By Nita Wilkinson

Faith Editor

For more than 130 years, the Belle Center Church of Christ has been a place where faith, fellowship and service come together.

Incorporated in 1895, the congregation has worshiped in its current building at 301 Walnut St., Belle Center, since 1906, but its members believe the church's greatest strength has never been its historic building—it's the people inside.

Pastor Kris Langstaff describes the congregation with two simple words: friendly and warm. While many churches strive to be welcoming, he believes Belle Center Church of Christ lives it out every week.

"Other churches say they are friendly, but Belle Center Church of Christ embodies that and welcomes everyone who walks through these doors," Langstaff said. "They are the warmest, kindest and most generous people I have ever met. Our church is all about the people.”

Langstaff also credits the church's healthy leadership for creating that culture. When he first arrived, longtime leader Frank Lee intentionally invested in him.

"When I started, Frank Lee took me under his wing and spent every Monday helping me learn the church and leadership," Langstaff said. "He taught me how to change a church without destroying it.”

The congregation's mission is straightforward: to glorify God, love their neighbors, and change the world one heart at a time.

Members seek to build relationships as they grow closer to Jesus, believing that authentic Christian community begins with genuine love for both God and one another.

Their beliefs reflect the principles of the Restoration Movement, affirming the authority of Scripture, salvation through Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit and the importance of the local church in carrying Christ's message into the world.

That mission was especially evident during the church’s Vacation Bible School week, July 19-23, where the theme was Rainforest Falls: Exploring the Nature of God.

The church also serves as a host site for the Weekly Christian Education Ministry, a long-standing outreach that reaches approximately 800 third- and fourth-grade students throughout Logan County. As part of the program, every fourth grader receives a brand-new Bible, made possible through donations. Church members note that every $5 contributed places God's Word into the hands of another child.

Missions are woven into the church's identity. Before any other expenses are considered, the congregation gives the first 10 percent of its income to mission work. Their philosophy is rooted in Jesus' Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 and His words in Acts 1:8, challenging believers to be witnesses locally, throughout their state, across the nation and around the world.

Those commitments are reflected in the ministries they support. Locally, the church partners with New Path Pregnancy Center. Regionally, they invest in Western Buckeye Christian Camp.

Nationally, they support Woodburn Christian Children's Home in Indiana, a privately funded ministry that provides Christ-centered residential care for children and families.

Internationally, they continue to support LifeVenture's mission work in Ukraine.

Weekly opportunities for worship and study include Sunday Bible School at 9:30 a.m., Sunday Worship at 10:30 a.m., and Wednesday evening Bible study at 7 p.m.

For those looking for a church family where relationships matter as much as programs, Belle Center Church of Christ seeks to be exactly what Pastor Langstaff describes—a place where people are genuinely welcomed, encouraged and challenged to grow in their faith while sharing the love of Christ with their community and the world. ■