The Church Of The Highlands

Church Of The Highlands

Church of the Highlands is a non-denominational, Christianmulti-sitemegachurch headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. It was the largest congregation in Alabama and the second largest church in the United States as of 2018, with an average of 43,030 attendees every week. The senior pastor is Chris Hodges.

Pastor And Mrs Donald B Sheley Founded The Church In Colma In 1959 As Colma Community Chapel

The first service took place on Saturday, October 3rd. In July of 1960, the church moved to Daly City and was incorporated as Calvary Cross Church. As the church began to grow, negotiations for purchasing the Portola Shopping Center, 1900 Monterey Drive, San Bruno, began in 1970. Truly, a miracle from God the church assumed the existing mortgage and the equity of more than twice that amount was written off. We thank God for the gift.

Where You Come To Relax And Play

Travelling north from Toronto, along the Highway 11 corridor, past the town of Huntsville in the district of Muskoka, at Novar, you enter Northern Ontario and the beautiful Almaguin Highlands.

Recall the childhood trips to the cottage? Our lakes are still as clean, and our forests just as green as they were back then, and more…

The Magnetawan River runs through the middle of the Highlands from east to west and is signifigant in naming this region years ago. The letters denoting the short form “MAG” were placed in the middle of the name Al-gonq-uin. As close neighbours, we not only share a name, we also share the experience.

When you arrive we invite you to explore the edge of untouched beauty travelling the Park-to-Park trail from Algonquin Park to the Parry Sound Coastal Region of Georgian Bay.

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State And Federal Representation

The operates post offices in Birmingham. The main post office is located at 351 24th Street North in Downtown Birmingham. Birmingham is also the home of the Social Security Administration’s Southeastern Program Service Center. This center is one of only seven in the United States that process Social Security entitlement claims and payments. In addition, Birmingham is the home of a branch bank of the Atlanta .

Welcome To The Almaguin

The Almaguin Highlands and the District of Muskoka are two large Ontario Regions that straddle the line that separates the Southern part of Ontario from the Near North.

The District of Muskoka, has for a long time, been considered the recreation and cottage capital of Ontario and has developed into a tourist attraction, that is known the world over! Muskoka, annually attracts many vistors and every year pumps a great deal of tourism money into Ontarios economy.

The Almaguin Highlands area, is a still relatively undeveloped region of 18 municipalities, that has everything that can be found in Muskoka, but without the congestion and the overpriced real estate. As the Highlands Communities work together to develop their own distinctive identity, we promote ourselves as a unique tourist destination. In the Almaguin Highlands, you will find a Pace and Quality of Life” that still reflects the tranquility and untamed beauty, which defines Algonquin Park, yet offers the best in services and convenience, that can be found in the South.

As the four-laning of Highway 11, has brought the Highlandswithin easy reach of the Golden Horseshoe, new and exiting opportunities are opening up, for everyone in the area. This website is dedicated to serve all businesses, associations, and organizations that are located in and or do business in Muskoka, the Almaguin Highlands or the Parry Sound District.

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Church Of The Highlands Opens Woodlawn Branch Campus

The Church of the Highlands has completed construction on its latest branch campus on Messer-Airport Highway, and will have the first services there on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022.

• Greg Garrison | [email protected]

The Church of the Highlands, Alabamas largest church with more than 20 branch campuses throughout the state, will open its newest campus in Woodlawn on Sunday, founding Pastor Chris Hodges announced this week.

Next Sunday, Sept. 11, after 10 years of being portable, at Woodlawn High School and the BJCC, our Woodlawn and Uptown family finally have a home, Hodges said in a message recorded in the new Woodlawn worship auditorium. Its here at the site of the former Gibson Elementary School.

The church bought the former elementary school campus, abandoned in 2008, for $637,500 from the Birmingham Board of Education in 2020 three months after the school board terminated leases allowing Highlands to hold services at Woodlawn High School and Parker High School. The church demolished the dilapidated school but used the bricks in the new construction.

To preserve a part of the history of the school, and to honor this great community, our team used the bricks from Gibson Elementary to frame the entrance of our new building, Hodges said. Sunday services at the Woodlawn campus, 4930 Messer-Airport Highway, will be at 9:45 and 11:30 a.m.

As with its other campuses, it was built debt-free, Hodges said.

Founding And Early Growth

Birmingham was founded on June 1, 1871, by the Elyton Land Company whose investors included cotton planters, bankers and railroad entrepreneurs. It sold lots near the planned crossing of the Alabama & Chattanooga and South & North Alabama railroads including land formerly a part of the Benjamin P. Worthington Plantation. The first business at that crossroads was the trading post and country store operated by Marre & Allen. The site of the railroad crossing was notable for the nearby deposits of iron ore, coal, and the three main raw materials used in making steel.

Birmingham is the only place worldwide where significant amounts of all three minerals can be found in close proximity. From the start the new city was planned as a great center of industry. The founders, organized as the Elyton Land Company, borrowed the name of Birmingham, one of England’s main industrial cities, to advertise that point. The growth of the planned city was impeded by an outbreak of and a crash in 1873. However, it began to develop shortly afterward at an explosive rate.

