Heartland Church, part of the Christian & Missionary Alliance, now has a permanent presence in Lexington in a warehouse-like building on the corner of Lexington-Springmill and Hanley Road. This building belonged to many companies in its past, but now is it is the house of worship for people who belong to communities from around North Central Ohio.
Their story starts twelve years ago, when leaders from North Woodbury Alliance Church in Johnsville agreed to develop a greater presence in Lexington. Shortly after this decision, Western Elementary opened their doors to them. A couple of years after that, Lexington’s high school opened their doors to the small church group that was growing in numbers. From February 2001 until March 2013, this church group met in either the elementary or the high school. They had an office in the downtown square, but “for twelve years that was the extent of our presence in Lexington,” said Andrew Vallance, lead pastor. 2008 is the year Heartland started a campaign to find either a renovation project or a new building.
The group found a nice fit in a vacant building that has housed several different companies over the years. The most recent owner was Vision Industries, a provider of plastic products. There is a main 28,000 square-foot building where services are held, and another 10,000 square-foot office building. The main building also contains a 10,000 square-foot rec center. The room has potential to become a gym for a variety of sports.
“It’s not a traditional church setting, which makes it different than most. And that reflects our style; we’re casual. Not in a flippant way, but just low-key and non-threatening. I think this creates room for people to come in and be who they are,” said Vallance. The new church building has attracted many new families and faces. “Our mission is to be a light for Christ in the community. I hope in the near future that we will not just be a church for Sunday mornings, but that we become a gateway to the community.”
Sunday morning service starts at 9:30 a.m. and lasts until 11:00 a.m. The music is “modern and band driven” and informal. Children are welcome to stay during worship through music, but a variety of ministries are available for children from infants to teens.