What is God doing in Hammond in 2026?

4 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

What does it look like when a church experiences real, measurable life change in just 60 days?

At Anthem Church, the start of 2026 has been nothing short of extraordinary.

In just the first two months of the year:

72 people were baptized
104 families joined The Anthem Family
405 first-time guests registered
More adults than ever are growing in Christ through Crews (small groups) and Mosaic School of Ministry

And the story behind these numbers? Faithful people. Consistent service. Bold vision. A church family that keeps making room for more.

A Growing Church Is a Healthy Church

There’s something powerful happening in Hammond, Indiana.

Every Sunday, volunteers show up early and stay late. They create atmosphere. They lead kids. They greet guests. They worship passionately. They serve with humility. And because of that faithfulness, people are encountering Jesus in life-changing ways.

Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 14:4, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean.” Growth is messy. Ministry is messy. Life change is messy.

But where there are “oxen,” there is movement.

And we are seeing movement.

Why Is Anthem Church Launching a New Service in Hammond?

Growth creates opportunity and opportunity requires preparation.

At a recent Core Leader Meeting, one of the courageous goals shared for 2026 was the launch of an additional service at our new Hammond location as an interim step toward fully occupying the building.

Now that vision is becoming reality.

📍 Starting Sunday, April 5th

We will officially launch an 11:00 AM service at 7105 Hohman Avenue in Hammond, Indiana.

This new service will:

Include full Kids Ministry
Feature live worship
Have a complete Home Team
Offer Junior High Plus
Include active ministry teams
Deliver the sermon via video from our 6947 Hohman building

The service will meet in the future 1st–5th grade auditorium, which seats 250 people. This space will serve as a temporary gathering area while renovations continue on:

A new 1,000-seat auditorium
Updated bathrooms
A redesigned main lobby

Our prayer is to have the full building complete by the end of the year.

Soft Launch Services in March

Before the official April 5th launch, we will host soft launch services on March 22nd and March 29th to prepare teams and create a smooth experience for guests.

To support this growth, we are believing to recruit 100 new Serve Team members.

Because when a church grows, more people get the opportunity to step into purpose.

A More Intimate Anthem Experience

Here’s the honest truth: if we were simply attending Anthem Church in Hammond, the 11:00 AM service at 7105 would be the one we’d choose.

— Sam Hamstra, Lead Pastor of Anthem Church

It will be:

Smaller
More intimate
Less crowded
Still carrying the same Anthem culture

Same heart. Same vision. Same mission.

Just more room for more people to meet Jesus.