Living Life on "The Rock"
It was March 1, 2004 and I found myself in a new place – a suburb on the West side of Cleveland called Lakewood. Since it was my first time in this city, I sought to discover what this place was all about.
It was my desire that God would lead me to a place where a new church could be established. The place for this endeavor had to be unique. I was not particularly enamored with the idea of beginning new work in an area that already had numerous churches with my methodology and vision already in place. I was looking for a place where there was a vacuum; a place where people desired something new – something less conventional, something fresh.
Then I realized that Lakewood, (though almost 35 churches saturate the landscape), appeared to be missing something. It was void of any type of non-denominational church. The majority of the main-stream denominations were well represented; however, I was not able to find a contemporary, conservative, creative, non-denominational gathering place. “See a need, fill a need”. This has always been a successful motto, whether in the world of business, or in the lives of people.
After a year and a half of heart-felt prayer, the assembling of a team of ministers, and the support and sending of our home church in New Philadelphia, Ohio, a new church was established in June of 2005 called “The Rock” of Lakewood. A little over a year has passed since this new church was formed, and things are beginning to take off! Worship attendance has tripled over the last six months with a number of families, young and old, joining together in a unique worship experience. The Rock of Lakewood is best defined by its four key ministry philosophy elements that include: conservative doctrine, contemporary worship, creative preaching, and a commission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. The focus of this new church is on building relationships with others. This is clearly defined by The Rock’s mission statement which seeks to glorify God by building relationships with God, within the church, and with all the world.
The Rock holds its main service every Sunday afternoon from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM, with an Albanian Bible study following from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The Rock of Lakewood has been holding its services in the Pilgrim St. Paul fellowship hall located at the corner of Detroit Avenue and Manor Park since the beginning of 2006. Child care and children’s church is available for children ages 0 to 11 every week, with age specific classrooms. All are invited to come! For more information, please visit: www.rock-of-lakewood.org, or call 440/724-5630. We are extremely excited to see what God has planned for the future!
It was my desire that God would lead me to a place where a new church could be established. The place for this endeavor had to be unique. I was not particularly enamored with the idea of beginning new work in an area that already had numerous churches with my methodology and vision already in place. I was looking for a place where there was a vacuum; a place where people desired something new – something less conventional, something fresh.
Then I realized that Lakewood, (though almost 35 churches saturate the landscape), appeared to be missing something. It was void of any type of non-denominational church. The majority of the main-stream denominations were well represented; however, I was not able to find a contemporary, conservative, creative, non-denominational gathering place. “See a need, fill a need”. This has always been a successful motto, whether in the world of business, or in the lives of people.
After a year and a half of heart-felt prayer, the assembling of a team of ministers, and the support and sending of our home church in New Philadelphia, Ohio, a new church was established in June of 2005 called “The Rock” of Lakewood. A little over a year has passed since this new church was formed, and things are beginning to take off! Worship attendance has tripled over the last six months with a number of families, young and old, joining together in a unique worship experience. The Rock of Lakewood is best defined by its four key ministry philosophy elements that include: conservative doctrine, contemporary worship, creative preaching, and a commission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. The focus of this new church is on building relationships with others. This is clearly defined by The Rock’s mission statement which seeks to glorify God by building relationships with God, within the church, and with all the world.
The Rock holds its main service every Sunday afternoon from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM, with an Albanian Bible study following from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The Rock of Lakewood has been holding its services in the Pilgrim St. Paul fellowship hall located at the corner of Detroit Avenue and Manor Park since the beginning of 2006. Child care and children’s church is available for children ages 0 to 11 every week, with age specific classrooms. All are invited to come! For more information, please visit: www.rock-of-lakewood.org, or call 440/724-5630. We are extremely excited to see what God has planned for the future!
Volume 2, Issue 17, Posted 1:01 PM, 07.25.06
