Needing an 11:00 a.m. service in downtown Lexington left me with a few options; moments before leaving the office on a Sunday morning for services I made the decision to attend Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
In full disclosure: I actually tried to attend the 8:45 service at First Presbyterian, but was too disappointed to attend when I discovered that the service was held in the chapel and not in the historic sanctuary.
Central Christian is denominationally-speaking close to my home church (both use the generic "Christian" label). Inside, however, I discovered a lot of positive differences. For one, women are permitted to both preach and serve in the elder/deacon role. Two, Disciples have elected to not "throw out the baby with the bathwater." There was attention paid to the history of the Church, an aspect I find very important. The liturgy was not strong, but there was a focus on lent, hymns and tradition.
The sanctuary - with its stained glass and open feel - is historic and aesthetically pleasing. I found it a positive worship environment. The sermon message from Luke was Baptist in nature ("repent or perish"), but its delivery was more considerate and cerebral than a "fire and brimstone" message. In all, the church seemed to have a good balance.
