Table of Contents: History of Cicero Christian Church
1837-1900 1901-1916 1917-1967 1968-1994 1995-2005   Missions   Expansion and Vision   Challenge 2006-2011 2012-present Ministers   Use the table of contents above to view a specific section, or scroll through the document which follows. Click on the image to view in larger format.	Cicero Christian Church, 1858-1916

History of Cicero Christian Church

1837-1900

Settlers first arrived in the area in 1820 and the Town of Cicero was platted in 1834. At the meeting in the home of John Slack on the second Lord’s Day in April, 1837, a church was organized called, at that time, the Cicero Congregation and is now known as Cicero Christian Church.

In the early 1850s, the congregation shared a minister, Brother Hopkins, with the Christian Church in Noblesville (which was organized in 1834, the first Christian Church in Hamilton County, Indiana.)

During the same year that Cicero Christian Church was started, there were only 26 states. Martin Van Buren was president; the telegraph was first used; John Deere made the first steel plow; Abraham Lincoln was only 28 years old; and there were less than 600,000 people in Indiana. The first business began operation in Cicero only two years prior, and the post office didn’t arrive until two years later in 1839. Cicero was home to the first bridge build in Hamilton County over a major stream - Cicero Creek - in 1838.The first school house in Cicero was erected in 1841.

The members of this Cicero Congregation met for worship in private homes, along the banks of the creek, and in school houses. In 1851, a lot was purchased in Cicero by the trustees of the church for the sum of one dollar. The first train reached Cicero on March 1, 1853. A new one-room frame church house was built with two large heating stoves on each side of the room and an “Amen” corner. The first meeting was held in the new structure on Tuesday, November 16, 1858, where the meeting was opened with prayer and Scripture, and officers were elected.

In 1898, natural gas was discovered in the area, and many businesses were started and flourished, including glass and brick factories which brought many people to the area, causing a need for housing and food. Some of these people found their spiritual needs met at the Cicero Christian Church.

1901-1916

But the good times began to wane as the natural gas began to run out, and two devastating fires shook the community. The glass factory burned in 1908 and was never rebuilt, and the 3-story school house completed in 1895 burned in 1909. It was reported that at one time there were seven saloons in Cicero, but in 1909 Hamilton County went dry (followed in 1918 by the entire country). The destroyed school was replaced in 1910 by a commodious brick building which was used until 1980 (many remember attending there on the east side of town.)

In 1910, after exploring purchasing and moving an existing church building to meet the growing needs of the congregation, the idea was abandoned when the building was determined to be too wide to move down the streets of Cicero.

On April 14, 1912, the 75th anniversary of the Cicero church, the members met at the usual place of worship where Bible School was carried out at 9:30am, followed by preaching at 10:30am and partaking of the Lord’s Supper. The meeting adjourned to the Opera House where a bountiful dinner was spread. They reconvened at the church at 2:30pm and enjoyed a program of singing, devotions, a reading of the church history and letters from former ministers. The meeting adjourned for supper at 6:30pm. Preaching followed at 7:30pm, which concluded the day’s service as well as the series of gospel meetings which had been in progress for four weeks.

The photo at right is from the dedication ceremony in 1916 of the Cicero Christian Church, which occurred in December. Note the two trumpets and the violin in the larger version of the picture.

After at least three years of discussion and planning, a new building was begun in 1915 on the same site as the one-room frame building (at the corner of Pearl and Jackson Streets). The task was not easy, but through splendid and untiring efforts of the first half-time minister (E.P. Couch) and many of the loyal members, the funds were raised. Work was completed, and the church dedicated on December 17, 1916, at the cost of around $10,000.

Money was raised by subscriptions from the congregation, a loan was received from the Church Extension Board of St. Louis, Missouri, plus the sale of the old structure for $76.66. The debt was paid off in less than 10 years. The church windows were bought and paid for by the people whose names appear on them.

Mark Hartley taught a women's Sunday School Class. On the left is the class soon after the church dedication - probably 1917. The second image is from the mid 1920s to early 1930s, given the hat styles.

1917-1967

By 1926, the church had no debt.

