. Facemasks are optional in the Sanctuary, and for those who prefer to worship where masks are required, the service is televised into the Chapel just inside the main entrance. Anyone unable to be present can watch online through the church's YouTube channel, where recordings of past sermons are also available back through 2016.
A Music Ministry Rooted in Sacred Music
Music is one of the oldest ministries at Central and remains central to its identity. The Traditional Music Ministry of Central United Protestant Church has a long-standing history of excellence, and the church invests heavily in the program. Volunteers sing in the Chancel Choir, the Worship Team, and as special music; instrumentalists play organ, piano, violin, viola, cello and trumpet. The chancel choir and worship team rehearsed together through decades, and music is treated as a means of drawing people closer to Christ through worship and witness.
Children, Youth, and a Licensed Childcare
Children have a place of their own at Central. The Children's Ministry serves ages birth through fifth grade with drop-off and pick-up in the kids wing. Each Sunday offers age-appropriate environments built around purposeful activities, with a Bible story and a song at the center of every lesson. School-age children have a separate learning area so they can grow in faith at their own level. Every volunteer who works with children has been background checked and trained in CPR, first aid, and safety protocols. Parents are welcome to keep children with them in adult services and to tour the kids' spaces first.
The youth program partners with parents through the middle and high school years. Activities emphasize Biblical teaching, community and friendship, and student-centered environments where students can connect with peers their age. Alpha Youth, a discussion-based course for young people exploring life, faith and purpose, has met on Tuesday evenings at 5:00 p.m.
Central Christian Childcare runs alongside the church as a separately licensed program. Open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., it serves children from six weeks old through kindergarten and follows Hanford's weather-related closures. The center features a full-size gym and playroom, a small rock wall, a children's garden, and an art program for preschoolers. Lunchtime prayer is part of the daily routine, and Bible time is built into the curriculum for ages two through five, with a Bible story followed by a discussion of its value lesson. The director, Michelle Blair, can be reached at michelleb@cupchurch.org for enrollment information.
Martha's Cupboard and Sent to Serve
Central's longest-running community outreach is Martha's Cupboard, a Central Church ministry that has provided basic household goods, personal care items, and baby supplies to poverty-level families, individuals, and people without housing across the Tri-Cities area since 2002. Through partnerships with more than thirty-five local agencies and area school districts, the all-volunteer, donor-funded effort assists more than fifteen thousand people each year, with one hundred percent of donations going to product purchases. Volunteers prepare donations for delivery on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon, and donations can be dropped in the Martha's Cupboard box by the library.
Sent to Serve takes the ministry to the streets. A volunteer team uses a 1995 Suburban to bring hygiene supplies, blankets, tarps, food, clothing, and help with ID cards and housing applications to the homeless community of the Tri-Cities, with no judgment and only the love that Jesus modeled. The team serves weekly, and the phone number for those who want to get involved is 509-619-2780.
Central also partners with a wide circle of local ministries, including Grace Clinic, the Tri-Cities Food Banks, the Tri-City Union Gospel Mission, Fields of Grace, Adult and Teen Challenge (both the men's program and the women's jail ministry), You Medical, World Relief Tri-Cities, Child Evangelism Fellowship, and Lunch Buddies. Internationally, the church walks alongside missionaries in Thailand, Kenya, Asia, Sweden, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, and the Maua Hospital in Kenya.
Pastoral Care and Stephen Ministry
Pastoral care at Central is built around Stephen Ministry, a program in which trained lay caregivers walk with people through hard times such as grief, illness, or recovery. Stephen Ministers listen, point people to Jesus, and help rewrite a more hopeful story over a painful one. People interested in connecting with a Stephen Minister can write to cupstephenminstry@gmail.com, and resources for grief and cancer are available through Stephen Ministries.
Central Care Ministry extends that care beyond the church building. A team of volunteers calls, visits, and prays for people who are hospitalized, in nursing homes or assisted living, or homebound. Anyone who would like a visit can reach Pastor John Mars at johnm@cupchurch.org. GriefShare, a support program for those grieving the death of someone close or a life-changing event, is another piece of the care network, and inquiries go to griefshare@cupchurch.org.
Classes and Small Groups
Discipleship at Central happens in classrooms and living rooms. The Pastor's Bible Study meets every Thursday at 2:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall and is livestreamed on YouTube for those at home. Bethel is a forty-two-lesson overview of the entire Bible, taught by Gerry Griffin. Everyday Women is a Bible study for women that runs from September through April or May with three video-based courses a year and homework during the week. Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith held over a free meal, with a short talk and open table discussion.
Life Groups are the small-group heartbeat of the church, studying the Bible, fellowshipping, supporting one another in prayer, and pushing each other toward deeper maturity in Christ. Groups meet throughout the week on different schedules and topics. The church calendar lists current offerings and start dates for each class.
A Building That Stays Open
The Stevens Drive building is busy most days of the week. Building hours run Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; Saturday hours are closed. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the office closed Friday through Sunday. The phone number for the church office is (509) 943-1143, and online giving is set up through a secure giving platform for those who would rather give digitally. Social connections live on Facebook at CentralChurchRichland and on YouTube at Central1Media, with a Linktree page that gathers other online channels in one place.