Kenwood Park United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is known for traditional Sunday worship shaped by hymns, a pipe organ and piano, responsive readings, and the voices of its choir. Pastor Alison Dix and the congregation gather from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. each Sunday, while coffee, desserts, and conversation are offered in Fellowship Hall from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The church's story reaches back to 1893, when 14 people organized a congregation in the former town of Kenwood Park. Its long history remains visible in stained glass, an old bell, and additions that have made the building easier to enter.
Sunday Worship at 10:45, Coffee at 9:30
Traditional worship is the clearest expression of the church's identity. The Sunday order moves through traditional hymns, readings, choir music, and a sermon. A pipe organ and piano accompany the music, while responsive readings give the congregation an active role in the service. Kenwood Park also recognizes the needs of seniors to feel connected and to have a place of traditional worship. The goal is connection across generations, with each generation finding a place in the church's shared life. For the congregation, worship is meaningful participation and meditation on a journey with Christ.
Before the service, Fellowship Hall becomes a place for coffee, desserts, and conversation. That pre-worship fellowship runs from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., and coffee and fellowship often follow worship as well. These gatherings make room for people to meet one another and turn the time around the service into part of church life. The atmosphere is easygoing rather than formal. Church does not have to be intimidating, the church says, and its people are not perfect, but they strive to become better as individuals and as a community.
No rigid dress code sets the tone. People wear anything from jeans to dresses, and suits are rare. Everyone is welcome to attend and encouraged to participate in the life of the church. The community is loving, inclusive, and diverse, with people welcomed regardless of their background or beliefs. Its welcome is rooted in the chance to grow in faith, develop meaningful relationships, and serve the Cedar Rapids community and the world beyond it.
Parking on 34th Street and a Level Route to the Sanctuary
A large parking lot sits on the 34th Street side of the church. For more accessible parking spaces and entry on the same level as the sanctuary, drivers can pull through to a smaller lot facing 33rd Street. An elevator is available at the 34th Street entrance. The entrance and elevator were added in 1992 after steps at both original entrances had prevented some people from attending Sunday services and church functions. Kenwood Park United Methodist Church is located at 175 34th Street North East, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402.
Organized in 1893 in the Town of Kenwood Park
At the beginning, Kenwood Park was an incorporated town of its own. It had been established in 1886, covered the present 32nd through 34th Streets East and three blocks on either side of First Avenue East, and had a population of around 200. The town had its own marshal, frame school, shopping district, town hall and park, and trolley transportation to downtown Cedar Rapids. The church was organized on September 17, 1893, with a founding group of 14. It initially belonged to a circuit with Martin's Creek and Shiloh, and its services were held only in the evening. The first building was dedicated on December 2, 1894, at a cost of $2,900, including the lot. Fire completely destroyed it on December 2, 1899. A second building was completed in 1900, giving the young congregation a new home. Kenwood Park was annexed to Cedar Rapids on July 1, 1927, and the church continued to grow alongside the surrounding neighborhood.
The second building changed in stages. A 1915 remodeling added a tower and Sunday School rooms. The bell arrived in 1925, and the Philathea Room was added in 1929. In 1941, the interior received Nu-wood blocks on the ceiling and walls, the seats were rearranged around a center aisle, an altar was built, and the chancel was divided. A pipe organ was added during that work, beginning a musical presence that still shapes worship. The Sunday School had been organized as soon as the first building was completed. At first, all classes met in one room and used International lessons before closely graded lessons were introduced in 1913.
A major expansion began after the official board appointed a building committee in 1950 and adopted a resolution to build. The first financial crusade in February 1951 raised $27,000 in two-year pledges. A second crusade in 1953 totaled $30,998. Construction began in units, with ground broken on August 16, 1953, and the first unit, a basement behind the old church, completed that December. By the summer of 1957, the congregation had also reached a $75,000 fundraising goal. Plans for the second unit were voted on in August, and the final service in the old structure took place on August 25, 1957.
The present building took shape during the next year. Its cornerstone was laid on March 16, 1958, and opening services were held on June 29, 1958. The new sanctuary gave the church a home for the worship order built around hymns, readings, choir music, and preaching. It also supported an expanding pattern of education and church activities. The transition did not erase the marks of earlier generations. The older bell and later additions became part of one continuing place of worship.
