House of Worship Spotlight: Westgate Chapel

Religious leader(s): Rob Zimmermann, lead pastor; Adam Just, executive pastor of ministry; Dan Russell, student ministry pastor; Randy Fall, care pastor; Adam Burrow, worship and creative arts pastor

Sect: Christian and Missionary Alliance

Neighborhood: Sylvania Township

Address: 2500 Wilford Dr., Toledo

Service times: 9 and 10:45 a.m. Sundays

Type of service: The modern worship service is about 75 minutes long and incorporates lessons that speak directly to people’s lives. Attendance is a range of people from those who have always been churchgoers to those who haven’t yet decided to follow Christ.

“When somebody comes in the doors at Westgate, they’ll encounter a very welcoming church with people of all ages, stages of life, cultural backgrounds,” said lead pastor Rob Zimmermann.

Regular attendance: More than 900 attend each Sunday

Ministries: A thriving kids ministry and student ministry, Mom Life community for mothers of preschoolers, seniors ministry, and several Bible studies and classes. More than 75 percent of the congregation is involved in small groups.

Westgate serves the local community through efforts like the Kairos Prison Ministry, Water for Ishmael, the Pregnancy Center of Greater Toledo, GriefShare, and supporting students, families, and teachers at Dorr Street Elementary School. Members also support global missions both financially and by working abroad.

“With Westgate, you’ve got a ministry for everybody and anybody that wants to ... find ways to get involved and get connected with the church,” the pastor said.

History: Evangelist Cora Rudy founded the Toledo Gospel Chapel in 1907. That congregation began meeting at a one-room schoolhouse on Central Avenue and Secor Road. The Christian and Missionary Alliance has a strong focus on mission, so pastors often served a few years in Toledo before moving to start ministries abroad or across the United States. Pastor and author A. W. Tozer pastored the chapel in 1920.

The congregation, which would become Westgate Chapel, moved to its current location in 1993.

What's special about this faith community? “It’s just an incredibly welcoming and friendly church,” Pastor Zimmermann said. “That is something that I hear often from people here: They just feel like it’s a church that loves people well.”

He added that Westgate is a Bible-based teaching church, saying, “We love to teach directly from God’s word in a way that is very relevant to people’s lives.”

Are there any upcoming events or projects you're working on? Westgate Chapel completed this year a remodel of its worship center, making a more inviting and comfortable space for worship.

Come spring, the church will launch its Love Your Neighbor initiative, which will help congregants identify and care for the needs of their neighbors and the community at large. It is also developing a residency program that would train future pastors and missionaries and support their seminary education.

Website: westgatechapel.org

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