History

First begun as the Maughlin Missionary Society Sunday School in 1905, the church was granted a charter in 1906 to become the Second Presbyterian Church of Lawrence.  In the 1920s the name West Side was adopted to reflect the church’s location on the then west side of Lawrence. In 1967, the West Side congregation decided it was time for a roomier church with more parking, so a new building with plenty of parking was built on Kasold Drive.

With its emphasis on mission, West Side has an outstanding record, consistently supporting the mission of the larger church through financial contributions and volunteer time in the community. The congregation is especially concerned about hunger and the food insecure. West Side was one of the first churches involved with LINK – Lawrence Interdenominational Nutritional Kitchen. Since our involvement in the 1980, we have been known as “the meatloaf church” for our delicious meatloaf served in the downtown facility. Today we faithfully make and serve a monthly meal, which has continued uninterrupted throughout the pandemic.

We host a number of community groups in our building including a number of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups, an Alzheimer’s Association Caregiver Support Group, the boy scouts and the girl scouts.  Since 1927, West Side has sponsored Boy Scout Troop 55, forging a very successful partnership over the years. For the meeting schedules of these groups, please see this page Mission & Community Support

About Presbyterians

Our denomination is the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  At its best, our denomination has modeled its life and ministry on the biblical image of the body of Christ.  At the core of Presbyterian identity is a secure hope in the grace of God in Jesus Christ, a hope that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, empowers us to live lives of gratitude: “In affirming with the earliest Christians that Jesus is Lord, the Church confesses that he is its hope, and that the Church, as Christ’s body, is bound to his authority and thus free to live in the lively, joyous reality of the grace of God.” (Book of Order F-1.0204)

Presbyterians are distinctive among Christian denominations in two key ways: they adhere to a pattern of religious thought known as Reformed theology and a form of government that stresses the active, representational leadership of both ministers and church members. The body of elders elected to govern a particular congregation is called a session. Presbyterian elders are both elected and ordained.

(Presbyterians also ordain leaders to the office of deacon. Though not a governing body, the deacons serve an important role in the church, offering sympathy, witness, and service after the example of Jesus Christ.)

As a connectional church, the structure of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ties each church and each region to a large national body.  West Side Presbyterian is in the bounds of the Presbytery of Northern Kansas, which covers 45 counties and serves rural, urban and suburban areas of Northern Kansas. As a church and Presbytery, we are members of the Synod of Mid-America, the PC(USA) governing body for Kansas and Missouri, which is comprised of six presbyteries.  The General Assembly represents the entire denomination.