Howell every Thursday night. This Bible study grew to 38 people, and soon they began to feel the Lord’s call to start a church. The church had its first service on Sunday, January 2, 1994, with 88 people in attendance. They met in Rockway School, just a few miles east of the current building. The first pastor was Dave Drullinger, a professor at Cedarville University. It was he who suggested the na
me Heritage Fellowship. The group had thought of Heritage Baptist, since many of them were of Baptist heritage, but decided against it, not wanting to be affiliated with any denomination. Heritage Fellowship fit perfectly. Dave Drullinger could serve only two weeks. When he left, Alan Monroe, also a professor at Cedarville became the interim pastor and remained for six months, until the arrival of Steve Janssen. Steve Janssen having graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary arrived at the church in the summer of 1994. HFC built the current building and moved from the school in 1997. Steve Janssen served as pastor until 1998, when he resigned. Upon his resignation, Jim Phipps came to serve as interim pastor. That same year the Community Center was built by the men of the church. Pastor Heldreth began as Senior Pastor in June of 1999. He is a graduate of Cedarville University and Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. Carl Schraibman served as an elder for some time before becoming Executive Pastor in the fall of 1999. Looking back, Pastor Heldreth says that while some have come and gone, the Lord has used Heritage in the lives of many people over the years. Pastor Heldreth retired in the Spring of 2017. In the summer of 2017, the church called Ken Winter to be the next Lead pastor of HFC. Ken has been in full-time ministry since 2002 leading youth ministries in the Pocono Mountains of PA and Xenia, OH. Ken has a passion to reach the lost with the liberating power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Winter is a graduate of Cedarville University and has a Masters degree from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. Pastor Ken is married to Tara, and they have three beautiful children, Katelyn (19) Anna (16) Jake (12).