In 1942, the minister (R.G. Adams) did not own a car, so he rode a bicycle around to call on the people. Virgil Felton filled the pulpit as a half time minister in 1943. In 1946, the church purchased a parsonage and hired their first full-time minister(Cy E. Stocke), who hesitantly moved into the home, which had no indoor bathroom, with his young family. Harold Simones served from 1951-1955, followed by Fred Gilbert (1955-1960) and Lynn Hieronymus (1960-1967).

The image above left shows the original configuration of the front entrance, which is obscured in the pictures above. Note how there was a small vestibule before entrance to the sanctuary. What year was this image taken?

The picture at right shows the pulpit from Pearl and Jackson Streets - the speaker is Minister Lynn Hieronymous, who served from 1960 to 1967.

Gene Applegate announced to the congregation that he was going to Lincoln College to study for the ministry in 1964. The board voted to pay Gene’s tuition while he was in college, and he was ordained at Cicero Christian Church in 1967.

Membership of the church was growing; more rooms for Sunday School were needed. In 1962, bids were accepted to add seven classrooms, a storage room, a restroom, and replace the coal furnace for approximately $22,000. In 1964, the existing bathroom-less parsonage was sold and another one purchased on Pearl Street.

The image to the left is from the cover of the 1965 church directory. It shows the 1962 classroom addition, but the entrance to the building had been updated to dual steps.

1968-1994

In 1968, a new front entrance was constructed which brought the steps leading to the sanctuary inside the building at the cost of about $9,500.

To meet the oncoming problems of an independent church, the trustees of the church were advised to incorporate the church. On July 21, 1968, this was unanimously approved by the congregation. The incorporation was completed in the fall.

A secretary was hired for the first time in 1969, working part time for $20 a week.

In 1970, the lot to the south of the church became available. The property was purchased; back taxes paid; the house torn down and the lot cleared for use as a much-needed parking lot.

The picture at left shows the new addition enclosing the front stairs in 1968 as well as the 1962 classroom addition to the far right. The parsonage, which was later torn down, is on the far left of the picture.

Bruce Fagerstrom served as minister from 1969-1973. He discussed with the board the issue of an educational leader in charge of youth programs, and Mike Jenkins (1971-1989), a member of the church and local teacher, was hired as the first part-time youth minister for $35 a week.

In 1976, the sanctuary was redecorated with carpeting over the wooden floors and padding added to the pews. A scholarship fund was established for those students attending college to prepare for the ministry or to work in the mission field. A home adjacent to the church became available and was purchased as a new parsonage in 1977. Don Paden (1973-1978) and his family were the first to reside in this parsonage.

Scottie Webster came to minister in 1979. The church leaders planned and completed the $240,000 addition to the educational space in 1982, including classrooms, restrooms, office space, storage, a new kitchen and entrance. A newer parsonage was purchased and, in 1984, the old parsonage directly east of the church was torn down.

A view down the center aisle of the church on the corner of Pearl and Jackson Streets in the early 1980s featuring Scottie Webster in the pulpit.

In 1987 the church celebrated its 150th year by publishing a booklet of history, memoirs and photographs entitled “150 Years…Still Building on the Rock.”

Rob Muncy (1989-1995) was the minister when the Team Ministry concept of leadership was developed. This was a time of administrative growth preparing for the numeric growth to come. Also during this time, the first full time Associate Minister was called (Marty Wright), and programming expanded to include a weekday preschool program. A Wednesday Family Night was launched which continues to the present.

1995-2011

The Team Ministry Cabinet replaced the board of deacons and trustees with the official adoption of Team Ministry in April 1995.

A period of substantial growth started with the evangelistic call of Dr. Larry Wiseman to the pulpit in August 1995. Nancy Reed started her tenure as the Children’s Ministry Director six months later. The “yellow house” south of the church was purchased, and a large room of the local legion hall was rented for Sunday School classroom space. Multiple services were introduced. The worship and music department grew and the first part-time Worship & Music Minister was hired (Jim Sluyter). Attendance at the crowded sanctuary quickly doubled, and a Saturday evening service was held for a short time.

The photo to the right shows Dr. Larry Wiseman beginning the ceremonial walk from the Pearl Street building to the site of the new church building on Stringtown Pike for the ground breaking ceremony, which is shown below on the left. The entrance shown was part of the addition in 1982.

