Christ Church RP

Location: Indianapolis, Ind.

Presbytery: Great Lakes-Gulf

Organized: Oct. 27, 2006

Membership: 42 communicant; 33 baptized

Pastor: Michael LeFebvre

Second RPC in Indianapolis, Ind., has had a strong vision for church planting since its own organization in the 1960s. The vision for planting a congregation in the western suburbs of that city began to take shape in 2002, when Jack and Karen Baumgardner (Jack was an elder at Second RPC) purchased a home in the town of Avon. The Indianapolis airport, a major rail yard, and important highway intersections converge on the west side of Indianapolis, making the communities in this county a growing center for businesses involved in warehousing and transportation. There is currently only one other Reformed church in the county, a recent PCA church plant. Jack and Karen began to reach out to their new neighbors in various ways, including home Bible studies and hospitality.

From that beginning 8 years ago, a core group from Second RPC, eventually including 10 households, joined the vision. By 2004, evening worship services began in Avon under the oversight of Second RPC. In 2005, Second RPC called Michael LeFebvre, then a theological student completing postgraduate studies in Scotland, to become a church planter for the work. In January 2006, Pastor LeFebvre was ordained, and in October of that year, Christ Church RP was organized. Over the years, the congregation has moved its worship location several times, has added several new families, and is currently worshiping in rented facilities in the town of Brownsburg.

Though a newborn congregation, we are grateful that the Lord has already allowed us to send one pastor and two missionaries into the field—all three of them with the last name Baumgardner! Jack (and Karen) Baumgardner accepted a call to pastor the Clarinda, Iowa, congregation in 2007. Heather and Jenny Baumgardner have been on the mission field in Africa for the past year and are currently serving with an OPC mission in Uganda.

We have endeavored to emphasize personal outreach, praying for one another while reaching out to friends, neighbors, classmates, coworkers, and relatives. Although we have run Bible clubs, home Bible studies, community seminars, and various other initiatives, our most important emphasis for outreach has been on personal witness. We also have an active men’s group that includes several men from other churches in the area. The group meets monthly to discuss books on “Christ and culture” themes. We also have a movie analysis ministry that is now online at www.TheFilmForum.net.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for God to bless our outreach and witness for Him.

• Please pray for God’s direction, timing, and provision in finding a suitable building to house the ministry He is expanding in our midst.

• Pray for members of our congregation who are out of work and looking for new jobs.