Stained Glass, an Old Bell, and a More Welcoming Building
Stained glass added a defining visual feature in 1962. The windows were financed through a “Venture in Faith” offering campaign, with church organizations offered the chance to give a window or part of one and individuals invited to contribute as well. The effort produced seven windows for the nave, along with windows for the front and two side entrances. These beautiful windows remain among the building's most distinctive features and are closely tied to the church's identity.
Practical changes continued after the building opened. Three properties on 34th Street behind the church were purchased, demolished, and converted into a parking lot in the 1970s, easing congestion on 33rd Street. In 1985, the church added a stone structure that displays the old church bell and a bulletin board. In 1992, an elevator went into service and a new entrance was built from the 34th Street parking lot. That entrance connected the parking area with the elevator and a level route into the sanctuary, responding directly to the steps that had kept some people from attending services and church functions.
The United Methodist Faith at the Heart of Kenwood Park
Kenwood Park's identity as a United Methodist church is central to its life. The United Methodist Church is a global Christian denomination whose history reaches to the 18th-century evangelical revival led by John and Charles Wesley. Its mission is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” At Kenwood Park, that identity is expressed through a warm, welcoming environment where people can grow in faith and connect with one another.
- God's grace is available to all people, and everyone is welcome to participate in the life of the Church.
- People are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
- The Bible is the inspired word of God and the primary source for Christian doctrine and living.
- Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are celebrated as the two sacraments.
- Personal and social holiness are valued, with faith lived in both individual and communal ways.
As part of the United Methodist connection, Kenwood Park works alongside other United Methodist churches in mission and ministry, sharing resources and support. Its local expression of that connection includes worship at 10:45 on Sunday, the fellowship that surrounds it, the choir, and groups that bring people together for service. The congregation's welcome extends across age, background, and belief, while its stated aim is growth in faith and service to others.
Choir Music and United Women in Faith
The choir sings at most worship services from September through May, making music an active part of the congregation's Sunday worship. Additional voices are always welcome, with the church emphasizing that making music reaches deeper than simply listening from the congregation. Rehearsals are held weekly on Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. The choir's place in the traditional order, with hymns and readings joined by choral music, is one of the clearest ways that musical participation and congregational worship belong together. Past worship services are available through Kenwood Park's YouTube worship videos.
United Women in Faith
United Women in Faith, formerly United Methodist Women, meets the third Thursday of each month from September through May, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in Room 104. All women are invited, whether or not they are associated with the church. The group offers ways to deepen personal spiritual growth and to work with others in missions both local and global. It supports those missions through fundraisers such as bazaars and bake sales, along with donations.
Its local giving includes Waypoint, the Willis Dady Shelter, and Green Square Meals. These partnerships reflect the church's wider understanding of discipleship, in which worship is joined by practical care for people in the community. From choir rehearsals to the monthly gathering in Room 104, participation is built around shared music, conversation, spiritual growth, and service.
Linn Community Food Bank and Sleeping Mats
Food bank support is another standing part of Kenwood Park's mission. Nonperishable groceries can be placed in the cupboard just inside the 34th Street entrance for Linn Community Food Bank. The second Sunday is the church's official Food Bank day, but donations are received at any time and taken to the food bank. This arrangement puts a practical act of care directly into the rhythm of ordinary Sunday arrival and departure.
The church also joins neighbors in making sleeping mats from plastic grocery bags for people without shelter. That work turns discarded bags into useful material and places the congregation alongside a direct need in Cedar Rapids. Together with food bank support and local giving, the sleeping-mat effort shows how service continues beyond worship and fellowship.
A Continuing Place of Worship and Service
Kenwood Park United Methodist Church has grown from a small congregation meeting in a separate town to a long-standing Cedar Rapids church shaped by traditional worship, community fellowship, and practical service. The pipe organ, choir, stained glass, and old bell carry that history into each Sunday. At the same time, the food bank cupboard, Room 104 gathering, accessible entrance, and hands-on outreach express an active present. Kenwood Park remains a congregation that combines a settled worship tradition with room for people to belong, grow, and serve.