A Bilingual Congregation in Downtown Orlando
Concord Street Church of Christ meets in a single facility at 626 East Concord Street in downtown Orlando, Florida. The building hosts two parallel congregations under one roof: a long-standing English-speaking assembly and a Hispanic ministry that has grown up within it. Both groups share the same elders, follow the same New Testament pattern of worship and study, and gather in the same building at different hours. The result is a schedule built so that families can worship in English or in Spanish while still being part of one congregation.
Sunday in Two Languages
The Sunday rhythm of Concord Street begins with Bible Class at 9:00 am and Morning Worship at 10:10 am. After a break, the Hispanic ministry gathers for Spanish Bible Class at 12:30 pm and Spanish Worship at 1:30 pm. The day closes with Evening Worship at 6:00 pm. On Wednesday at 7:00 pm the whole congregation meets again for Bible Class, and the Hispanic ministry adds a Spanish Bible Class on Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm.
Worship at Concord Street follows the New Testament pattern the church calls worship "in Spirit and in Truth." The order centers on five acts drawn from the first-century example: singing, prayer, the Lord's Supper, giving, and public attention to God's word through preaching. The Lord's Supper is observed each Sunday morning as part of the worship assembly.
The Pulpit Team
Four ministers serve the congregation. David J. Pharr joined Concord Street in August 2022 as pulpit minister. A third-generation gospel preacher, David met his wife Amber at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee, where he earned a B.A. in Bible. He also holds an M.A. in Religion from Liberty University and an M.Div. from Freed-Hardeman. He and Amber have four children. In his preaching, David aims to be "Biblically balanced and culturally relevant," and he draws on the Gospel of John and the letter to the Hebrews more than any other books.
Dan Cawthon grew up in San Diego, California, and moved to Orlando as a high school senior. In 1995 he helped launch the Inner City Ministry at Concord Street, which works with children and families in Orlando's inner-city neighborhoods and gave rise in 2002 to a daughter congregation, Midtown Church of Christ. Dan has served this ministry full time for years. He also serves as campus minister for Knights for Christ, the college ministry that serves the University of Central Florida, Full Sail University, Valencia College, and college-age singles. He and his wife Magaly have two children, Daniel and Ariana. The Spanish service at Concord Street has roots in Dan's outreach: when Magaly arrived in Orlando speaking little English, Dan and member Alonzo Herrera began a Spanish service that has grown from seven members into a thriving Hispanic ministry with its own full-time minister.
Mainor Perez Medina leads the Hispanic ministry and joined Concord Street in March 2023. He began his ministry at the Calle Blancos congregation in San José, Costa Rica, and has carried out missionary work for more than thirty-five years in Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, and Ecuador. He taught at the Bible School of the Americas in Panama, planted a congregation in his hometown of Corinto, Nicaragua, and preached for about twelve years in Springfield, Missouri, before moving to Orlando. He and his wife Anielka Brenes de Perez have three children. His ministry is shaped by Psalm 126:6: "Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them."
Shepherds of the Flock
Three elders shepherd the congregation at Concord Street. Ron is a Nashville native who attended Lipscomb University. He served previously as a deacon at Concord Street from 1980 to 1981 before transferring to Maryland with Lockheed Martin. He later served as an elder at the Central church of Christ in Altamonte Springs and at the Sanford church of Christ. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard captain's license, enjoys woodworking and fishing, and was installed at Concord Street in March 2018.
Ulysses (UL) Campbell has spent most of his life in Orlando. He attended Florida State University with a major in mathematics education and met his wife Rhonda there. After more than two decades in the hospitality industry, much of it with Ruby Tuesday as a corporate trainer, he has worked for several years as a firefighter with Orange County. He and Rhonda have one daughter, three sons, and three grandchildren. He began his service as a shepherd in April 2008.
Ted Thompson was born in Chicago, grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and went to college at Dartmouth in New Hampshire. He spent most of his business career in New York City and has lived in Orlando since 1991. He was baptized at Westmorland Church of Christ in Orlando in 1991 and has been a member at Concord Street since 1995. He and his wife Marion have been married for thirty-nine years, and the household includes their daughter Jasimine Joiner, son-in-law Harvey Joiner, and four grandchildren.
What the Church Believes
Concord Street describes the Bible, both Old and New Testament, as God's inspired word through the Holy Spirit, and uses it as the sole authority for everything the church practices and preaches. The church is the community of believers who belong to Jesus Christ; he is the head, and his people are his body and his kingdom, purchased by his blood. Salvation is in Christ alone and is received through obedience to his gospel. The gospel is the good news that Christ died for sins, was buried, and rose again to reign as King. Concord Street teaches that obedience includes baptism into Christ, in which the old self dies, the believer is buried with Christ, and rises to walk in a new life.
Worship is described as the human act of devotion toward God from the heart, done as he has authorized, "in Spirit and in Truth." The fivefold pattern observed under the New Testament example is singing, prayer, weekly communion, contributing to the Lord's work, and giving public attention to God's word. Members are encouraged to study together in the assembly and in homes, and the ministers regularly invite visitors with questions about the church, the congregation, or God's plan to sit down for a Bible study.
Inner City Outreach and Midtown Church
The Inner City Ministry is one of the defining works of the congregation. Founded in 1995, it serves children, families, and others in Orlando's inner-city neighborhoods. From this ministry, a daughter congregation, Midtown Church of Christ, was planted in 2002. Dan Cawthon, who helped launch the work, has served it full time for years and continues to lead it alongside his campus ministry.
College and Young Adults
Knights for Christ is the college ministry serving the University of Central Florida, Full Sail University, Valencia College, and college-age young adults. The group gathers for Sunday Bible classes and through the year hosts campus devotionals, one-on-one Bible studies, fellowships, and trips. Concord Street also offers a separate Sunday class for college and young professionals.
Children and Quadrant Fellowships
Concord Street provides an attended nursery during all worship services and class times. During Morning Worship on Sunday, children ages two through four are dismissed for a Children's Bible Hour with an age-appropriate message. Sonshine Street is the children's program designed for primary-age students.
The membership is divided into four quadrants based on the geographic region of members' home addresses. On the second and fourth Sundays of each month, one quadrant hosts a fellowship potluck meal at the building, with other activities organized for each quadrant through the year.
Wednesday Nights, Giving, and Staying Connected
Wednesday Bible Class at 7:00 pm is a midweek anchor of study. The Hispanic ministry adds Spanish Bible Class on Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm. In addition to assembly classes, members and visitors meet for devotionals, home Bible studies, retreats, and other activities through the week.
Three ways to support the work are offered. Online giving is processed through VANCO and accepts cards and bank accounts. Cash or checks may be placed in collection boxes in the building, or mailed to the church address. A mobile giving app, GivePlus, is also available from the same provider.
Services are livestreamed each week, and an on-demand archive of sermons is kept on Vimeo and YouTube. PowerPoint slides from lessons can be downloaded as PDFs alongside the videos. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and visitors are welcome to stop by, fill out a connection card, or contact a minister or elder to begin a conversation about membership.