About Us

In the fall of 1959, Ariel Brady, minister of the First Christian Church of Lake Station, reached out to Fred J. Green, a minister from Converse, Indiana, with an invitation to preach in Lake Station, then known as East Gary. On Wednesday, November 11, 1959, Fred Green delivered a message to a gathering of 120 people who were eager to see a new church established in Portage.
At that time, the Lake Station Church was holding three Sunday services, with 49 of its families residing in Portage. Additionally, 59 other families were either attending the Hobart Church or affiliated with other Christian Churches. The need for a new church in Portage was clear.
Following Fred Green's message, a group of elders, deacons, teachers, and deaconesses stayed for a meeting to discuss the establishment of a New Testament church in Portage. Fred Green, who had served at Medaryville for four years and at Converse for two years, expressed his desire to return to the Calumet area. He committed himself to this new work and agreed to lead the first worship service in Portage on Sunday, December 13, 1959.
On the next Wednesday, November 18, 1959, 23 members from Lake Station met for a prayer gathering at the Portage home of Emil and Dorothy Petrach. Another prayer meeting followed on December 2, 1959, at the Petrach home, and the congregation continued to grow.
On December 11, 1959, Fred and Dorothy Green moved with their family to 2840 Joann Court, Portage, Indiana, to minister to the people of Portage.
**The Founding of Portage Christian Church**
On Sunday, December 13, 1959, 20 individuals came together, bringing memberships from five sister congregations to form Portage Christian Church. They began meeting in a building behind the old Crisman School at Portage Avenue and Crisman Road, which had previously been used as a gymnasium and a band room. Initially, services were held in a smaller "blue room" that was partitioned off from the rest of the building. Shortly before Easter 1960, the congregation moved into the larger section of the building.
Between December 13, 1959, and February 14, 1960, 38 people became charter members of the church. By the time the charter membership closed on February 14th, an additional 42 memberships had been added, bringing the total membership to 80 by the end of the first year.
By the end of the first month, Sunday morning worship attendance averaged 60 people. Within just eight months, the average attendance had grown to over 100. Although initially scheduled to be demolished by September 1960, the building's demolition was postponed, allowing the congregation to worship there until March 4, 1962—a total of two years and three months.
**Our Building Journey**
On March 15, 1960, a Building Finance Program was launched. Members took out personal loans and placed the funds in a Trust Fund to purchase land. A building committee, consisting of four men and one woman, spent several months searching for a suitable church site in the heart of Portage.
On July 15, 1960, the church purchased five acres of land on Evergreen Street for $10,000. To finance the construction of their first building, they sold two acres of land at the east end as business property. Church members also purchased bonds in denominations of $500, $1,000, and $1,500, with many eventually choosing to donate their bonds back to the church.
Construction on the building began on May 27, 1961, with the men of the church laboring throughout the summer, fall, and winter. The first service in the new building was held on March 4, 1962, though the interior wasn't completed until just before the Dedication Ceremony on May 20, 1962.
In July 1967, the congregation pledged to build a parsonage on the church property. Groundbreaking took place on August 27, 1967, and the structure was erected with Mr. Leeper overseeing the project, while the men of the church completed it. The preacher, Mr. Wright, lived with Bro. Lower for nine months while the parsonage was being built, and an open house was held shortly after the Wrights moved in on March 16, 1968.
In 1969, members turned in their trust certificates to start a building fund for an addition to the existing building. By March 1972, the church began raising funds for the new addition by selling square footage at $15 per square foot, totaling 7,982 square feet. Plans for the addition, designed by Zion Church Designers, were approved on December 18, 1972, and included a circular sanctuary seating 300.
On Faith Promise Commitment Sunday, March 11, 1973, the congregation pledged to increase their offerings. The pledges met the needed mortgage payment, increased utilities, and insurance costs.
On March 26, 1973, State Line Christian Church invited the congregation to hold a revival, with the offerings given to the Building Fund. Similarly, the Wanatah Church contributed their revival offerings on April 15, 1973, with Tom Jeffries as the evangelist.
Groundbreaking for the new addition took place on April 29, 1973, with construction beginning on May 23, 1973. Despite numerous delays—such as waiting for special-order windows and wallboard, and even theft of supplies—both men and women of the church worked tirelessly, hanging drywall, stapling insulation, and staining the sanctuary ceiling.
On December 30, 1973, the heat went out in the old section of the church, forcing the first worship service in the new addition to take place. Although there was no lighting, the congregation held a memorable Sunday Evening Candlelight Service in what is now the fellowship hall.
On December 31, 1973, church members gathered at 7:00 PM to hang drywall until 10:00 PM, then celebrated the New Year with a party at the Scout Hut.
The first Sunday service in the new sanctuary was held on March 10, 1974. Shortly after, on March 14, the ladies of the church held a kitchen shower to stock the new kitchen. In October 1974, the ladies spent six days cleaning and painting the church in preparation for the Dedication Ceremony.
Shockley Flick from Great Lake Bible College was the guest speaker at our Dedication Ceremony on October 20, 1974. Leslie Mead sang, “Sweet, Sweet Spirit”.
We are forever grateful for the men and women of faith who laid the foundation of our church. Their obedience to God and unwavering faith in His promises inspire us all. May the Lord continue to bless us and guide us as we carry the ministry of Portage Christian forward into the future. To God be the glory for all He has done and continues to do!