The Valparaiso church of Christ was founded not long after a religious survey was conducted within the Valparaiso community in 1944. Starting on August 20, 1944, a two-week gospel meeting was held in the Memorial Opera House at 104 E. Indiana Avenue in Valparaiso. The religious survey continued during that first gospel meeting and 27 members of the church were located. After the meeting, it was decided that Walter and Alma Larkins, who conducted the survey, should remain and continue their work with the church. The church continued to meet at the Memorial Opera House and then moved to the County Court House until they purchased their first property, a two-story house at 801 Lincolnway. They met for the first time in their new church home on November 5, 1944. The building served as both a place of worship and the minister's home. The church was incorporated under the laws of the state of Indiana on November 24, 1944.

 

Since those early days of the Valpo church, we have had a lot of ups and downs. We outgrew the church home on Lincolnway, built and met in the church building at 1808 North Campbell, outgrew that building and finally built our current church home at 1155 Sturdy Road. The congregation grew from those original 27 members to over 300 in the early part of the 1980’s. People have come and gone, mistakes have been made and corrected, and learning is always taking place. We’ve struggled with financial problems, conflicts of opinion, and changes that come with growth. Through it all, however, we have remained a family unit and the church has grown to be what it is today.