After contemplating expanding the existing church building on the empty adjacent lot, God had other plans, and made available to our leadership a parcel of land several blocks south of the 1916 building. By 1997, land had been purchased, and plans were well underway for a new campus on Stringtown Pike. The visions and financial campaigns of “Building for Eternity” and "Prepare the Way" became reality with worship services began on Stringtown Pike in September 1998 and a congregation nearly triple the size it was less than 5 years before.

The photo to the right shows the building on Stringtown Pike under construction. This view shows the administration wing (left), nursery wing (right) and sanctuary nearly under roof.

This new facility offers over 40,000 square feet of ministry space, including a multi-use gymnasium, kitchen, 500 seat sanctuary, and numerous classrooms and restrooms. The Lord provided a buyer for the former facility.

Missions

Missions emphasis continued to grow with several missions deemed “living links” and sponsored with significant support throughout the year. Ten percent of the general fund money given to the church is directed to the Missions Team for local and international missions support. The church has established close ties to missions in Jamaica, Haiti, on the reservations of the Apache nation in Arizona, and elsewhere. Many people have experienced God first-hand through mission trips internationally and in the states.

The picture above shows the Four Roads Church that was built by several missions teams in Jamaica.

A vision for ministry to the mentally and physically disabled was established in the mid-90's when Becky Moore answered the call God placed on her heart. Starting with just a few “friends unlimited” in the basement of the 1916 church building, this ministry has grown to be known as Mephibosheth Ministries, Inc. with goals to have their own facility to serve the disabled in Hamilton County.

Camp Mephibosheth attenders enjoy a few days and nights at Rainbow Christian Camp.

With space now available, "Jesus and Me," a weekday child care ministry (now known as Crosslight Christian Daycare, part of Crosslight Christian School), was established serving working parents of children six weeks through 12 years of age.

A vision for ministering to the under- and non-insured individuals in our community came to be reality with the establishment of Hope Family Care Center, Inc. in 2003. After meeting in the church facility for four years, the clinic located rental space at 270 West Jackson Street and extended their hours to be open four times a month (first and third Saturday morning and second and fourth Tuesday evening). Dental care is planned for introduction in 2012.

Dunamis Christian Ministries was launched to serve the White Mountain Apache Nation in Arizona. Several people from CCC have taken trips to the Reservation and serve on the board of this important ministry.

Expansion & Vision

Several improvements have been made to this new facility – an expansion of the youth auditorium space, the remodeling of the children’s nursery area, an expansion of the sanctuary stage and addition of a choir loft and an audio/video booth expansion to name a few.

The addition of associate ministers to adults Dr. Steven Hancock (1999) and Bill Bergstrom (2003) helped spread the shepherding responsibilities of a growing congregation. Under the inspiring leadership of Worship & Music Minister Barry LeBlanc (1999-2006), the congregation renewed their understanding of worship through music, and the drama department introduced Broadway-style musicals. Many were encouraged to pull out their instruments from high school and join the worship band, or warm up their voices and join the choir. We’re excited to see what the next phase of our music ministry will be!

The youth ministry continued to grow and age-appropriate ministries were created (birth-grade 5 and grades 6-college). The Wednesday Family Night was expanded to include summer sessions focused on gender-specific teachings.

Christian Education for adults encompassed Biblical courses on handling your money, strengthening your marriage and encouraging participation in weekend spiritual retreats in addition to Sunday teaching. A concentrated focus was made to minister to families through Home Fellowships, which continues to expand.

It has been a dream to be able to start a Christian school on campus through the efforts of a created Crosslight Christian School Board, which oversees the child care and preschool ministries. In 2004 the existing preschool transitioned to a Christian Montessori teaching concept. A full-day Montessori kindergarten was introduced in 2005, with hopes to expand to further grades in the future.

Over the next few years, more than 70 adjacent undeveloped acres were added to the campus, and a "Master's Planners" vision has been established to develop the property to serve God’s kingdom. Currently that ground is farmed and brings in a bit of income to the general fund annually.

A vision came to fruition in the building of a House of Prayer, shown at right, which was dedicated to prayer 24 hours per day in 2005.

