Six Generations Around the Corner from Lake Erie
Lake Erie Church sits on Hubbard Road in Madison, Ohio, a small Lake County community the congregation has called home since January 2022. Long-time residents of the area know the church by an older name tied to its 1966 founding, but the people who walk through the doors today are a familiar sight to their neighbors: a multigenerational, multicultural Pentecostal family that now counts six generations worshipping together in the same room. The church's motto - "Loving God, Loving People" - is printed across the welcome materials, and another line sets the tone: "We make a living by what we get, but a life by what we give."
The building itself is easy to find, with parking right on site and a small café serving complimentary coffee, tea, and breakfast treats before the service. Visitors are met at the door by the Guest Experience team, pointed to a welcome table with a first-time gift, and walked to a seat by an usher. The expectation is simple: come as you are. Jeans are as welcome as a suit, and the only request is to be ready to hear about Christ's love.
What a First-Timer Finds on Sunday Morning
Sunday service begins at 10:00 a.m. and runs until noon. The sanctuary fills with live music that the leaders describe as energetic. People clap along, raise their hands, and sing; the pastor then opens Scripture and preaches, and the service closes in prayer. Children's programs run from birth through sixth grade, with dedicated teachers and rooms that operate every Sunday morning, so families can drop their kids off and join worship without worry.
For those who can't make it in person, services are livestreamed on YouTube, and a podcast called "Between Sundays" carries the conversation forward through the week. Past messages are archived and available for listening on demand.
A Pentecostal Home in Lake County Since 1966
Lake Erie Church was planted in 1966 in Lake County through the vision of Pastors Lloyd and Virginia Scott. Six decades and twelve lead pastors later, Bill and Shelley Isaacs took the helm in 2019 and now represent the thirteenth pastoral leadership of the church. Together they oversee a body that is intentionally multigenerational and multicultural, with a stated heart for Lake County and a bold vision for the world.
The current home in Madison is part of that story: after decades in another part of the county, the church relocated to the Hubbard Road campus in January 2022. From there, the congregation runs the ministries that have grown up around it, including a school, a network of small groups, and a long list of partnerships near and far.
From Little Arrows to Rooted Young Adults
The children's ministry takes its cue from Psalm 127: children are "arrows in the hand of a warrior." The team at Lake Erie Church calls the kids ministry "Little Arrows" and treats every child from kindergarten through fifth grade as someone created with purpose, potential, and power. Naomi Golenberke leads the program, which combines high-energy worship, age-appropriate Bible teaching, small groups, and plenty of fun. On Wednesday evenings at 6:30, "Little Sprouts" offers a midweek version for the same age group.
Middle and high school students have their own Wednesday gathering called LEC Students, which runs from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Caleb and Michelle Rzeszutek lead the group, which features student-led worship, teaching from approved adult leaders, plus food and games on Wednesday nights.
Young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 meet through "Rooted," a Wednesday night Bible study that runs the same 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. window and adds monthly activities. The ministry is built around Colossians 2:6-7: "Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."
P.O.W.E.R. for the Fifty-and-Over Crowd
Seniors at Lake Erie Church are honored through a ministry called P.O.W.E.R., which stands for "Pearls Of Wisdom Ever Remembered." The group meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. and is open to anyone 50 and older. P.O.W.E.R. is built on two commitments: mentorship (sharing biblical truth and personal testimony with younger generations) and community (fellowship and spiritual partnership among peers). The ministry roots itself in Psalm 145:4, 7.
Life Groups and the LEC Connect+ Class
The conviction behind Life Groups is that life change happens in the context of relationships. Groups meet at the church, in homes, at restaurants, and at other spots around the community. Some are Bible studies; others are activity-based. Prospective leaders go through an application process and a leadership training, and a Life Group Launch Party each fall marks the start of a new group season.
For those new to the church, LEC Connect+ offers a one-time class that meets on the first Sunday of every month at 9:00 a.m., before the regular service. Participants hear the story of Lake Erie Church, take a personality and a spiritual gifts assessment, and learn how to plug into the life of the congregation. The class is required reading, in a sense, for anyone who wants to lead a group or serve in a ministry role.
Generations Matter: A School Born from the Church
In 2022, the church launched Generations Matter Early Learning Center (GMELC) on its campus, serving infants through Pre-K and their families. The school operates as a ministry of the church, and in 2025 the first classrooms of Generations Matter Academy opened with a stated commitment to strong academic excellence taught from a biblical worldview. Together, the early learning center and the academy give the congregation a way to walk alongside Lake County families from the first months of a child's life through the elementary years.
Outreach Near Home and Light to the Nations
Outward focus is part of the church's identity. Locally, Lake Erie Church partners with community efforts that include serving people experiencing homelessness, widows, expectant mothers, and others in need across Lake County. Volunteers regularly help prepare and serve food at the St. James Feeding Program, hosted at St. James Episcopal Church in Painesville, and the church hosts American Red Cross blood drives on its own campus.
Globally, the church is engaged in missions across five continents, with work that spans evangelism, church planting, children's ministry, and benevolence projects in some of the poorest places in the world. The congregation frames this global vision as the fulfillment of a long-standing prophecy that the church would be "a light to the nations of the world."
What Lake Erie Church Believes
At the center of the church's teaching are three passages the pastors return to often. From Ephesians 2: believers are "fellow citizens and members of God's household, built on Christ as the cornerstone, growing into a holy temple." From 1 Peter 2: believers are "living stones, being built into a spiritual house and holy priesthood." From 1 Corinthians 12: "by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body." Together, these verses shape a vision of a connected, Spirit-led, Christ-centered community.
Worship at Lake Erie Church is contemporary and charismatic in feel. Live music leads the way, and the congregation is free to respond - clapping, raising hands, and singing - as the Spirit moves. The team behind that worship includes Lead Pastors Bill and Shelley Isaacs, Worship Leader Brandon Baldwin, and Sound, Tech, and Worship Leader Tim Lint, with Kids Ministry Leader Naomi Golenberke and Youth Pastors Caleb and Michelle Rzeszutek overseeing the next generation of believers.
On the practical side, the church keeps an active calendar of events, a sermon archive, an online giving portal, and a presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. For those who want to take a first step, the doors are open at 2300 Hubbard Road in Madison on any given Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m., and giving is available online for those who want to support the work from afar.