Westfield’s Imagine Church takes unique steps to connect with others
Community outreach is a focal point of most churches but on March 14 through 16 Westfield’s Imagine Church took it to another level. As Indianapolis made history by hosting the city’s inaugural ComicCon, Imagine Church attended each day as a vendor.
“It’s not a typical place you would find a church. We want to help shift some perspective,” Lead Pastor Brad Ruggles said. “ComicCon is a huge sensation in San Diego that has swept the country in recent years. The fact that Indianapolis will be hosting its first-ever ComicCon is a really big deal and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.”
“Holy Spirit, is that a church Batman?”
Ruggles said the mission for the weekend was simple: “We’re a bunch of comic and movie-loving geeks who happen to also be Christians and we want to send the message that Christians are geeks too.”
“There are so many geeks and people that are interested in this,” he said. “We as a church are just a real good mix of unique and fun people. There are lots of geeks, movie fans and comic fans that go to the church.”
Unless it’s a storm trooper or superhero, Ruggles said the church “doesn’t believe in wearing masks” to hide our imperfect, messy lives.
“It’s OK to not be OK. It’s not OK to stay there. You don’t have to put on a mask. We extend love and acceptance to people no matter where they are at,” Ruggles said.
“Don’t have to change what you are to go here,” Connections Pastor Clay Stevens said.
Church members greeted the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, superheroes or people dressed in full “cosplay” from their favorite comic book or movie character and spent time talking to them while standing in line at thier free photo booth. Stevens said that while very few people live nearby or will attend Imagine after the weekend, it was important to have a presence.
“It wasn’t necessary a win for little Imagine Church but a win for church in general,” he said.
“With great power comes great responsibility”
Stevens said he didn’t sign up to help because the church had three pages of volunteers but ended up assisting at ComicCon.
“I’m not super geeky,” he said. “I thought they could pick a better person. I was hesitant going in.”
Despite his initial uncertainty, Stevens had a great time at the event and laughs thinking about how he had to ask which character props people wanted for the photo booth.
“My favorite character was Barf from ‘Spaceballs.’ He was dead on and randomly photobombing,” he said.
In addition to taking 2,200 pictures at their free photo booth and handing out 70,000 fliers, Stevens said the church was able to visit with more than 100,000 visitors.
“I’m a big people person,” he said. “You see a full range of people within five minutes – from those that are young and love it because it is fun and innocent, to people searching for something in their lives.”
“Our goal was to develop relationships and serve the people that were there,” Ruggles said. “There’s a great intersection between God and our culture. He speaks to us in the most unlikely of places.
“Luke, he is your father”
“‘Star Wars’ came out the year I was born. I grew up with ‘Star Wars,’” Ruggles said. “I’m personally a big ‘Star Wars’ fan. I wanted to be there.”
While not a typical choice for a pastor, Ruggles said his favorite character is Darth Vader.
“It’s his story arc, a story of redemption,” he said.
Ruggles and his wife, Lisa, moved to Westfield from Fort Wayne to plant the church, which opened Oct. 23, 2011. Ruggles said many congregation members have been burned by church or have little church background.
“We use compelling engaging series that’s applicable and easy to understand,” he said. “We don’t believe in teaching for the sake of learning but for actions so people can go live it out … We attach Biblical truth to something they understand to help bridge the gap.”
The church is looking into a feasibility study to determine its next steps. Ruggles said the possibilities include leasing space or finding some type of facility to permanently house the church.
“There’s so much more in the community, stuff is happening throughout the week. It helps to have a facility to do that though,” he said.
Ruggles said the church office at 206 W. Main St. hosts board games every Thursday and two-thirds of the participants are not churchgoers. The church also hosts an annual Easter Egg Drop, provides the kids area at Westfield Rocks the Fourth and enjoys having “off the wall” events like when it brought in WWE Hall of Fame member, Ken Shamrock, to give his testimony.
“We’re very involved in the community. We love the community we are in and try to serve as best we can,” Ruggles said.
Snack pack missionary is where the church provided meals for kids after school and sent home groceries for two weeks. Stevens said it assisted 75 Westfield families in the fall during its pilot run.
Ruggles said one specific offering is used for “outside the walls” and have included raising $12,000 to build a fresh water well in Kenya and $20,000 for Destiny Rescue, an international organization to rescue girls from human trafficking, and at-rick children in Westfield.
Imagine Church
Meets at Oak Trace Elementary School, 16504 Oak Ridge Rd.
Founded: Oct. 23, 2011
Size: Approximately 200 members
Services: 9 and 10:30 a.m.
Denomination: Missionary church
Worship style: Contemporary upbeat service with a full band
Contact: 804-1704 or www.imaginechurch.com
