The vision for a church at Belleview began with a desire by the Pillar of Fire (see “The History of Pillar of Fire”) to better serve the community of Westminster. So, in the summer of 1996, Dr. Wolfram and Dr. Dallenbach called Gary and Judee Dickinson to pastor the residents at Belleview and the surrounding community. The pastor was also to serve as chaplain for the faculty and student body at Belleview Christian School.
The church itself began with the help of a core group of Pillar of Fire members. At the first service there were 35 people in attendance. Belleview Community Chapel was officially established as the name of the church in 1998. Through working together with Belleview Christian School the church began to grow in number and by 2003 it reached an average weekly attendance of 200 people. The input of various staff members from the school and church continued to help its impact. Gary and Judee resigned in 2006. This led to a period of transition for the church and the eventual calling in 2007 of John and Lisa Wiersma to serve as pastor.
The current vision is to gain others for Christ under the power of the Holy Spirit, instructing them to imitate Christ and discipling them to disciple others and so expand God’s Kingdom. Our primary focus is Westminster, while maintaining a heart for the world.
