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.