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Eastern Star opens Northwest campus

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Eastern Star Church, one of the state’s fastest growing congregations, has opened its new state-of-the-art Northwest campus. 

The new facility, located at 5805 N. Cooper Rd., recently hosted its first regular service. Later in the afternoon, thousands of church members and special guests were on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony that officially opened the church to the community.

Attendees then packed the arena-style sanctuary for a special dedication service, which included praise and worship, expressions of appreciation for those who helped in the construction of the campus, dynamic song selections from national recording artist Byron Cage, and an encouraging message from the guest preacher, Dr. Kevin W. Cosby, pastor of Louisville’s St. Stephen Church and president of Simmons College.

Pastor Jeffrey A. Johnson Sr., Eastern Star Church’s senior pastor, said the congregation is excited about the new facility and its potential to reach and serve many people.

“For us to come into this new facility is wonderful, especially during the economic down times,” Johnson said.

Johnson noted that some observers indicated that this was not a good time to build.

“But we found that it was, because not all of our members are unemployed, and we weren’t expecting people who don’t have anything to be able to contribute. But some people had something, and they wanted to give to God and this project.”

Johnson added that the building project also helped create jobs and contribute to economic development.

“We are excited to be here and looking forward to what God will do with this facility,” he said. “This also gives us another place to meet needs. When people need spiritual support and counseling, when they are hungry, when they need clothing, they can come here.”

The new 120,000 square foot building sits on 38 acres and includes a 3,000-seat sanctuary, tech-savvy youth wing, spacious adult education wing, covered outdoor patio, chapel/multipurpose room, production area and administrative offices.

Established in 1920, Eastern Star Church has grown significantly over the past 23 years under Johnson’s leadership, from 350 members to over 10,000. In recent years the church, which many members describe as large but close knit, has introduced several new ministries designed to enhance spiritual development, Christian teaching and education, and community outreach.

Eastern Star Church is also known for its innovative approach of having “One Church in Three Locations.” Due to church growth and a desire to meet needs in the community more efficiently, the congregation operates three locations, which include its main campus on East 30th Street, its Fishers campus and the Northwest campus.

“We decided to do multiple services so that we could have enough room for the people who were coming, and be able to develop new leadership and offer more opportunities for service,” said Johnson. “We thought the building on 30th Street, would be a permanent location for us, but God wasn’t through.”

Instead of trying to build one, highly expensive large facility, the church decided to offer convenient locations around the city.

“There’s no single big McDonald’s. It has different locations, but regardless of which one you go to you can get the same menu items, same flavor and same service,” Johnson said. “That’s how we are; we have the same pastor, same leaders, same ministries. We just meet in three locations. For us it’s not so big that we can’t be a blessing to each other. It also offers the convenience and option of worshipping at different times.”

Previously, Westside services were held in a refurbished warehouse at 7223 Woodland Ave. in the Park 100 area. That facility housed a 1,500-seat auditorium with administrative offices, however it presented limited space for meetings, classes and gatherings.

The new Cooper Road facility, carefully designed with these purposes in mind, will offer a broad range of classrooms for adult and youth development, areas for fellowship, a spacious venue for church events.

For more information about Eastern Star Church, visit: www.easternstarchurch.org.

 

Pastor Jeffrey A. Johnson Sr. of Eastern Star Church welcomes members and guests during a dedication service for the congregation’s new Northwest Campus.
Pastor Jeffrey A. Johnson Sr. of Eastern Star Church welcomes members and guests during a dedication service for the congregation’s new Northwest Campus.
Guest speaker, Pastor Kevin Cosby of St. Stephen Church, Louisville, speaks on staying connected to Jesus, “The true vine.” (Photos/L. Blaylock)
Guest speaker, Pastor Kevin Cosby of St. Stephen Church, Louisville, speaks on staying connected to Jesus, “The true vine.” (Photos/L. Blaylock)

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