At least three churches have either recently opened or have relocated within the past year in Oceana County. With Christians around the world celebrating the Easter story this Sunday, the following details the journey these congregations have been on as they take root in this area. Please refer to the directory on page 6 of the Echo for information on the many other churches inviting the community to worship every week.
What was once home to the Hart Theatre, and most recently Dale and Gail’s music gallery, is now home to the Heritage Bible Church. The church got its start when its first pastor, Ross Fitcher, led services out of his home in the Shelby area. Later the congregation would meet in the Ferry Community Center and then in someone’s private pole building. Knowing they wanted a more permanent place they could call "home," they began to pray.
Pastor Matthew Pollack, who also works full-time for a local contractor, said, “I was with the Gideons and filling in here and there after Pastor Ross moved to Pennsylvania. I was asked if I’d be interested in full-time - that was eight years ago.”
The story of how Heritage Bible Church settled in downtown Hart is an answer to many prayers Pollack said. Unbeknownst to the congregation, the Zeigers (Dale and Gail) had put their building up for sale about the time the congregation started praying for a new location. Pollack was the contractor sent out when the Zeigers experienced a water leak. They were soon in conversation about how they’d had the building for sale for about a year and, because it wasn’t moving, had decided to take it off the market. Once they found out Pollack was a pastor, the conversation quickly turned to spiritual things, and one thing led to another.
“It was a very practical move for our church as we needed a location in which we could advertise our location. Now that we have moved, we will continue to keep doing what we always have: focus on worshipping rightly through expositional preaching of the Word, singing theologically rich music (and) ministering to families, individuals and the community around us. We are looking forward to how God will use us in the Hart community,” said Pollack. More information, upcoming messages and events can be found by visiting Facebook.com/hbcoceana.
Just three blocks south, on the corner of State and Johnson Streets in downtown Hart sits the new Radiant Church campus. Radiant officially “launched” Sunday, March 22, and according to Pastor Colin Prominski, both the 9 and 10:45 a.m. services were full to capacity. As with any new endeavor, there are kinks and bugs to be worked out, however, if the first two Sundays are any indication of what is possible, Prominski is very encouraged, “We counted 399 individuals from the weekend, which included about 50 kids. It’s a story only God could write. We take very little credit for it.”
The church has spent the last year renovating the former structure into their newest church campus. Radiant Church is a non-denominational church started in Kalamazoo and is now a network of churches located across the U.S.
Besides worship services, Radiant offers children’s ministries for children infant through fifth grades every Sunday morning, youth group on Sunday evenings, prayer gatherings the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, and will begin hosting Celebrate Recovery programming in June. Other opportunities offered are two discipleship classes unique to Radiant Church as a whole: a “RSM Launch” class focused on Christian leadership training and a “RSM Part-time” class focused on theological training.
Worship services include live music, along with live-streamed messages from the Ludington campus every week. Child care is available during the second service now, with first service child care available as more volunteers come on board. “One time a month either myself or Pastor Jerry will be teaching in-person at Hart as well,“ said Prominski.
In the Village of Shelby, the Shelby Assembly of God church, located at 269 S. State St., relaunched in October 2023 as New Beginnings Shelby, a church plant from New Beginnings Whitehall, formerly the White Lake Assembly of God. According to Pastor Josh Hill, NB Whitehall was approached by the Assembly of God leadership a couple of years ago to see if they might be interested in taking on the Shelby church.
“The congregation had dwindled to about 10 people, and they didn’t have a pastor,” Hill explained. “New Beginnings is more than just the name of our church. It is what God continues to do in and through our church, a church that was without a pastor, had few people, no kids and was in danger of closing. Now it has a new life with growth, a new kids ministry and we are seeing God give people ‘new beginnings’ through the ministry of our church. I am excited for what He uses our church for next.”
Service times for NB Shelby are every Sunday at 11 a.m. Life study groups meet every Monday in Shelby at 6 p.m., and midweek services are held and the youth group meets at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at NB Whitehall campus, located at 1830 W. White Lake Dr., Whitehall.
More information can be found at NBWhitehall.com, MYNB on Facebook or by calling the church office at 231-894-9661.
