Church Caffeinated comes to Cache
Alpine Church, a non-denominational church in Utah, recently teamed up with Logan’s Maranatha Baptist Church to connect the Logan church with the 2,000 people who worship at Alpine campuses throughout Utah.
The transition from Maranatha to Alpine occurred due to the similar aims of both churches. Maranatha was involved in a pastor search and Alpine was looking to extend their ministry to Logan with a new campus, said John Abbott, who serves as a church elder in Logan and has been involved with Maranatha for the past 30 years.
Instead of one pastor, the congregation now has four pastors. Abbott said three pastors are teaching pastors who rotate through the three campuses while the campus pastor is a shepherd to the Logan community.
Abbott said the transition is adding to what Maranatha had been working toward with no theological changes. He said the changes are both challenging and exciting.
Chad Hewitt, a native of Utah, is Logan’s campus pastor. He and his family are moving from Provo where he has served as a pastor. Hewitt said his hope as pastor is to connect people to God and show others that it is a relationship worth having.
“Lots of us grew up in churches, but there comes a point when we must pursue God on our own,” Hewitt said.
Though this is Hewitt’s first time as an Alpine pastor, he has been a pastor for about 10 years and said that doctrinally there is no difference because the authority comes from the Bible.
Debbie Bornholdt, a church member, said Alpine Church’s mission statement is important in what they do.
“Everything they do is Biblically based, not ritual or routine or protocol, but everything is based off of their mission statement, ‘Helping people pursue God,'” she said.
Brad Ewton, a freshman in nursing, said the transition has made everything very straightforward.
“I love the simplicity of Alpine,” he said.
Alpine Church has two other campuses, in Riverdale and Layton. Bryan Dwyer, one of the teaching pastors, was part of the vision behind the church 10 years ago. Dwyer said the opportunity to be a positive influence in Cache Valley is very exciting. The change hasn’t been wrinkle-free, with technological issues that reminded Dwyer of when the first campus began. He said these problems are not as stressful this time.
Bethany Pereboom, a junior in viola performance, has been a part of the Maranatha congregation for two and a half years. Though she jokingly said that having coffee in church has been the best part, she said bringing in Alpine has made the church feel more unified.
Pereboom said before there wasn’t a pastor, just people who spoke in church. Having someone lead in the name of Christ every week and to speak for God on Sundays has been very positive.
“You feel like you are cared for,” Pereboom said.
The change from Maranatha to Alpine also included about two months of building renovations. Alpine brought a team from Ogden to help over the holidays, but local members volunteered their services. Abbott said one day saw 80 people working to improve the building.
The most noticeable renovation was in the creation of the welcome lobby from what was previously the gym. The basketball standards and carpet with a painted-on court were removed. The area received new carpet, a blue paint job, and welcome tables that include free Bibles and also some refreshments, such as coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
There is a college Bible study group Sunday mornings, which includes many members of campus’s F.O.C.U.S group. A number of students share their musical talents in the worship teams for Sunday services. Abbott said there are four different teams who rotate through the month.
Darin Linder, a junior in cellular molecular biology, has played the drums in a worship team for the three years he has been in Logan.
“I really love the drums and worship music. It is the best way for me to commune with God,” Linder said.
He said the drums are clearly a God-given talent because he is not coordinated in real life.
Blake Ewton, also a junior playing in a worship team and a mechanical engineering major, said he got involved with the worship music as a freshman. He said it has been an awesome transition from Maranatha to Alpine. Ewton had known some of the Alpine staff before. He is involved with Focus and other church activities. Ewton said these connections have made him feel “very connected and involved and valued.”
Alpine Church holds hour-long services, Sundays at 9:30 and 11:00. Greeters and pamphlets are available before and between services for visitors with questions. Information can also be found at alpinechurch.org.
– genevieve.draper@aggiemail.usu.edu