On a Foundation of Prayer…in ‘Michiana’

Location: Elkhart, Indiana

Organized: 2000

Presbytery: Great Lakes-Gulf

Members: 37 communicant; 12 baptized

Pastor: Keith Magill

Website: elkhartrpc.org

Through a series of providences, in the mid-1990s God brought together three families who birthed the RP ministry in this area—the Spencers, whose job change moved them from the Southside Indianapolis RPC, the Landows, who met the Spencers at an Elkhart homeschool picnic, and the Menberes, whose job change moved them from Westminster RPC in Prairie View, Illinois.

In June 1995 the presbytery church extension committee sent a team to the area to explore ministry possibilities. Later that summer a public information meeting was held at the Landow home. Approximately 11 families heard the presbytery’s vision for ministry in this strongly Anabaptist region. Among them were Martin and Kathy Blocki, who at the time were music professors at nearby Goshen College. For the next year interested people gathered on Lord’s Day evenings at the Landow home for preaching and teaching by Pastors Barry York, Dave Long, Harry Metzger and Elder Fikre Menbere. At first, light refreshments accompanied the fellowship after the service, but the hospitality caught on and grew into frequent fellowship meals.

A presbytery commission was appointed and in July 1996 a mission church was organized with five founding families. The mission church continued their weekly Lord’s Day evening Bible classes, psalm singing and worship. Dr. Roy Blackwood was added to the preaching rotation. The mission church was greatly encouraged by these pastors from the presbytery who provided faithful preaching of the Word. The willingness of other congregations to share their pastors (and even a treasurer from Kokomo RPC) was a great blessing.

In Aug. 1998 the Elkhart Commission, with the encouragement of the mission church, called Andy McCracken to be the church planter. Morning worship services began in April 1999 at the local YMCA. The congregation was particularized in May 2000 with three ruling elders. One of the early faith lessons involved earnestly seeking the Lord for a place to meet for worship. The congregation designated a month for fervent prayer, asking God for the resources necessary to purchase a building. By the end of that month, the Lord provided double the minimum amount needed, with a significant portion coming from one of the congregations in the presbytery. The present building was occupied in Oct. 2000.

A few years later, the foundation of prayer and help from presbytery was built upon when the congregation went through leadership changes. Retired pastor and ruling elder Bob McCracken was greatly used of the Lord during this time of trial and testing. In the summer of 2005, the congregation called Keith Magill to be their pastor to shepherd them in their ongoing witness for Christ’s Crown and Covenant in northern Indiana (Michiana).

What will you find if you come to ERPC? On the Lord’s Day, you will find vibrant and reverent worship of the Lord, focused on the ministry of God’s Word and prayer. Normally, the weekly preaching is coordinated with a midweek small group Bible study. Prayer is a vital part of our morning and evening worship and our monthly men’s meeting and women’s prayer time.

You will find a variety of outreach ministries that reflect a heart for reaching the lost with the gospel. There have been numerous outreach Bible studies, literature distribution in several neighborhoods, and door-to-door contacting. Each month we serve a meal at Faith Mission and use the opportunity to share the gospel. Throughout the school year, we serve a fresh lunch on Thursdays to people who live and work in the area around our church. While some take their lunch to go, many stay to eat and find spiritual encouragement as they talk with our people.

You will find encouraging fellowship among people who love one another and willingly carry each other’s burdens. The people like being together and genuinely care for one another—like a close extended family. They stay at church, not just for the semimonthly fellowship meals, but nearly every Lord’s Day besides. You will find people who get together in homes for Bible studies, prayer meetings, picnics or parties.

You will find discipleship carried out through personal and small group mentoring, Bible school classes—sometimes age graded and sometimes age integrated, an active college-age ministry and a short-term missions emphasis. When we have participants, there is a high school ministry and a career/young adult ministry.

At ERPC, you will find people who have been brought together by the Lord’s guiding hand, who are grateful to belong to Christ, who have been blessed by being connected to others in the body of Christ, and who desire to grow in grace and to spread the good news of salvation in our part of His world and beyond. Come and visit or come and stay!

Prayer Requests

• Praise the Lord for His blessings on us, especially through our presbytery.

• Pray that the Lord would cause us to live God-centered lives and be salt and light in Michiana.

• Pray that the Lord would bring fruit from our evangelistic ministries.

• Ask the Lord to add laborers to our congregation.

(For more background on Elkhart RPC see the July/August 1999 and April 2001 issues of the RP Witness).