Birmingham was hit by the . A few buildings in the area were slightly damaged. The earthquake was felt as far as Atlanta and neighboring states.

The wartime demand for steel and the post-war building boom gave Birmingham a rapid return to prosperity. Manufacturing diversified beyond the production of raw materials. Major civic institutions such as schools, parks and museums, were able to expand their scope.

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Birmingham Civil Rights Movement

In the 1950s and 1960s Birmingham received national and international attention as a center of the for African-Americans. Locally the movement’s activists were led by , a fiery preacher who became legendary for his fearlessness in the face of violence, notably a string of racially motivated bombings that earned Birmingham the derisive nickname “Bombingham”.

A watershed in the civil rights movement occurred in 1963 when Shuttlesworth requested that , and the , which Shuttlesworth had co-founded, come to Birmingham, where King had once been a pastor, to help end segregation. Together they launched “Project C” , a massive assault on the . During April and May daily sit-ins and mass marches organized and led by movement leader were met with police repression, tear gas, attack dogs, fire hoses, and arrests. More than 3,000 people were arrested during these protests, almost all of them high-school age children. These protests were ultimately successful, leading not only to desegregation of public accommodations in Birmingham but also the .

While imprisoned for having taken part in a nonviolent protest, Dr. King wrote the now famous , a defining treatise in his cause against segregation. Birmingham is also known for a bombing which occurred later that year, in which four black girls were killed by a bomb planted at the . The event would inspire the African-American poet ‘s opus, “”, as well as jazz musician ‘s song “Alabama”.

The Church Of The Highlands Exists To Build Up And Equip Believers To Pursue His Commission While Practicing His Command To Those We Encounter Daily

Worship Service is held each Sunday beginning at 10:00 A.M.

Sunday School begins at 11:15 A.M.

Bible Study and Prayer Meeting is 6:30 P.M. Wednesday

The Church of the Highlands is located on the corner of Willow Springs and Plainfield in the La Grange Highlands. Our mailing address is 1525 W. Plainfield Rd, La Grange, IL 60525. The church’s telephone number is 708-246-6061. To reach Pastor Mark, call 708-703-1971, or through e-mail at:

If you are in need of special prayer please mail in your request to

All prayer request are kept strictly confidential between you and

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A Conversation With Church Of The Highlands

Since its inception, Church of the Highlands has committed to setting their hearts on prayer.

In 2001, the Alabama-based ministryâs core launch team made a decision. Instead of planting their church in Januaryâone of the best months to launch a churchâthey spent 21 days in a season of prayer and fasting before opening their doors.

Twenty years later, prayer is still a part of the churchâs core identity. From that first season of prayer until now, Highlands has spent 3 weeks every January and August in 21 Days of Prayer.

We sat down with David Russell, Highlandsâ Online Campus Pastor and Digital Director, to learn how the church turned a close-knit community event into a nationwide movement by approaching ministry from a hybrid perspective.â

âââTwice a year, thousands of people participate in 21 Days of Prayer. For three weeks, the church meets every day to pray over community needs, current events, political leaders, and more.

The decision to create a digital expression of 21 Days of Prayer was simply a step to serve their community better. Highlands chose to stream their early-morning services in an effort to give people convenient access to the event.

As time went on, their team was surprised to see that the largest group tuning in online wasnât parents getting their kids ready for school or people with unconventional work schedules. It was pastors.â

Urban Planning In Birmingham

Before the first structure was built in Birmingham, the plan of the city was laid out over a total of 1,160 acres by the directors of the Elyton Land Co. The streets were numbered from west to east, leaving Twentieth Street to form the central spine of downtown, anchored on the north by Capital Park and stretching into the slopes of Red Mountain to the south. A “railroad reservation” was granted through the center of the city, running east to west and zoned solely for industrial uses. As the city grew, bridges and underpasses separated the streets from the railroad bed, lending this central reservation some of the impact of a river . From the start, Birmingham’s streets and avenues were unusually wide at 80 to 100 feet , purportedly to help evacuate unhealthy smoke.

In the early 20th century professional planners helped lay out many of the new industrial settlements and in the Birmingham District, including Corey which was developed for the . At the same time, a movement to consolidate several neighboring cities gained momentum. Although local referendums indicated mixed feelings about annexation, the Alabama legislature enacted an expansion of Birmingham’s corporate limits that became effective on January 1, 1910.

The Robert Jemison company developed many residential neighborhoods to the south and west of Birmingham which are still renowned for their aesthetic quality.

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Church Of The Highlands Central Offices

• square footage

  65,000

Church of the Highlands is Alabamas largest church with more than 20 campuses throughout the state. The church needed a space large enough to bring together more than 300 staff members. The church relocated its Central Offices to the 4th and 5th floors of an existing corporate office as part of its ongoing expansion to the Grandview Campus in Birmingham. For the first time in Highlands history, the church was able to bring all 13 departments from varying locations together under one roof in the renovated 65,000 SF space.

