About Us

Services on Sunday. Service Every Day.

Central Presbyterian Church is home to a joyful, inclusive worship experience on Sundays and home to a variety of organizations that better the lives of those in the broader Denver community all week long. We attempt to live our values by making the most of our presence in downtown Denver – opening our doors to all and creating opportunity for all.

An invitation from our Pastor

Come through the open door, into the center of Central Presbyterian Church…

… a diverse, multi-generational family of inclusive welcome and belonging;

… a sanctuary where creative traditional worship speaks to the challenges and needs of contemporary people, and allows safe space for questions and doubts;

… a place to discover how to put your skills and gifts in service to others, especially those in need;

…. an historic building re-imagined as a center for doing good, home to four major organizations that strengthen the heart of Denver. Click on their links for more information:

New Genesis Transitional Housing, providing shelter and support services for those experiencing homelessness;
Central Visitation Program, uniting families for supervised visits, parenting skill-building, and reconciled relationships;
The Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, an outstanding regional orchestra performing an exciting and accessible repertoire of classical music at affordable prices;
Purple Door Coffee/Dry Bones, a social enterprise coffee shop with a mission to strengthen employment potential of at-risk young adults.

Come on in! No matter what you’re seeking, Central can connect you to the Center underlying everything we say and do: the unconditional and transforming love of God we’ve come to know in Jesus.

We’re eager to meet you!

-Pastor Louise Westfall

If health concerns or even just a busy schedule makes joining us in person a challenge, we welcome you to join us online. Every Sunday, we’ll livestream our services via Facebook Live, and welcome you to join us for an online Fellowship Hour via Zoom (password to join is CPC).

Fellowship Hour (password to join: CPC)

WORSHIP BULLETIN

Louise Westfall, Pastor

Louise Westfall became Central’s senior pastor in 2011, following pastorates in Cleveland, Detroit, and Iowa. She received a Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She has co-authored two Bible studies– The Face Is Familiar: Remembering Unnamed Women in Scripture, and Peacemaking in Mark: Restoring God’s Community of Men and Women. Her dissertation Listening Beyond Our Differences: Conversations about Abortion was honored with a faculty prize.

Louise believes the Church is a community of transformation and the congregations she’s served have resettled refugees, built homes with Habitat for Humanity, tutored urban school children, converted a closed church into a Boys and Girls Club, and helped enroll people in affordable health insurance. Her leadership has helped make connections between suburban and urban, Black and White congregations, and among Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Increasingly she considers the Communion cup a central symbol of faith representing God’s love poured out for all, and the Table a place where everyone is welcome.

Louise is the mother of a son, Paul, an attorney in Washington DC.

Glenn Ross, Concert Manager

  Glenn joined the staff at Central in 2021 with two decades of leadership in the classical arts.  With a wealth of knowledge in all areas of performance and operations, Glenn brings valuable technical and administrative experience to his role at Central Presbyterian Church. Glenn is also a musician and professional photographer, with a focus on portraiture, live music, and events. His work has taken him around the World and his imagery has been featured in esteemed publications, magazines, books, and newspapers. Glenn holds Bachelors degrees in Business and Philosophy from Illinois State University and is involved in various community-based organizations. He enjoys helping others, traveling to new places, visiting museums, and writing.

Charis Smith, Music Director and Office Administrator

Besides Jesus and her family, Charis (pronounced Care-is) has two great passions: music and organization. These two seemingly disparate entities came together recently as she became Central's Music Director and Church Administrator. She holds undergrad and graduate degrees in vocal performance, and has lived and performed throughout Italy on a Rotary fellowship. Her career allowed for solo gigs at Carnegie Hall, the Vatican for Jubilee, as well as with the Colorado Symphony and many others. In between gigs, she worked for c-suite executives in NYC where she put her organizational and admin skills to great use. She met her husband, Ryan, in a production of "Into the Woods" in Ft. Collins. It was love at first listen when he came to the first rehearsal with his entire role memorized. They have two daughters, Ahna and Liza, who are truly gifts straight from God.

Molly Dowling Brown, Director of Mission & Faith Formation

Molly has been a member at Central since 2004 and joined the staff team in 2018. From 2013-2015, Molly served as the Director of Central Presbyterian Church’s Health Assistance Site which assisted Coloradans in health insurance enrollment.

Molly worked for over a decade on behalf of Federally Qualified Health Centers here in Colorado. Prior to that, she taught middle school social studies in North Carolina. Molly holds a BA in History from Davidson College (Davidson, NC). As the Director of Mission and Faith Formation, Molly believes faith is built via serving others in need in one’s community.

Molly and her husband, Adam, have 3 daughters: Caroline, Morgan, and Francee plus two canines…Murray (a goldendoodle) and Sylvester (a standard poodle).

Molly enjoys mountain and beach trips with her family, hiking, photography, water aerobics classes, dining out, and a good happy hour(s).

Louise Westfall, Pastor

Louise is the mother of a son, Paul, an attorney in Washington DC.

About Us

An invitation from our Pastor

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Louise Westfall, Pastor

Glenn Ross, Concert Manager

Charis Smith, Music Director and Office Administrator

Molly Dowling Brown, Director of Mission & Faith Formation

Louise Westfall, Pastor