History

Grace Pointe Church was born in a tent revival in the summer of 1924 as the Westbrook Church of the Nazarene.  After seventy-eight  years, eight pastors, several building programs, a merger with the Bridgeport Church and a subsequent name change, Grace Pointe migrated in 2002 to the intersection of Morris Street and Raceway Road; a small congregation with a big vision of what God could do.

 

Part of that vision included a deep desire to minister to the growing Hispanic population around them.  Many Hispanics had been part of the crews that worked on the new facility located at 10951 E County Road 100 S, on the dividing line between Hendricks and Marion counties.  That dream in 2002, was nothing more than a prayer in the midst of God’s work at Grace Pointe.

 

Pastor Elena Gil was the answer to that prayer to lead a Hispanic ministry.  Pastor Gil led the church’s efforts to reach out to Latinos by inviting them to worship at Grace Pointe.

 

Reaching out to the Hispanic Community

Pastor Elena Gil came at the end of 2002 to serve in the ministry from the Nazarene Church in Bogota Colombia.  “After a conversation with Pastor Robinson, it was evident that God had a place for me to minister at Grace Pointe.  He expressed to me that the church had been praying for someone like me.  This was a very humbling, yet exciting experience,” said Pastor Gil.

 

From then on, Elena and the Leadership team began to put in place a ministerial strategy.  The church had a simple and clear objective:  to invite Hispanic families to join American families to worship together.  “The church began working to integrate both cultures, respecting and appreciating the cultural differences, and developing the necessary tools to provide the Hispanic community with spiritual and social support.

 

The church acquired the equipment to offer simultaneous translations from English into Spanish, it built a sound proof booth, with a front window and a glass ceiling, where interpreters could have the privacy, yet the confidence to interpret the message without feeling isolated from the rest of the congregation.  All the bulletins are translated from English into Spanish and the songs are also translated on the sanctuary screens.  However, what really sets this church apart is that Hispanics are not the only ones who have to learn to sing in English.  English speaking Americans have also learned to sing in Spanish.  They always sing at least one song in Spanish during the praise and worship.  “When we worship together as one in the Lord Jesus Christ, I can’t help but feel that we have a little glimpse of what Heaven will be like,” said Pastor Robinson.  “Because of an intentional effort from Grace Pointe to make Hispanics feel welcome, now the results are very positive as the Hispanic ministry has grwn to 150 families.

 

Pastor Gil states that now, Grace Pointe not only has a strong Hispanic presence as a part of the entire congregation, but it also has families from other countries and cultures.  That’s why we have become a multicultural church.  “There is a mix of languages, cultures  and races, in a place in which all of us speak the same language, which is the language of love,” said Pastor Gil.

 

Our Birth January 1926 Born of revival fires under The anointed ministry of Rev. Alvin E. Kerst

Organized as The Westbrook Church of the Nazarene By District Superintendent J.W. Short With 37 charter members

 

Significant Milestones

1924-1925 Tent meetings and house worship

1925-1960 Worshipped in 30′ by 50′ church building Studded with bits of shiny glass

1940-1950 Two-story education wing added

1960-2002

Worshipped in $150,000 sanctuary Exterior made of Indiana sandstone trimmed in Indiana limestone

1970 Added a Family Center adjacent to sanctuary

1941-1991 Radio ministry

1976 50 years old as a Nazarene church 5 Charter members honored Dr. Ross Lee, District Superintendent

1996 Merger with Bridgeport Church of the Nazarene

2001 Name change Grace Pointe Church of the Nazarene

 

2002 Relocation to new facility Corner of Raceway Road and Morris Street

2003 Integrated Hispanic community with Congregation for shared Worship, fellowship and ministry

November 2010 Day of Dedication Of building and Consecration of our people

2003-2010 and beyond… Grace Pointe is Multi-cultural, multi-generational, missional and discipleship driven For God’s glory!

 

Our Pastors

Rev. Alvin Kerst	1926 – 1931 (5 years)
Dr. O.L. Maish	1931 – 1937 (6 years)
Rev. Harry Carter	1937 – 1943 (6 years)
Dr. Leo Davis	1943 – 1946 (3 years)
Rev. M.J. Jones	1946 – 1951 (5 years)
Rev. B.L. Wilson	1951 – 1964 (13 years)
Rev. J.E. Childress	1964 – 1991 (27 years)
Rev. Keith Robinson	1991 – 2009 (18 years)
Rev. Chris Galloway	2009 – 2013 (4 years)

 

Archival Moments

WESTBROOK’S CHARTER MEMBERS (* denotes charter member honored at 50 year milestone)

Rev. Alvin E. Kerst	Pastor Clyde A. Bates	Cecil M. Bates
Bertha Kerst	Marjorie C. Bates	Opal Bates
Grover C. Bates	Thomas S. Bracken	Charles L. Brickert
Lelia Bates	Laura E. Bracken	Sarah E. Brickert
Cecil F. Clifton	Belle Darnell	John F. Ferguson
Rufus F. Ferguson*	John F. Herr	Henry Herr
Marguerite Ferguson*	Cora Herr	Lena M. Jay*
Clarence LaFara	Millard F. Martz	Emma Meyers
Sallie Meyers	Thomas Mitchell	Garrison H. Price
Ida Mae Mitchell	Sara A. Mitchell	Ralph Moneymaker
Elsie Grace Price*	Walter Price	Dora Phillips
Astrid Richards*	Elizabeth Trinkle	George Williamson

The heritage of the past is the seed That brings forth the harvest of the future…