Join Us For Worship
We gather for worship every Sunday at 10 AM
Every Sunday at 10 AM
466 S. 775 E.
Shelbyville, IN 46176
Every Sunday Morning we gather together to worship our great God and Savior. We do this by reading His Word, prayer, giving financially to the church, communion, baptism, songs of praise, and listening to His Word preached. Throughout the week our worship doesn't stop. We stay committed to Christ through private times of prayer, devotion to His Word, acts of service towards others, Christian fellowship, and living our lives in ways that best honor His name.
Christ is honored when His people work towards building the church. At Blue Ridge, we do this through fellowship time, sharing meals, Bible study, small groups, Sunday school, and general time together. Throughout the week we are committed to pray for one another and serve each other as needs and opportunities arise. Our goal is to consistently demonstrate the love of Christ for God's glory and the good of His church.
Our outreach ministries are designed to show the love of Christ to the world around us and beyond. Our goal in all of these ministries is to meet people's temporal needs through service, giving, and by sharing the truth of the Gospel that has brought us salvation.
James Thurman has served on staff since 2018. He holds an associates degree from Heritage Baptist College in Biblical Studies. In addition to his role at the church, James works full-time as a first responder in the local community. He loves to teach the Bible, spend time with his family and hunt in his spare time.
Steve Sering has served at Blue Ridge since January of 2020. He holds a bachelor's degree in leadership and ministry from Crossroads Bible College and a master's of divinity from Southern Seminary. His passion is to lead people into the presence of God through worship and to help hurting people. He enjoys reading Christian books, writing and playing different instruments in his spare time.
Connie Ford organizes our church pantry and serves as a church trustee. She enjoys spending time with her family, creativity in coloring and time with friends.
Every Sunday at 10 AM
466 S. 775 E.
Shelbyville, IN 46176
First of all, as a visitor, you will not be expected to do anything but enjoy the service. We simply want you to feel comfortable and enjoy worship. Once the service begins you will see that worship time at Blue Ridge is designed to glorify God by being Christ-centered and focused upon His Word.
Our services include a mix of traditional hymns and contemporary music. The main focus of our singing is to be centered on the person of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We also spend time in prayer, reading Scripture, confessing our faith, and giving. In addition, we have communion once a month, and we administer baptisms to new believers. The main focus of our service is the preaching of the Gospel and the teaching of God's Word. Our pastor regularly preaches through books of the Bible so we can learn the whole counsel of God.
Feel free to come as you are. When you arrive you will notice people are dressed in all sorts of attire. Wear whatever is comfortable for you. Dress is not important. We just want you to come and enjoy your time at Blue Ridge.
There are classes for all ages. Just ask someone at the church, and we can direct you to a class. Our Sunday school classes are designed to help you grow in your faith. Each week we study a wide range of topics for the purpose of discipleship, missions and Christian living.
Children's church is for elementary-age children. After worshiping together as a family through singing, we dismiss the children for children's church during the sermon. In children's church, the kids receive an age appropriate message. If you would like more information, please see our youth ministry teachers.
In between worship Services at 10:10am, we have Sunday school available for children and youth of all ages. These classes include time for biblical instruction from our trained teachers in addition to time for fun and games. The aim of these classes is for the children to learn the gospel, respond to the gospel, and connect with each other. Classes usually last 35 minutes.
Youth Group activities will take place at various times scheduled in advance.
In addition to teaching and training, we also have regular get-togethers for our families. We want to share both the gospel and our lives (1 Thessalonians 2:8), so these outings provide an opportunity to connect with one another as families. Events include bowling, movies, eating out, other fun outings, and service projects. We announce these outings a month at a time.
If you have an infant or young child, Blue Ridge is a great place to come and worship. Feel free to keep your child with you during the service, but if you need to step out, we have a video venue right outside the sanctuary so you don't have to miss the service. In there, you can listen to the sermon, feed your kid and relax. Just ask someone at the church, we will be happy to show you where it is.
Every Sunday we provide qualified workers to care for your children during the 11am service and Sunday school. This area is for children 4 and under. Our workers will not release your children to anyone except the parents who drop the child off. Please feel free to utilize this service.
Every June our church hosts a four-day Junior Camp. Children and youth gather with other Christian Union churches. These four days are filled with worship, teaching, fellowship, playing, eating, and hanging out. Every July our church hosts Vacation Bible School. This is a week-long event of fun and teaching starting every night at 5:30 pm and ending at 8 pm. If you are interested in signing your children up for VBS please contact someone in our church, and we will be glad to assist you with more information.
Because we believe the Bible calls parents to disciple their children (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9), we heavily encourage in-home discipleship. Therefore, we will provide Christian resources and material to help you train your children. Please see our pastors, and they will be happy to help meet your family's needs.
