Alpine Church

FAMILY FAITH

TARA BONE contributing writer

This is the second article in a series featuring different faith communities in Cache Valley. The role of faith in the early settler’s day-to-day life was central. For many who call Cache Valley home today, faith continues to play a pivotal role in Valley communities and individual lives.

Simply put, there’s a lot happening at Alpine Church on 395 South Main Street in Logan. Since beginning 10 years ago in Logan, the Bible-based nondenominational congregation has steadily grown in membership with robust Sunday worship services, community service efforts, innovative online resources, and programming for all ages.

Executive Campus Pastor John Belles says it’s amazing to see what God has done from 30 to 40 people at their beginning to a thriving congregation today. All church efforts center around one thing, the Alpine mission to help people pursue God. According to Pastor John, the concept of going “full circle” is discussed often. Members are encouraged to first trust Jesus in every area of their lives, then honor God in their life, and finally mentor others in their pursuit.

“We constantly are talking about, ‘Who are you helping pursue God today? Are you helping yourself or are you helping someone else?,’” Pastor John said. “We encourage someone who is a little farther along their journey with Jesus to come along and walk beside someone else to encourage them.”

Pastor John points out that the word pursue isn’t just an active word, it’s intentional. “You don’t pursue anything unless you feel you can catch it,” he said. Countless Alpine programs and resources are provided to help people “catch” God. The church’s online site, pursuegod.org is a conversation-based website used by churches throughout the world.

Wendy Shelton has been a member of Alpine since the beginning in Logan and feels there is something for everyone at the church. She currently oversees the church’s “greeter team” and enjoys the Women’s Winter Bible Study group. Small groups that meet once a week or every other week at someone’s home are encouraged, and a year-long reading plan on the app YouVersion is also available.

Church activities that Wendy enjoys include the harvest party, Christmas Eve Service, Easter egg hunt, and the kid’s church for her

Captions clockwise from top left: (1) Harvest Party Hay Ride. Church goer Wendy Shelton (pictured right of guitar) with worship leader Barbara Abbott; (2) Alpine Church is a nondenominational Bible-based church located at 395 South Main Street in Logan; (3) Christmas Eve service at Alpine Church; (4) Executive Campus Pastor John Belles; (5) Alpine Church goers pack meals for Feed My Starving Children during their annual Missions Week. grandchildren. She adds, “I love our worship teams!” A typical Sunday worship service includes a 30-minute sermon and at least four contemporary Christian worship songs.

Another highlight for Wendy, and many members, are service opportunities sponsored by the church. Each year in between Christmas and New Years, Alpine heads up a “Missions Week” in which members partner with nonprofit organizations to give service.

This year Alpine Church members donated and packed 500 backpacks and provided 7,300 diaper packages to the local Little Lambs Foundation. They also sent chaperoned teen groups with hundreds of backpacks to the Tarahumara indigenous tribe in Mexico. Alpine Cares Mobile Pantry is an ongoing program that collects a variety of household items that are delivered monthly to areas in Logan and Ogden.

The Logan Alpine Church is part of a multi-site church that was started 20 years ago in Utah by Bryan and Tracy Dwyer. Besides Logan, there are locations in Riverdale, Layton, West Haven, Syracuse, and Brigham City. Services in Spanish are also provided at Logan and Riverdale sites, and an online service is available at alpinechurch.org.

Wherever church goers attend, Pastor John hopes that, like a hospital, those who come in broken will leave better. He has been striving to lead at Alpine in Logan for four years as lead pastor. He came to Cache Valley in 1992 to attend Utah State University where he met his wife Rhonda at a Bible study. They have four children and love their home in Wellsville.

Happenings at Alpine:

alpinechurch.org PursueGOD.org for doctrinal topics and study resources

Service Times: Sundays 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. *online service available

Kid’s Church for Toddler through 5th-grade offered during 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. services.

Fusion Sunday School Class for 7th- to 12th-grade students offered Sundays during 10:30 a.m. service.

Fusion Youth Activity: Every Thursday at Alpine Logan 7 to 8:30 p.m. “Following Jesus:” A one-year Bible reading plan. Join Alpine Church members on the YouVersion Bible App.

Winterfest Youth Program: January 21-23 Alpinechurch.org/fusion

Summerfest Youth Program: Date TBD

Marriage Mentor Training: January 23

Alpine Cares Outreach: Donate basic personal necessities (shampoo, toothpaste) and cleaning supplies (hand soap, toilet paper). There is an “item of the month” requested each month.