While we are busy loving God and others right now, we recognize that the past has value.  It is especially helpful to see how God has used ordinary people in great ways over the years.  A brief history follows:

As early as 1956, a group of Christians began formulating the need to plant a new church in the Southport area.  June 29, 1959, Southport Heights Christian Church was incorporated under the laws of the State of Indiana and building construction commenced in August.

On Sunday, October 25, 1959, Southport Heights Christian Church officially opened her doors for worship services at 9:00 AM.  Gene Carlson was the first minister for this new congregation and preached his first sermon on this date.  59 people transferred their membership to SHCC.  Of these first new members, all but one family were from University Heights Christian Church.  The charter membership was kept open for one full year and by year’s end, the number of charter members totaled 88.

Since inception, Southport Heights has ordained several men for service in Christian ministry, and many men and women for service in the mission field.  The church has met in this same building since 1959, although it has undergone several changes and renovations over the years.  The church’s strong emphasis on teaching the Bible and supporting missions has been evident throughout its long history.

Southport Heights’ roots as an independent, non-denomination church come from the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement of the 19th Century.  The purpose of the movement was to recapture New Testament Christianity by reading and obeying the Bible. We try to avoid denominational labels and practices, while continuing to work toward creating unity among Christians.

SHCC celebrated its 50th year of ministry in October 2009.

God’s Plan of Salvation:

• Faith in Jesus Christ – Romans 3:21-22
• Recognize & repent of your Sin – Romans 5:8-11
• Confess Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior before men and be Baptized – Romans 6:4-8
• Live a life pleasing to Him – Romans 6:11-14

A Brief History of the Restoration Movement

 We are part of a historic non-denominational effort to restore the church to its simple faith and practice of the first century. Our congregation is one of nearly 6000 independent churches in the United States who have chosen to avoid denominational structures and control, and work to be the church that God intended us to be.

The “Restoration Movement” Christian Churches have sought to emphasize …

• No Book But The Bible;seeking to use only the Bible as our guide for understanding God, and his will for us.
• No Creed But Christ;focusing on the only creedal [affirmation] statement authorized by Christ, drawn from Matthew 16:16, “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.”
• No Name But The Divine;honoring the early church and following their example, we choose to simply call ourselves “Christian”.

We do not consider ourselves to be the only Christians, but to be Christians only. As a movement we have adopted the old unity motto:

“In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love”.

This realizes that we need to agree on some basic doctrinal issues [such as God’s New Testament plan of salvation], yet allow freedom of opinion on non-essential issues, and yet still care about each other