The Blue Ridge Christian Union Church was organized in 1880. In the beginning, the congregation worshiped in the Methodist Church, which was located at the east end of Blue Ridge. In 1885, Rev. G. W. Hagans was called as pastor and served the church until 1899. In 1891, a new church was built on a slight hillside, just north of the main street in the little village of Cynthianna (now known as Blue Ridge). The church was a one-room, large wooden structure, surrounded by a fence.
There were various pastors who came from Ohio to conduct the services that were held every 2 to 4 weeks. Members of the congregation would go to Shelbyville to meet the train bringing these men to Shelbyville on Saturday and then would take him back to meet the train to go home on Monday. Their salaries ranged from $250.00 to $265.00 a year if they preached only 1 Sunday a month. If they preached 2 times a month, they received $400.00 for the year. The early church had an all Men's Sunday school class which met on one side of the church, next to a stove, which was heated by oil. An all Ladies' Sunday school class met on the other side of the room near a second stove. The Young People's class met at the front of the church and they brought their own wooden kitchen chairs to sit on. They also served as Choir members! Several years passed and remodeling was needed. In 1938, this remodeling took place. A full basement was added, consisting of a kitchen, a dining room, and an oil-burning heater. This gave the church property the value of $2,000.00. During the 8 months of remodeling time, the congregation met at the Blue Ridge School. Then, four Adult Sunday School classes met-all in the sanctuary. There was a class in each corner of the room. And, time marched on. There were many more changes that took place. The old windows were removed and stained glass windows were installed in memory of loved ones. They wished to purchased an organ and the Christian Union Endeavor (the youth group) gave the first $25.00 for this project. Many more money making projects took place to raise the funds to buy the Hammond organ. In 1968, the congregation began to talk about adding an annex to the church. Attendance was growing and more room was needed. This project was completed in 1969, with a complete renovation to the other part of the church also. Nearly 30 years later, 1997, it was evident that our sanctuary would not continue to accommodate the growing congregation. We needed more Sunday school rooms and more parking area. Once more things began to change. We needed to be more handicapped accessible. The basement Sunday school classrooms were upgraded, painted, and carpeted; two upstairs classrooms were removed to enlarge the sanctuary and new pews were installed in the new addition with the old pews being redone to match the new. At this time, a new, large stained glass window was installed at the front of the sanctuary-in the place where the front doors of the church were originally. An Emergency Exit door was installed at the northwest front of the church. A new and improved Sound System was installed. Much work was done again at this time and we met in the basement of the church until this was completed. The parking lot was expanded at the rear of the church. In 2001, another building project was begun. A new Sunday school classroom and a Nursery was added to the rear of the church on the upstairs level. In the basement level, there were added two much needed restrooms, a new furnace, and storage room. New carpeting was purchased for the dining room area of the basement in 2002 along with new hickory cabinets replacing the old metal cabinets. On February 6, 2009, disaster began. A portion of the ceiling of the sanctuary collapsed. Three days later, the entire ceiling had fallen. The insurance company was called and the adjuster came to check things out. She called a renovation company and the owner of that company came and looked things over. Two days after the complete ceiling had fallen, renovation began. Again, worship services were held in the basement. On a Sunday afternoon, just 5 months later, a dedication service was held with many members and friends of the surrounding community and churches attending. Again, we had a lovely sanctuary in which to worship our wonderful Lord. The home and property of the late Rev. Paul and Margaret Eninger (a former pastor and wife) was donated to the church. The house was razed and the lot graveled. Plans are now for the blacktopping of this lot for extension to the parking area. The structure and grounds have changed in many ways-financial status, physical appearance, the Sunday school, Youth Program, and Worship Services-but the message is still the same. Our mission is to promote the fellowship among God's people. We could not have accomplished these things if it were not for all of the generations past and our hope is for the generations to come will continue to do the work God has blessed us with in this community.
If you would like to serve or be apart of any of these ministries please contact the church office.
Every third Saturday we furnish food for the community. Our pantry has food, hygiene items, and cleaning supplies. These items are donated by the members of the church and other organizations. Fresh foods (milk, eggs, fruit and etc.) are furnished also.
Every year in July the church hosts a week long Vacation Bible School for children of various ages. There are many areas to help with such as food, games, teaching, crafts etc.
Every year in June volunteers gather at Camp Woodsmoke in Greensburg, Indiana for 4 days to minister to our youth and have fun. Children and volunteers always needed.
Every Sunday we need help conducting our service. Jobs include greeters, ushers, acolytes, offering counters and communion servers.
The church is willing to help out individuals with financial assistance as needed. If you or someone you know ever needs this service please contact our pastor or the church office.
Advent services each Sunday in December
Thanks for your interest in our church! Please tell us a bit about yourself and we'll get to your question right away. If you'd like immediate prayer, please feel free to request that below or email Pastor Thurman directly at: pastorjames7330@gmail.com
Worship. Belong. Go.
466 S 775 E, Shelbyville, IN 46176
765-525-6704
Copyright 2023, Blue Ridge Christian Union Church. All Rights Reserved.