At 3000 North High School Road on Indianapolis's Northwest side, near the growing edge of Speedway, John Knox Presbyterian Church is known for its Open. Caring. Community. identity and for ministry that reaches well beyond Sunday worship. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation was organized in 1962, with a sanctuary that welcomes children and adults, a music program, and a calendar of food collection, basic-needs assistance, support groups, preschool hosting and mission partnerships.
Sunday Worship at Ten
Sunday worship begins at 10:00 a.m. and is scheduled for an hour in the sanctuary. Visitors may attend in person or watch the Facebook livestream. On the first Sunday of each month, worship includes the Lord's Supper and the congregation gathers nonperishable food for The Storehouse. Recorded messages in the church's sermon archive reach back to 2011.
At 11:00 a.m., coffee, treats and conversation move into Fellowship Hall while several classes continue faith formation. Children, teenagers and adults begin together in worship, then children move into Intergenerational Church School. A greeter helps newcomers find the class that matches their interests.
Arriving and Getting Settled
- Parking: Spaces are available behind the building and on the north side. Accessible parking is located on the south entry drive beside the sidewalk and near the north entrance.
- Entrances: The main entrance is under the canopy on the south side, with another entrance available on the north side.
- Clothing: Visitors are encouraged to dress comfortably. Jeans to suits are equally welcome in worship.
- Childcare: The nursery serves infants and toddlers during Sunday morning worship and church school. Tina Davis, the full-time childcare worker, is assisted by trained church volunteers.
Open. Caring. Community. Is More Than a Motto
Open means no one is excluded because of background or past experience with the church. A greeter offers a smile and help to a first-time visitor, a longtime member or a neighbor seeking assistance. Caring means treating each person connected to John Knox as valued and loved, reflecting the love God has shown in Jesus Christ. Community means serving with energy, intelligence, imagination and love, opening the church's doors for groups to meet, gather, heal and be nurtured.
The church's mission is to share the light of Jesus Christ with neighbors near and far. That commitment is visible in the building's use by support and service organizations, in a partnership with a Hispanic congregation, in food collection for a neighborhood pantry and in assistance with basic needs. The congregation also describes its commitment as a light of hope for its immediate neighborhood and in individual lives of faith.
A Congregation Rooted in Speedway Since 1962
The roots of John Knox reach to the early 1960s, when a new Presbyterian congregation was needed on the growing edge of Speedway and Indianapolis's Northwest side. Land at the corner of 30th Street and High School Road was purchased in January 1961. Laurence Sunkel, then an associate minister at Irvington Presbyterian Church, was called as organizing pastor that September. The first worship service was held September 17, 1961, at St. John's Episcopal Church three blocks away. The new congregation chose the name John Knox to remember its heritage and roots in the Reformed faith.
The organizational service took place March 4, 1962, at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, where 121 charter members were welcomed. Its pastors have included Rev. Larry Sunkel, who served from 1962 to 1971; Dr. Roger Dean, who served from 1971 to 2000; and Rev. Frank Mansell, who served from 2003 until completing his ministry May 16, 2021. Rev. Mark Merrill was associate pastor from 1977 to 2002, and Lisa Crismore was called as Commissioned Lay Pastor in 2004.
John Knox completed and dedicated a new sanctuary in 2010 after a three-year process. The sanctuary was intended to symbolize the congregation's commitment to the community, and the congregation celebrated paying off the loan for the space in January 2020.
Children Begin Their Journey in Worship
Children are welcomed into the whole Sunday rhythm. In the regular school year they begin at 10:00 a.m. with the congregation for worship. Parents can help younger children choose an activity bag from wooden posts in the narthex, and the children remain part of the service. Afterward, they are invited to Intergenerational Church School.
At 11:00 a.m., church school uses Bible stories, readings, discussions, games and crafts to help children connect with the Lord. A nursery or crib room serves infants and toddlers. Vacation Bible School brings children together in the evenings for Bible learning through games, music and crafts. Its offerings support the church's partnership with congregations in the Dominican Republic, while VBS giving also supports The Storehouse food pantry.
Summer brings an option to attend Camp Pyoca in Brownstown, a camp and retreat center serving children, youth and adults. At Christmas, children, youth and adults join in a program of plays and skits that celebrates the season together.
Youth and Adults Grow at Their Own Pace
JKPC Youth is open to seventh- through 12th-graders. The group combines fun activities, mission opportunities and spiritual growth, with Church School at 11:00 a.m. Lip-sync competitions, car washes and Mother's Day cards are among its activities, while fundraising throughout the year supports mission trips and conferences.
Adults of every age are welcome in the Adult Church School class at 11:00 a.m., led by Patty McKinnon-Duggins. The group studies and discusses sermons from a variety of ministers. Young adults, both married and single, also gather periodically for fellowship, with Jillian Flynn serving as the point of contact for that ministry.
Prime Timers serves retirees with a meal and an informative program at noon on the second Tuesday or Wednesday of each month from April through December. Some gatherings move off-site for tours or special presentations. The ROMEOs and JULIETs, a breakfast fellowship for retired men and women, meet at 8:30 a.m. every other Tuesday, with the two groups seated at separate tables.
Chancel Choir, Handbells and Summer Music
The Chancel Choir sings at the 10:00 a.m. worship service from September through early June and also at special services. Singers from middle-school age onward are welcome, and Thursday evening rehearsals begin at 6:00 p.m. A Hand Bell Choir provides music for occasions such as Christmas and Easter and practices intermittently. During the summer, when the Chancel Choir takes a break, special musicians are invited to share their gifts in worship.
