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The location is different each month, usually at one of the larger churches, sometimes at the Riverfront Park or under a tent at the annual Apple Festival held in the fall. The speakers rotate each month and the musicians and worship leaders vary each month. The common theme is a community joining together for the purpose of worshipping the Lord and Savior.
This sounds like a church, looks like a church and rather acts like a church — and simply stated it is called the Church of Niles.
What is the Church of Niles? It is not a new denomination. It is a gathering of Christians from the Niles area who choose to focus on the basic doctrines of scripture they know they can agree upon and from there, worship and fellowship together. Essentially all participants agree that Jesus will return; eschatology will diverge from this point on.
The Church of Niles is not of the World Council of Churches I’m-fine-you’re fine-we’re-all-just-trying-to-reach-God ecumenicalism. However, many who participate have relinquished their misconceptions or 
stereotypes of other denominations. Pentecostals and Baptists
apparently can find a way to worship together. The Church of Niles is visible evidence of the invisible activity of God’s Spirit in our community today.
Pastors leading this community wide movement have declared a team effort. Through the Niles Area Ministerial Association pastors have developed honest, Christ-centered, burden-sharing relationships — locked in on the elemental tenets of faith. A core group of pastors had a desire to do something on another level beyond the yearly Good Friday, Thanksgiving and Baccalaureate community services. From that desire these pastors stepped out and into a new flow of God’s Spirit.
The Church of Niles is not infallible. It is dependent upon humility, prayers of the believers and the moving of the Holy Spirit among numerous other mercies of God. Perhaps it does provide a small sampling of unity as seen in the church of Acts, granted a little less dynamic as there are no reports of people dropping dead because they lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5).
When Pastor Jeff Whittaker of the Michiana Christian Embassy was asked what he would like to see come out of or result from this movement, he replied, “…to see local believers become acquainted with one another — and a great awakening of 2006 would be fantastic!”
The Church of Niles is not about any one pastor or church. Nor is it about condemning any church or individual who chooses not to participate. It is all about Jesus and the fellowship of His Church. This was very evident recently when a local pastor came down with a severe illness. Through the prayers, fellowship and the Christian community coming together on his behalf, many of the financial, health and family concerns have been relieved. Where as many times a small church would be overwhelmed with the burden of this pastors’ illness, in this case, the Church of Niles and many believers in the community came together to lighten the burden for this Pastor and the church he shepherds.
The Church of Niles takes place the first Sunday of each month in the evening. The public is invited to attend. For location and speaker information, please call 269-683-3518.
Photo: Val Barrett