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About us

We are the Northside Church. We are a community of believers who LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS and SERVE THE WORLD. We worship, fellowship, study, pray and serve to develop greater intimacy with our Creator and his creation. We welcome all to study, worship, and praise God with us.

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How we worship:

  • We confess that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.

  • We celebrate the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper.

  • We give praise through singing, prayer, and fellowship.

  • We practice giving and sharing through a weekly offering to support the work of the church.

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what we believe:

  • We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

  • We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God.

  • We believe we are all sinners who are saved by grace through faith in the blood  Jesus shed at the cross.

  • We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is given to all through our baptism into Christ.

  • We believe that we accept God’s grace through faith, repentance and baptism into Jesus Christ.

  • We believe in celebrating the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus through a weekly observance of  the Lord’s Supper.

  • We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.

  • We believe Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead.

  • We believe in the church, established by Jesus through his blood.

  • We believe in the resurrection of the dead and eternal life in heaven with God.

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our mission:

We desire to LOVE GOD with all our hearts, LOVE OTHERS as Christ loves us and SERVE THE WORLD through the power of the Holy Spirit.

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our history:

The Northside Church was born April 17, 1983 with an early emphasis of ministering to college students and adults in our community.  Northside has been a loving, caring and Christ-centered congregation that has expanded its ministry to include foreign and local missions. We are committed to loving God, loving others and serving the world.  Many individuals have served as staff members over the years. The move to our current facility was completed in 1996.

our staff:
Larry Sharp

Minister

Larry Sharp is completing his 40th year of full-time ministry. After serving for three years as a campus minister to Illinois State University, he became Northside's full-time minster in 1983. Larry is a graduate of Missouri State University and Harding Graduate School of Religion.

Larry and his wife Sherry, a retired Unit 5 elementary music teacher, have been married 43 years. They have three children, Lindsay, Bryan and Courtney. Larry enjoys all kinds of sports, working out, and reading.

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Larry's Section:

I have enjoyed working with people and helping them to follow Jesus. Northside is a loving and caring church family.  

Gary Gawlik

Associate Minister

Gary began serving at Northside as our youth minister in 1988. After 11 years in that role he then worked for The Baby Fold for the next 17 years as a case  worker advising and assisting children and their families who have special needs. Gary rejoined Northside staff in 2016 as the associate minister.  He studied at Lincoln Christian University. He has been involved all his working life with the spiritual, social and emotional needs of youth. He has led Northside's Children' worship for many years.

 

Gary and his wife Sandy have three children, Hunter, Brooke and Tanner. All are involved in sports and Special Olympics. They are involved each day in mentoring and supporting youth through their children's activities inside and outside the church.

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Gary's Section:

I enjoy being actively involved the lives of our youth and seeing them grow in their faith. My desire is partnering with God to help youth understand the world they live in and how to succeed against the daily challenges they face.

I look forward to instructing, nurturing and equipping our young people to lead a Spirit-filled life of faith and forge a deep relationship and commitment to Jesus Christ.

Melissa Knotts

Administrative Assistant

Melissa is the Administrative Assistant at Northside Church. She has worked in the office since 1997. Melissa organizes and coordinates events held at Northside. Her computer expertise and office management skills provide valuable services to our staff and church family. Melissa is a member of the Worship Team and the Mission Servant Group. Melissa and her husband Jim have two children, Samantha and Joey, and two grandsons, Alex and Nathan. She enjoys being part of the staff here at Northside.

our elders:
Jim Kalmes, Chris Conway, Jeff Payne, John Baldwin, Mark Nibbelin

Our charge to the congregation is to:

 

LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS, SERVE THE WORLD

 

We will accomplish this mission with:

 

A desire to LOVE GOD with all our hearts, LOVE OTHERS as Christ loves us and SERVE THE WORLD through the power of the Holy Spirit

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