Organist and pianist Madelin Foster is a Ball State University graduate with a music education degree focused on clarinet, organ and piano. Choir Director Elijah Culp is a composer, conductor and educator whose background includes graduate study at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington. A graduate of St. Olaf College, he also conducted Spiritus Novus, a student choir that performed music by St. Olaf composers.
A Building Shared With the Community
John Knox's building serves far more than its own congregation. On average, community organizations use the facility four times as much as the church itself does. Groups meeting there include Al-Anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, Hispanic Survivors of Domestic Abuse and English as a Second Language classes.
Al-Anon for Hispanics meets in the Forum Room every Monday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., while another Al-Anon group meets every Tuesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. An Alcoholics Anonymous meeting is scheduled every Friday from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Music Therapy also uses the building every Wednesday from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. and every Thursday from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m.
The Speedway Cooperative Preschool has been hosted at John Knox for more than 50 years. Community traditions include a picnic in August, an Easter Festival on the Saturday before Easter, a Trunk or Treat and Fall Festival around Halloween, and worship at Meadowood Park in July. All are open to the wider community.
Food on the First and New Beginnings
The Storehouse Food Pantry is the focus of a twice-monthly food pantry supported by many Speedway Community churches. John Knox volunteers help with preparation and distribution, and the church collects nonperishable food on the first Sunday of each month. An annual food drive called The SOUPER BOWL Sunday collection also supports The Storehouse. Needed items include cereal, boxed potatoes, peanut butter, canned vegetables, fruit and soup, pasta, and Chef Boyardee spaghetti products, with brand names unnecessary. The Storehouse distributes food on the second Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and the fourth Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
New Beginnings is another John Knox ministry that helps neighbors with basic needs such as food, gas, rent and utilities. It depends on financial and in-kind donations. Local support also takes the form of supplies for Backpack Attack, gifts for Coburn Place on Mother's Day, hats and mittens for local elementary schools, gifts for children and families through the Salvation Army Angel Tree, and meals served at Ronald McDonald House on holidays.
The church has a long ministry partnership with Iglesia Hermandad Cristiana. The two congregations have shared Vacation Bible School, a soccer camp, and fall and Easter festivals. This relationship extends the congregation's welcome to Hispanic sisters and brothers in Christ and gives families a recurring way to serve together.
Missions Across Indiana, Mexico and the Dominican Republic
John Knox's mission reaches through the Hispanic Ministries of Whitewater Valley Presbytery, including work with sisters and brothers in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The church also has a long partnership with Pyoca Camp and Retreat Center in Brownstown, which serves children, youth and adults from central and southern Indiana. John Knox regularly sends children to summer camp at no cost and holds an annual intergenerational retreat there in early fall.
Four Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) special offerings support different parts of the church's wider mission. Pentecost Offering serves children, youth and young adults; One Great Hour of Sharing supports disaster relief and the empowerment of people; Peace and Global Witness supports peacemaking locally and abroad; and Christmas Joy Offering supports retired church workers and students at racial-ethnic colleges and universities.
John Knox has also supported missionaries Jon and Kelly Simpson of World Outreach, Inc. for several years. After serving in El Salvador, they moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where they support missionaries around the world. The Simpsons join the church's Vacation Bible School each year to serve alongside children and families.
A Team of Clergy, Teachers and Volunteers
Pastor Kelley Jepsen became Pastor and Head of Staff in April 2024. Ordained by the PC(USA) in 2018, she previously served as Transitional Associate Pastor in Bloomington and as a Lake Fellow in Parish Ministry at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. Rev. Melodie Wager serves as Parish Associate for Pastoral Care, and Lisa Crismore is a Commissioned Lay Pastor who also helps Prime Timers participants connect with the congregation's life.
Children's care has been led by Tina Davis for more than 20 years, and trained volunteers assist her in the nursery each week. The Sunday education team, greeters, ushers, landscape crew and technology team all draw people into practical service. Two Sunday volunteers run the sound board, slides and livestream from the back of the sanctuary, while others help maintain the church's social media presence.
Presbyterian Women includes every woman who is a member or friend of John Knox and is active even though it has no monthly meetings. The group hosts special dinners, a spring garage sale and a fall bake sale, supports mission giving and provides a meal for a bereaved family. Its coordinating team meets on the second Wednesday of each month except July. The monthly Prayer Ministry Team and Landscape Team provide additional regular ways to serve, with Ann Hamel leading each.
Two Ways to Support Continuing Education
The Curtis/Ricketts Continuing Education Scholarship, started in 2014 as a memorial for Judy Ricketts' parents, provides $500 to nontraditional students pursuing continuing education. Eligibility includes adults with a high-school equivalency diploma and people at least 26 with a regular high-school diploma who are entering college, a trade program or another training path. Members and their relatives receive first consideration, followed by people referred by members or Wayne Township Adult Basic Education.
The Margaret Wilson Scholarship supports JKPC youth and children or grandchildren of JKPC members who will attend college, university or trade school. It is limited to undergraduate study, and applicants may be no more than 25 when they apply. Both scholarships are supported by donations. Curtis/Ricketts applicants must document other aid they have or are seeking and show acceptance into a college or program.
Giving, Membership and an Open Door
Financial gifts can be made by credit card or direct bank withdrawal through the church's online giving, by cash or check through the mail or at Sunday worship, through automatic bill pay on a schedule chosen by the giver, and through stock or required minimum distributions from an IRA.
Membership is open to everyone who wishes to serve as a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. A person may join by presenting a letter of transfer, reaffirming faith or professing faith in Jesus Christ. Those who have not been baptized receive the sacrament upon profession of faith at worship. Quarterly orientation classes help new members become active in the church.
The church office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. At the center of John Knox Presbyterian Church's life is a simple rhythm: worship at ten leads into fellowship, learning, music, service and shared mission, all carried by the words Open. Caring. Community.