Highlands leadership took the opportunity to transform what was once a closed-off, dated environment into a space that celebrates Highlands philosophy through 21st century design. The vision was to create a space that was full of light, energetic, youthful, flexible, and collaborative inspiring the next generation of leaders to flourish in a relational environment.

The intent for the new offices is not only to be used locally, but globally, welcoming and training different leaders within the worldwide church community. Following the completion of the Central Offices, construction commenced on the remaining floors to house Highlands College. By 2022, all 12.6 acres of the Grandview campus including the Grandview Church Campus and Student Living will be transformed into a collaborative and relational space.

RESULTS

Church Of The Highlands Invites You To Worship With Us No Matter Where You Are On Lifes Journey You Are Welcome Here

We believe that God loves all of creation, and through Jesus Christ we are brought into fellowship with God. We are a family, proclaiming the love and grace of God, as found in God’s Word. All are welcome at Church of the Highlands – those who believe as well as those who are seeking.

At each service we gather for meaningful worship to study Gods word. We reach out with the heart of ministry to care for our neighbors in the name of Christ here and around the world. We have fun and fellowship in a variety of activities ranging from dinners to sporting events. As we work and worship together we find that our faith grows as we enjoy friends old and new.

You will discover many exciting opportunities at Church of the Highlands. Our website is just the introduction to the spirit of our church. We want you to feel at home and comfortable here. We are pleased to welcome you as part of a growing Christian community.

Please join us for an upcoming worship service. Theres a place for you here at Church of the Highlands.

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About Church Of The Highlands

We minister to more than 30,000 people in weekly attendance with campuses across the state of Alabama. Our story begins with the dream of planting a church with a simple goal: help people connect with God in a church without letting structures and programs get in the way.

We focus on relevant teaching, heartfelt worship, honest friendships, constant prayer and compassionate care for others. Our purpose is to reach people with the life-giving message of Jesus that they might become fully devoted followers of Christ. We filter every idea, program, and budget request through this vision. We want to see people become fully-devoted followers of Christ.

Best Places To Work And Income

The Birmingham metropolitan area has consistently been rated as one of America’s best places to work and earn a living based on the area’s competitive salary rates and relatively low living expenses. In 2006, ranked Birmingham second in the nation for building personal net worth, based on local salary rates, living expenses, and unemployment rates.

A 2006 study by calculated Birmingham’s “combined personal income” at $48.1 billion.

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Calvary Cross Church Had A Pillow Service In The Corner Of The Former Grocery Store

Each person brought a pillow or a chair to sit on. Palm Sunday was the first official service of the new church, now known as Church of the Highlands. The name was changed for two reasons. First, there were five churches or funeral homes that started with the name Calvary. Second, the big sign on the corner said âPortola Highlands,â – easy to change.

On Fathers Day, July 5th , Pastor Leighton Sheley was installed as Senior Pastor. Pastor Donald Sheley continued to hold the positions of Founding Pastor, Pastor of Missions, and Preaching Pastor until his passing on February 7th .

For 8 years, Church of the Highlands has been awarded âThe Best of San Bruno Awardâ in the Community Churches category by the US Commerce Association, Washington, D.C. God has truly blessed Church of the Highlands in so many miraculous ways during these sixty plus years.

Hodges Encourages Graduates To Find True Meaning Live To Make A Difference

News| May 7, 2021| By Andy Ellis

Chris Hodges, Founder and Senior Pastor of the Church of the Highlands, address graduates during Friday morning’s commencement ceremony.

Chris Hodges, Founder and Senior Pastor of the Church of the Highlands, encouraged Troy University graduates on Friday to discover the true meaning and purpose for their lives and then, live to make a difference.

Speaking to more than 900 graduates in two ceremonies held inside Trojan Arena on the Troy Campus, Hodges said while

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What We Believe

Highlands Church was founded in 1998 as an independent, non-denominational, Bible-based community church.

We want to be an ever-growing yet intimate community of Christians as modeled to us in Acts 2:42-47, a people who are living out the great commandment and great commission of Jesus, which is in essence toLove God. Love people. Make disciplesOur goal is to equip the church to follow Jesus in every aspect of life through the process of discipleship.

God

We believe in one God, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Revelation

We believe God has made Himself known to the world through His Son Jesus, through the Scriptures, and through creation.

Jesus Christ

We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of a virgin, fully God and fully man died by crucifixion, was buried in Josephs tomb and physically rose from the dead.

Bible

We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are completely without error in the original writings and the final authority for life.

Creation

We believe God created the universe from nothing and holds all things together.

Humanity

We believe that every human being has value, worth and dignity as a result of being created in the image of God from the moment of conception.

Sin

We believe that every person is affected by the broken nature of humanity and is therefore a sinner in need of salvation.

Substitutionary Atonement

Church

Eternity

Baptism