Christian Heritage plans family day this Saturday

Having just celebrate its 50th anniversary last year, Christian Heritage Church, Salem, is looking forward to the future.

“It’s a fun church, I really enjoy it here,” said Pastor Jeff Johnson, who will celebrate one year of leading the church next month. The church is located just off Old State Road 160 (follow Market Street east and take a sharp left when you pass under the bypass and see the bell tower). “It’s an awesome facility,” said Johnson. “It has a nice, large sanctuary. The fellowship hall downstairs has a kitchen, dining area and a youth room.”

The youth room has recently been refurbished and is a place the young members enjoy spending time. It has a very unique feature: the floor is covered in scriptures the youth chose, then wrote out. Johnson then sealed the floor to preserve it. “You’re quite literally standing on the word of God,” he said. “That’s one of our more fun achievements.”

Johnson described the youth group as “pretty solid.” It averages eight to 10 kids “and the majority of those we see in church on Sunday morning on a regular basis.”

The congregation isn’t large, but is looking to grow. “We’re growing, we’re really starting to come together like a family,” said Johnson. He said the congregation “recognizes and embraces the need for youth in the church. We see the need to do things differently than in years past,” said Johnson. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Christian Heritage wants to become involved and active in the community. As a step in that direction, the church is hosting a family day Saturday. It’s intended to be a free, fun, family event and everyone is welcome and encouraged to come.

“We’ll have an 18-foot water slide, food, games, crafts and a hot dog eating contest,” said Johnson. “We want to let people see that we’re here. We’re a hidden gem – we want to get out there.”

The event will be held July 28 from 2-6 p.m. The church is located at 25 N. Heritage Chapel Rd. For more information, call 812-883-6494.

See the full story about the church in Tuesday's edition of The Salem Leader.