Challenge

A challenge requiring much faith overwhelmed the congregation when Senior Minister Dr. Larry Wiseman was diagnosed with cancer in November, 2004. His shepherding and vision-casting had been integral to the church family for nearly 10 years. Many struggled spiritually and emotionally during and after Larry's illness. He succumbed to his illness in February 2005. It was a difficult year for the church body, and God’s healing power has been welcome.

2006-2011

God’s timing provided Tim Lueking to fill the pulpit in January 2006, joined by his wife Katherine and young sons. The leadership of the church introduced a revitalized focus on building up the family with the introduction of the Core Values in February, 2006. Tim's enthusiasm and youthfulness are catching and inspiring, with a renewed focus on the Word of God and saving lost souls.

Focus, spiritual growth, and team-building are part of the ministry focus in worship and music under the God-appointed leadership of Doug Wiggers (and his wife Lisa), who served in an interim position for a year and then joined the staff full time in 2007. Youth sponsors and Children's Minister Ben Radant (and his wife Devon) worked together to minister to our youth until August 2006 when our search team brought Chad Allen (and his wife Megan) to Cicero Christian Church as Youth & Family Minister.

Cultivating Community was introduced as the 2007 theme for the congregation, and several "Kindness in Progress" (KIP) Servant Evangelism events were held to do simple acts of kindness in our community. A goal of paying off an additional $100,000 of mortgage debt given to the congregation as part of the Cultivating Community goals.

In late 2007 the church's mission statement was refined and refocused to "reach, teach, serve" and a new logo was developed. Goals moving forward are to be culturally relevant while reaching, teaching and serving our community with a renewed focus on outreach through "Angel Food Ministries," (now we're using "Smart Choice") and continuing to build our Kindness in Progress programming and events to share Christ's love with our community.

A Community Garden was introduced on our south lawn in 201

In 2010 the future vision of the church was updated and relaunched as Mission 2020 with goals for reaching, teaching and serving our town, county, state, country and the world. A Sunday evening Bible Reading service was introduced and the Prayer Team established a 6:30p Saturday time in the House of Prayer for open prayer.

The largest hindrance to ministry is debt. The facility we have is a true blessing, but it comes with a large mortgage. Another goal of Mission 2020 is to pay off the entire debt by the year 2020.

Building a picnic shelter on our north lawn was one of the physical goals of Mission 2020, and this was accomplished in the fall of 2010.

Retirement after 50 years of Ministry

The church celebrated 50 years in paid ministry with Steven and Joyce Hancock at the occasion of his retirement June 30, 2010. Steven preached on his last Sunday, June 27 on the fitting topic of Extraordinary Legacy, an an all-church dinner was served after the combined worship service. Steve and Joyce will continue to reside west of Cicero and enjoy their retirement surrounded by their close-knit family.

Children's Ministry change

Ben Radant resigned as Children's Minister effective the end of April, 2011. Ben was replaced by Amber Smith, a graduate of Johnson Bible College, as the Children's Ministry Director leading the ministry to children through grade 5 (on a part time basis).

The church celebrated Patriot Day on September 11, 2011, with a picnic and a display of emergency response equipment.

Youth and Family Minister

Chad Allen resigned after in October, 2011 to become the Senior Minister at South Haven Christian Church in Valparaiso, Indiana. Chad's gift for preaching will be in use on a regular basis. Mike Whittymore brought his energetic personality and significant goals for raising disciples among our youth and families in January, 2012.

2012 to present

One Degree: Be the Catalyst for Change

In the second update of the Mission 2020 Vision on February 5, 2012, we began collecting funds through a coin bank drive for the next phase of our physical campus: The Timothy Center. Coin collection cans were distributed to begin raising funds for an addition to disciple our youth and equip parents and families through a practical, yet state-of-the-art, facility which will include an elevator for improved access. Fifth Sunday’s are Coin Bank Clean Out days.

Milestone in our History: 175 Years

On April 29, 2012 the church celebrated the 175th Anniversary of our founding with an all-church meal and contests for best pie, facial hair and costume befitting the 1837 era.

Ministers

Cicero Christian Church 1715 Stringtown Pike  Cicero, IN 46034  317.984.4653