Chesterton Tribune

 

 

CrossPointe Christian Church debuts at Ind 49 and US 6 intersection

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Assuming a new identity, First Christian Church has transformed itself from being a Chesterton church to a countywide church with its new location in Liberty Twp.

CrossPointe Christian Church held its first service at the new 10,000 sq. ft. building on August 25, at 114 E. U.S. Hwy. 6 on the southeast corner of the Ind. 49 intersection, and will be hosting a grand opening celebration with a community fall festival and open house on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The free family event will offer hot dogs, snow-cones and other treats, games and activities, a bounce house and hayrides. Church staff will also be giving tours of the new building which features a 275-seat sanctuary.

CrossPointe’s lead pastor Tim Wanless said the name was changed to CrossPointe Christian Church to get more people involved and be more recognizable, as many cities and towns often have churches called First Christian.

The roots of the church go back to 1959, when a group of residents from Michigan City wanted to start their own non-denominational church, similar to the Restoration Movement in the 19th century when members from different Christian backgrounds would join together to worship based on teachings within the New Testament.

First Christian Church opened in Chesterton, at the corner of Porter Ave. and 11th St., which was sold in 2010. The congregation moved its worship services to the Duneland YMCA temporarily while plans for a new building took shape.

Wanless said First Christian has owned the parcel off U.S. 6 for 20 years and the intent has always been to build a new church there, but plans “fizzled” each time until recently when new leaders felt it was time to move forward. Construction began last year after plans won approval from the Porter County Board of Zoning Appeals.

Worship services will be held at 8 a.m. each Sunday, with traditional hymns, and at 10:30 a.m., with a live band playing contemporary music on guitar, drums and keyboard. Technology will play a big part in each service, Wanlass said, and weekly sermons will be uploaded on CrossPointe’s website.

Wanlass said CrossPointe will be having events going on each night of the week. There are teen programs on Wednesday nights and small group Bible studies for different age groups.

CrossPointe looks to expand in the near future, Wanlass said, and hopes to form partnerships with many organizations throughout the community. The church donates a small portion of its collected offerings to missions, but a larger portion will help those in need locally, he said.

The church will help support resale shops and the Duneland food pantry and host community events with businesses in the area, he said. With just three paid persons on staff, CrossPointe hopes to develop a large volunteer network to accomplish its’ goals, Wanlass said.

“We can do a lot of things within our community,” said Wanlass.

For more information about CrossPointe, visit online at www.discovercrosspointe.com or (219)-464-3350.

The church building can be seen from U.S. 6 at its entrance directly across from The Courts of Northwest Indiana.

 

 

Posted 9/13/2013

 

 

 

 

 

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