Looking for a church home in Toledo, Bloomington, or Indianapolis? We'll put up a post about Christ the Word soon, but much of what is said here about Clearnote Church Indianapolis and Clearnote Church, Bloomington is characteristic of Christ the Word, Toledo, also.
It's hard to move and have to find a new church home. All of us have done it and those of us a part of Clearnote Fellowship want to make your work a little easier by telling you why we love our Clearnote churches in Bloomington and Indianapolis. So read on and spend a little time learning about the work God is doing within Clearnote Fellowship.
First, a few words about our doctrine and denominational roots. If this stuff isn't your brand of coffee, click through and start reading about our ministries.
Doctrinal and denominational roots...
The roots of Clearnote Fellowship are deep into the Presbyterian Church in America: I've served as a teaching elder of the PCA in Wisconsin and Indiana for almost twenty years; six of Clearnote Church, Bloomington's elders have been members of PCA churches; son Joseph Bayly who pastors Clearnote Church, Indianapolis was a part of the PCA's campus ministry (RUF) and attended a PCA congregation while studying at Vanderbilt; we have referred many families moving away from Clearnote Church, Bloomington to PCA congregations across the country; and several sons of our church now serve as PCA pastors.
This to say the people of Clearnote Fellowship have decades of experience as members and officers of the PCA, so those of you moving and looking for a PCA church in Bloomington or a PCA church in Indianapolis will find the congregations of Clearnote Fellowship to be spiritual homes where you and your children will thrive. Come and visit our Bloomington or Indianapolis congregations...
Clearnote churches are Protestant, Reformed, and Evangelical...
Speaking more broadly, though, Clearnote Fellowship is Protestant, Reformed and Evangelical. We believe in the historic Protestant Christian faith, we are Reformed, and we are not ashamed to call men to repent of their sin and believe in the substitutionary death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Clearnote Fellowship churches are led by officers who subscribe to the Westminster Standards. Members, though, are not required to subscribe to the same doctrinal standards: they are simply asked by the elders for a believable profession of Christian faith. Our government is classic Presbyterian: all officers are elected by the congregation and the board of elders governs us.
So why are the congregations of Clearnote Fellowship not PCA? There are a couple reasons.
Clearnote Fellowship's priorities...
First, we believe churches should be accountable to one another. It's been our experience that, while Presbyterians often talk about being "connectional," mutual submission among churches, pastors, and elders is rare. Too often a competitive spirit and institutional pride trump orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
Clearnote Fellowship aims at a true connectionalism that works faithfully to guard the good deposit. Such accountability is hard work but we take joy in it. Mutual submission is a gift of the Holy Spirit that never stops giving.
The Bible and church history record how the Apostles and our Reformed Fathers practiced real accountability to one another--think for instance of the Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15. Mutual submission is Biblical and we are determined that it characterize the congregations of Clearnote Fellowship.
Second, we find Reformed denominations' parochialism depressing and we're determined to have a Reformed presbytery (Clearnote Fellowship) that strives for unity and peace in the midst of diversity. For too long Reformed associations of churches have split over questions such as: Do you sing hymns or just Psalms? Do you use instruments or do you sing a capella? Are you premillenial or postmillenial? Do you have nursery during church or are you a family-centered church? Do you allow guitars and drums, or just piano and organ? And so on.
In a day when the attack upon the God of Scripture is clear and bold, we believe there should be Reformed churches where the congregation is permeated by a loving and peaceable diversity.
And note, we're not saying a congregation that doesn't talk about our areas of diversity; we take joy in discussing these areas of doctrine and practice where we're committed to loving one another in our diversity. We work for loving relationships precisely where we disagree and to this date God has been gracious to us in this matter. For instance, we have both credo and paedobaptists in our congregations, and this diversity has strengthened our theological convictions as iron sharpens iron within the cords of love and affection.
Lord's Supper and Home Fellowship Groups...
But back to our churches. We celebrate the Lord's Supper every other week and each Lord's Day afternoon we join together in home fellowship groups which, we're thankful to say, are blessed by a participation rate of over ninety percent of our congregations. Those visiting for the first time almost always comment on the warmth of our fellowship.
Ministries of Clearnote Church, Bloomington...
Turning our attention to the work here in Bloomington, this is a list of some of the things God has done and is doing among us. Most of them are the ministries of our local congregation while others are the works of Clearnote Fellowship.
Composers and musicians...
We have been blessed with a number of composers and many musicians, so a lot of the music we use to worship is written by our church musicians. Pastor Jody Killingsworth is the leader of our musicians and Phil Moyer is the director of our choir. Under Jody and Phil Moyer's direction, our musicians have recorded several CDs as Good Shepherd Band. If you're a musician or singer and would like to know how to join in the work of music, please e-mail Jody or e-mail Phil.
Networkers, coders, and software designers...
A number of members of the Clearnote Church, Bloomington congregation work in networking, programing, and software design. Clearnote Fellowship web sites have been created in-house and run on Drupal. Pastor Lucas Weeks is in charge of our computer services, so if you have gifts in coding or design, please e-mail Lucas.
Artists and graphic designers...
We also have a number of graphic artists who work hard to promote the work of Clearnote Fellowship and her congregations. Their work is visible across our ministries. If you're into art or graphic design and would like to help, please send an e-mail to Jody Killingsworth.
Digitial recording/videography...
If you have gifts in digital recording, mixing, photography, or videography, we have growing work in these areas. If you're willing to help in one or more of these areas, please e-mail Phil Moyer.
College and grad students...
