About Us

Washington Avenue Christian Church has been a part of the Elyria landscape since 1881.

James T. Robinson, Dr. A.C. Moore, Raymond Haven, Sheldon Streator, and Jacob L. Tucker worked together to establish a Disciples of Christ congregation in the Lorain County Seat of Elyria.

The church was originally known as the Elyria Disciples. The group incorporated on April 23, 1883 and later purchased a former Methodist church on the corner of Second and Chapel Streets where the congregation worshiped for many years.

In 1945, recognizing that the church needed larger facilities and adequate parking, the congregation purchased the 3.5-acre Washington Avenue home, which was previously owned by United States Congressman and Ambassador to France, William Graves Sharp. The home’s original builder was George Starr. George’s brother, Horace, owned the property across the street that now houses the Lorain County Historical Society. When George’s home was built, he fashioned it to be that building’s architectural duplicate.

WACC moved to its Washington Avenue Property in 1953 after the original mansion’s facade was bricked over to match the newly-constructed sanctuary. The property also included an interesting variety of historic trees and a spacious lawn that now houses individual community garden plots tended by WACC’s neighboring residents.

Shortly after this move, the congregation changed its named to the Washington Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

In 2000, an education building was added, the original mansion rooms refurbished, and the sanctuary renovated, including the installation of a 17-rank Kegg pipe organ. In 2012, the congregation paid off the $2+ million mortgage, which covered all of the renovations and included $132,000 for various outreach programs that had been tied into the congregation’s fundraising goals.

The church remains a beautiful monument to God and is a testament to planting seeds for the future, to a faithful congregation spanning many generations, and to Christian care of our neighbors near and far. The property has been featured in several newspaper articles, has been included in Elyria’s Tour of Homes, and has been utilized by the movie industry during local filming projects. The congregation itself has been recognized for its commitment to outreach, consistently being in the upper 5% of all Disciples congregations in its mission giving.

We invite you to take a closer look at the ways Washington Avenue Christian Church honors its past while seeking the future God wants and ultimately will have.