Shake the World

"Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will shake the world." 

— John Wesley

Brainerd Dispatch covers Pointway Launch

Baxter church opens Sunday

By HEIDI LAKE

Staff Writer

BAXTER - Gone are the days of felt banners and potpourri wreaths adorning the walls of the Christian Missionary Alliance church on Highland Scenic Drive in Baxter.

Formerly known as Heartland Alliance Church before it disbanded, the building is now home to Pointway Church.

While the same denomination, Heartland and Pointway were, in many ways, opposite in terms of presentation and target audience.

The Rev. Steve Erickson, Pointway's pastor, said the average age of Heartland members was 70. In its final months as a church, attendance dwindled, forcing the church to close its doors in June.

But the doors didn't stay shut for long. Pointway Church is having its first official service at 10 a.m. Sunday.

The Rev. Steve Erickson paused in front of Pointway Church in the former Heartland Alliance Church building in Baxter. Pointway will have its first service at 10 a.m. Sunday. Brainerd Dispatch/Heidi Lake  » Purchase reprints of this photo.

"I'm really excited to see the vision that God gave me for this church become real," Erickson said.

The opening of Pointway Church has been 10 months in the making, Erickson said. They've held four preview services in that time and are averaging about 50 people - mostly in their 20s and 30s - at those Sunday morning services. Erickson finds the numbers encouraging, considering little advertising has been done to promote the preview services.

During the months of preparation, Erickson said ministries have been established, workers are in place, and this Sunday they hope to pack the church with new faces.

"The Lord's in control, I trust him to do his thing," Erickson said.

This Sunday, Erickson plans to preach about God's plan and purpose for the world and the individuals in it. Children's programming will be available for youths in sixth grade and younger. There will be a band playing music geared toward younger generations.

"We'll be putting our own flavor on old songs," Erickson said of the updated musical style. "It's modern worship geared to reach our generation."

When Erickson initially came to the lakes area to start Pointway, he said there was no intention for Heartland to close.

He was looking into renting a school or other meeting locations when the Heartland building became available.

Erickson and other core team members have since been busy updating the church building and planning and preparing for Sunday. He said the church building and the 7.25 acres of land it sits on, a value of about $500,000, was given to Pointway for free. Computers and a sound system have also been donated.

Erickson has helped start churches in the past, but has never had the lead role in the process.

"It really takes an amazing amount of work to plant a church," he said.

Now, on the verge of Pointway's inaugural service, about to see a longtime dream become reality, Erickson's emotions are running wild.

"I'm exhausted and excited, overwhelmed and overjoyed at the same time," Erickson said.

For more information on Pointway Church, visit www.pointway.org.

HEIDI LAKE may be reached at heidi.lake@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5879.

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