How it all started…

Central Church was born out of a singular vision and love for the people of Hilton Head Island and the surrounding areas. Even before the large influx of people to Hilton Head, there was a need for an evangelical, New Testament church on the island. We began to worship together as a congregation on Sunday, January 29, 1987, at St.Luke's Episcopal Church. There were seven people in attendance. For the next two and a half years, we continued to meet at St.Luke's. As our church reached out in love to the community, more people came to our services. Bible studies began springing up in homes from South Forest Beach to Bluffton. Our church family grew, not only in number, but also in love for each other. And, as our congregation grew, our need for our own church grew too. As we began to look for land, we learned that a mission church in Swaziland, South Africa was in desperate need of money to build a church. They made a plea to us and we responded by pledging a love offering of $5,000. Just a few months later, God rewarded our sowing into the Kingdom leading us to a three and a half-acre plot of land which we purchased. Approximately 18 months later, it was discovered that piece of land had the only complete and historic Indian Shell Enclosure in the United States! The Town of Hilton Head purchased the land from us.

After providing for us financially, the Lord provided the Palmetto Bay Plaza as a church home. Through our efforts and His blessing, we remodeled the building and converted it to a church. We worshipped there for one year. On July 3, 1992, our present location became our church home. Converting the facility to a church was a great adventure. Prior to being our church, it served as a dinner theater and nightclub. Over the past 29 years, we have gone through four renovations and a major construction project, totaling over 30,000 square feet, adding more space for our youth and children's ministry and adult education classes. Our commitment to families, children and students can be easily seen through our efforts to provide the very best environment possible for their growth in Christ and with each other.