We have a college ministry that meets on the campus of Indiana University each week. It's called Clearnote Campus Fellowship (JesusAtIU). There are also weekly small group Bible studies and prayer, mission trips, summer meetings (this summer at my wife's and my house out in the country), and lots of face time with the families and children of our congregation. In other words, Clearnote Campus Fellowship is a church ministry--not a parachurch thing disconnected from the body of Christ. We have students from Ivy Tech, also, so if you're headed for Indiana University or Ivy Tech and you're looking for a campus ministry to strengthen you for the battle, please e-mail Jake Mentzel, our college pastor.
Sexual sinners...
We have helpful counseling and accountability ministries for men and women fighting to repent of the many sexual sins permeating our culture--including pornography, adultery, incest, fornication, and homosexuality. If you are in bondage to sexual sin, please come and confess your sin to us. We'll love you and stand with you in the midst of your temptation or despair. Introduce yourself to me or any of our pastors or elders, or their wives on Sunday morning. You can also e-mail Pastor Stephen Baker concerning this and other areas of sexual sin. If you're a woman and would feel safer talking to a women, please e-mail our church office and ask to be referred to a woman counselor.
Victims of sexual sin...
We also spend much time ministering to victims of sexual sin, providing loving counsel and fellowship that is confidential and and safe. Trust us--we want to help. If you're a woman, we have women who will listen and cry with you and believe God for your healing. The same if you're a man--we have men who will help you toward freedom in Christ, no matter how hard the work is and how long it takes. If you suffer under the shame of being the victim of a sexual predator, please e-mail our church office and ask to meet with one of our pastors or pastors' wives. We'll help in any way we can. Please don't suffer alone. There is nothing impossible for God.
Men aspiring to the office of pastor...
For a number of years now Clearnote Fellowship has run a seminary for men preparing for pastoral ministry. It's called Clearnote Pastors College (CNPC) and it meets in the pastors college rooms in the Christian education wing. CNPC had eight students this past year and will have eight to ten this coming year. CNPC is a three-year program and we encourage those aspiring to the office of elder or pastor to talk to or e-mail CNPC's principal, Pastor Stephen Baker, about this work.
We cooperate in this work with our sister church in Toledo called Christ the Word. Their seminary is called Reformed Evangelical Pastors College and video-conferencing allows us to have joint classrooms. The program is rigorous spiritually and academically, and one of its strengths is that every student learns to shepherd God's flock working alongside other older men with years of experience in the calling of pastor and elder. If you think this is God's call on you, take the step now to get in touch us.
Mothers...
Blooming Moms is a work of the women of the church that provides friendship, support, and some instruction to young mothers in the Bloomington Community. Blooming Moms meets every other Tuesday morning during the school year and any young mothers are invited to come with their children whether or not they are a part of Clearnote Church, Bloomington. For more about Blooming Moms, please send an e-mail to Heather Ummel.
Children and young people...
We have Christian education classes for every age Sunday morning between worship services at 10 AM as well as a midweek program held each Wednesday night during the school year. Also, we have junior high and high school ministries that meet Wednesday nights year round. Our junior high and high school ministries have retreats and our high school group also has a mission trip each year. For more on our children's ministries, please e-mail our church office.
Bloomington Christian Schoolhouse...
A number of families have joined together to found a school housed in our Clearnote Church, Bloomington church-house. This coming 2012/2013 academic year classes will be held from first grade through high school. We're excited about the growth of the school these past few years and we encourage parents interested in more information to send an e-mail to Brian Bailey.
Athanasius College...
Clearnote Church, Bloomington has a number of men and women who already have or are pursuing the terminal degree in their discipline. The past couple of years we've been planning towards founding a Christian college where students from around the country can get a college degree with Clearnote members as their Bible, theology, computer science, church history, English literature, math, and economics professors while attending Ivy Tech and Indiana University for classes in other subjects.
We believe this is the best of both worlds: young men and women will be challenged in their faith and called out as witnesses to Jesus Christ while studying at Ivy Tech and IU; and they will be built up in their faith and knowledge of the Word of God while studying here on the campus of Clearnote Church where their instruction will come from fellow believers committed to strengthening their students' faith and discipleship.
Professor Juergen von Hagen and Brandon Chasteen are heading up this work called Athanasius College. Classes will begin Fall of 2013, so if you're interested, please send an e-mail to Brandon Chasteen and ask him to send you an application.
Mens and womens ministries...
There are many other ministries of Clearnote Church, Bloomington. We have annual mens and womens retreats. Each week during the school year there are Bible studies and instruction for men and women. We have a Mens Prayer Meeting each Wednesday morning from 6:30 to 7:30 AM, and another mens and womens prayer meeting each Wednesday evening from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. For information on all our other opportunities, including play groups, small groups, foreign missions we support, books published and distributed by Clearnote Fellowship, etc. please e-mail our church office, or give us a call at 812.825.2684.
So come visit: we think you'll find us exactly what you're looking for in a church home. Join the people of God as we praise our Heavenly Father Who made us and drew us to Himself!
And bring your love of beauty and creativity and poetry and literature and music and art. Clearnote Church, Bloomington is filled with artists.
But even better than the art of man, God has blessed us with the incredible beauty and joy of an abundance of children born into our loving Christian homes: right now, we have about eighty children under six years of age. So, of course, we're starting another building program...
We praise God for all the work of Clearnote Fellowship! He is the One Who has done it. So whether you're interested in Clearnote Church, Indianapolis, or Clearnote Church, Bloomington, we hope you'll join us this coming Sunday!
