Church Opens At Temporary Site

Thu., Sept. 18, 1997

Nina Culver Correspondent

One could say that the new Summit Ridge Foursquare Church is opening its doors this weekend, if it had any doors to call its own.

Instead, the new church will meet for now in the Seventh-day Adventist Church at 5607 S. Freya.

While a lot of work remains for Summit Ridge, including finding a permanent site, the church is starting with 300 members and several programs for adults and kids.

Summit Ridge was formed by Life Center, a church with more than 2,000 members on the North Side. The Rev. Joe Woodruff, hired by Life Center last fall to get the new church up and running, will be pastor.

This is Woodruff’s third church planting, and he said it is a ministry he enjoys. A church planting, sometimes called birthing a new church, occurs when some members of a church branch off and form a new church to serve a different area.

Church planting is the most effective way of reaching people and meeting their needs, said Woodruff, and it allows him to plan the church according to the needs of the community and build it from the ground up.

“I spent three months just getting a sense of the community,” he said.

He began by forming Kids Universe, a children’s ministry. It includes a church for kids with puppets and animated storytelling.

He also plans a tutoring program during the week. It eventually will be expanded to offer children help in numerous subjects from drama to computers.

“The possibilities are endless,” said Woodruff.

He’s also planning a women’s ministry and a music program.

Woodruff, 34, got his start in ministry at age 16 when he was invited to speak at a youth service. As a result, his older brother was converted to Christianity, and Woodruff decided to make preaching his future.

“For me, preaching and pastoring has been my opportunity to make a difference,” he said.

Summit Ridge Foursquare Church will hold its first services at 9 and 11 a.m. on Sunday.

For more information on the new church, call 532-2016.

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