Church of the Good Shepherd Winona Lake IN

The Church of the Good Shepherd is a community of people saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit to further God's Kingdom through:

* Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ
* Being transformed into the image of Christ
* Loving one another and our neighbor
* Reaching out to the world

Come join us this Sunday!

 

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Entrance is on 8th Street. There is some parking on 8th Street as well. The bulk of parking is in the parking lot on College Avenue across the street.  

Al-Anon
'Saturday Serenity'

Meetings normally are on Saturday 9:30 AM (Contact Serenity House for meeting information 574-268-8688)

Church Of The Good Shepherd
100 8th St, Winona Lake,
IN, 46590, USA

Parking lot door. Stairs or elevator to 2nd floor, thru social area to room beyond wooden doors.

Families, Friends, and Observers Welcome  

Church Choir Practice after Sunday Service  

Elevator for all three floors.

Restroom equipped with larger door and required hand bars.  

“Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man.” -- Dwight L. Moody The Historic Church of the Good Shepherd

Perhaps no other church in the state of Indiana has had as many well-known evangelists and ministers on its rolls as the Church of the Good Shepherd in Winona Lake, Indiana. Located at the corner of Seventh and Chestnut, it was the only church where Billy and “Ma” Sunday had their membership. Other famous personalities that have passed through the doors of this historic building include B. D. Ackley, the Rodeheavers, noted Hoosier poet V. M. Hatfield, Billy Graham, and many more.

This first church in town was an outgrowth of the Winona Assembly, and especially of the schools which made the establishment of a church a necessity for the community. Accordingly, the Winona Federated Church began meeting in 1899. Services were non-denominational and were conducted in the Daguerre Memorial building until 1905, when they moved to the newly-constructed Westminster Hotel.

Dr. Sol C. Dickey and Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman supplied the pulpit during the summer, and Dr. Frank N. Palmer, Dr. J. C. Breckenridge and Dr. E. S. Scott, who were connected with the Winona schools, discharged the pastoral duties during the year. In September of 1911, Dr. Joseph W. Clokey became pastor, and he retired two years later.

The congregation felt the need to become affiliated with one of the established denominations, and so by majority vote it was decided to reorganize as a Presbyterian church. The organization was effected on June 27, 1913, with 44 charter members. An invitation was extended to Dr. James A. Gordon, who had been pastor of the Presbyterian church in Van Wert, Ohio, for 22 years. He was installed at the Winona Lake church on January 23, 1914.

Gordon was born into a Scotch-Irish family that immigrated from Ireland and settled in the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania. His father was a pastor, and James attended Wooster College in Ohio, graduating in 1882 at the top of his class, and then matriculated at Princeton Seminary in New Jersey for three years. He was ordained June 9, 1885, into the Presbyterian ministry.

Gordon served churches in Michigan, took a post-graduate fellowship at Harvard Divinity School, served a church in Van Wert, Ohio, and in 1902 received the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the College of Wooster.

He was given a leave of absence from his congregation and traveled throughout Europe, Palestine and Egypt. He resigned the Van Wert church and left in October of 1912, spending most of the next year with his wife traveling along the Pacific Coast from San Diego to Alaska. On his return, he accepted a call to pastor the reorganized church at Winona Lake, where he had been a frequent summer visitor.

For nearly all of his 16 years as pastor, he was a member of the board of directors of the Winona Lake institutions, and served a decade as recording secretary of the board and secretary of the executive committee. He was active in local organizations including the Kiwanis Club and the Warsaw Chamber of Commerce.

Realizing it would need a permanent location, the church bid on four lots when the bankrupt Bible Conference had a sale of lots on November 4, 1915. After meeting for a decade in the Westminster Hotel, the congregation purchased the land where the current church building sits for $576 with a loan from Mrs. Billy (“Ma”) Sunday, which was reimbursed to her over the next several years from funds raised by the Ladies Aid Society.

On October 20, 1921, a congregational meeting was called to consider construction of a church building. The building at Seventh and Chestnut was constructed for a total cost of $55,000. The cornerstone was laid June 24, 1923, the building was dedicated on August 3, 1924, and regular services in the building began on November 9, 1924.

The Gothic Revival structure was designed by Dr. O. H. Newlin. Typical of this architectural style are the square tower and arched windows. Interior features include the vaulted ceiling and folding oak doors in the sanctuary. Numerous stained-glass windows surround the building and fill it with color.

The pulpit and pews came from a disbanded church in Waterloo, Indiana. The bell is one that hung for years on the lakefront and was used as the fire bell and the curfew bell. The Good Shepherd stained glass window was a gift from Homer Rodeheaver in memory of his brother, Jack, who died in an airplane accident in August of 1921. The good shepherd image comes from prophecy in Isaiah. Jesus is draped in a cloak of gold, representing the King. His robe is red, representing the injured lost lamb of His parable, and could also represent the perfect lamb of the Passover Feast. Jesus guides the mature sheep along a narrow pathway, representing the narrow path of righteous living. Note that in the foreground and along either side of the pathway are thorn bushes, prefiguring the crown of thorns Jesus would wear at the crucifixion.

The Gethsemane window in the main sanctuary was given by the Men’s Bible Class. Note that above the main window are 12 smaller windows, representing the 12 disciples. The four larger windows, two on either side of the main picture, represent the four gospels.

The green vine in the form of a crown symbolizes both the crown of Christ Jesus as King and the crown of thorns Christ wore on the cross. The top of the crown is a Fleur-de-lis, the symbol of the Trinity. The figure of Jesus is draped in a robe of purple, the symbol of Kingship, lined with red, the symbol of passion. To the right of the picture, on the horizon, may be seen buildings in darkness, stating the late hour of night in which Jesus was praying, but also symbolizing the darkness (sin) which covers the world.

The communion table was given to the church by Katherine Carmichael in remembrance of her mother. The altar artifacts—brass candlesticks and cross—were a recent gift in honor of Katherine Carmichael, who was the keyboardist for the Billy Sunday crusades and who served the church as organist. The original organ was installed in 1951 and the present organ was donated by the family of Dr. J. R. Baum. The flags and stands for the chancel area were presented to the church by Mabel Robinson in 1961 in memory of her son, Capt. Richard C. Robinson, who died in a plane crash in Europe.

In 1962, a manse for the pastors of the church was constructed on the open portion of the church land. This ranch style, four-bedroom home faces College Avenue. A bequest from Harriet Gawthrop in the 1990s made it possible to expand the church building, including the addition of a modern elevator. That annex was dedicated on November 15, 1998. The church building displays a number of items from its history, including photos and artifacts of the Billy Sunday family and several benches from the historic Billy Sunday Tabernacle in Winona Lake.

In August, 2009, the congregation voted to change the name to Church of the Good Shepherd “to better express our fundamental focus on following Christ in mission in Winona Lake, Warsaw, Kosciusko County, and wherever the servants of God whose work we support may minister around the world.” In late 2018 the church voted to once again become an independent congregation, returning to its roots as a non-denominational church for all Christian believers.

Currently morning worship is held at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, following an hour of Bible study and Sunday School. The church also sponsors a weekday pre-school program for children of the community. All are welcome at the Church of the Good Shepherd.

For more information, contact the church at [email protected] or call the church office at (574) 267-7595. ---Terry White, 06/26/2019