‘Total turnaround’ for church

STERLING – Oneighty Church doesn’t see its role as a babysitter for children while parents are attending services.

Rather, it sees its priority as ministering to children, the church’s pastor, Paul Sheley, says.

Sheley, 52, formed the church in January after he left Abiding Word Church as its associate pastor.

Oneighty now has about 135 members and has billboards around town inviting the public to attend.

The church has services at 10 a.m. every Sunday at Woodlawn Arts Academy, 3807 Woodlawn Road.

On Friday, the church closed on the purchase of the old Rock River First Church of God building west of Rock Falls. It is on U.S. Route 30, next to the river.

The church hopes to move into the building by January. Oneighty plans to have Thursday services at the new building, but it’ll continue with its Sunday programs at Woodlawn.

The church hopes to expand the brick building, so it can have enough room for both adults and children on Sundays. There will be room to do so – the lot is 6 acres.

The average age of members is 30 to 35, Sheley said.

“There are a lot of people with kids,” he said. “We want to be a place where kids are wanted. We are not here to accommodate them; we are here to reach them.”

During church, the children are in classrooms, where they learn about Jesus Christ, Sheley said.

“We want to teach on their level,” he said. “If they don’t understand what they’re hearing, then we’re just babysitting. We want to work with parents.”

In January, when Sheley was forming the new church, neither he nor Abiding Word pastor Scott Porter wanted to comment on the change.

The two men worked together for years. Porter had been with Abiding Word since 1986; the church was founded just a year earlier. He took the reins as senior pastor in 1988.

Last year, Abiding Word, 806 Lynn Blvd., reported that it had 550 members, with members in both Whiteside and Lee counties. That makes it one of the city’s biggest churches.

Sheley started his career at Abiding Word in 1992. In a recent interview, he declined to discuss his former church.

He said that a year ago, he had no plans to leave Abiding Word. He said he didn’t have a lifelong ambition to lead his own church. But he said he had a calling to do so.

Sheley describes his church as non-denominational.

“The Bible was written to us. We should apply it to our everyday lives,” he said.

Asked about the church’s name, he said it refers to a 180-degree turn.

“The word ‘repent’ is used harshly. God doesn’t use it that way. He wants people to repent, which means to change your mind – a total turnaround,” he said.

The church’s billboards include the slogan, “It’s your turn.”

“Jesus is the hero. It’s his church,” Sheley said. “We want to represent him.”

Sheley, who was born and raised in Sterling, is married to Lynne. They have an adult son, Phil.

About Oneighty Church

Oneighty Church meets at 10 a.m. every Sunday at Woodlawn Arts Academy, 3807 Woodlawn Blvd., in Sterling. Services last an hour.

For more information, call the church at 815-499-4199 or visit oneightychurch.com. Audio files of pastor Paul Sheley's sermons since February are on the website.