MetroAlliance Church (now West Side Alliance) was born out of a united vision of the leadership of the Central District of the CMA. Following a clear message from Rev. Rockwell Dillaman at the 1999 District Conference for the Church to stop abandoning the cities and to send workers to the harvest, District leadership responded. In May of 2000, Juri Ammari and his wife Karen moved to Cleveland (W 48th St.) and were asked by the Central District to spearhead the church planting effort. Juri and Karen began meeting people in the neighborhood and in coffee shops as they lived in an apartment on Fulton Rd. in the Ohio City area. It was decided to focus on Ohio City, Tremont, and the Warehouse areas of Cleveland. Juri surveyed many people in the area to gain an understanding of those who lived in the area.
In these early days, God the Father drew several people to faith in Christ and Juri began to disciple them and form Life Transformation Groups.
In November 2000, Jeff and Sue Roe and two teenage daughters joined the Ammaris, and bought a house on W. 65th St. In December, a home Bible study began meeting on Sunday evenings. In February, two Interested Persons meetings were held at libraries in the area. In March, Juri began teaching an Adult Bible Fellowship class at Grace Church, Middleburg Heights. A basketball clinic for teen girls led to starting a teen Bible study. An Egg Hunt was held with puppet show and Gospel presentation at a local recreation center. About 100 were in attendance. Classes on spirituality were offered in partnership with the West Side YMCA. The one adult Bible study multiplied to two Bible studies in early spring. During the summer we sponsored literature booth at Open Air at Market Square and the Tremont Arts Festival. A Creative Arts Day camp for children was held during the summer. Eleven people from Grace Church were commissioned to join the MetroAlliance team in August. A third small group was launched. Birth Sunday was held at the YMCA on October 14th with 96 attending and 45 returning in the weeks ahead.
A building was purchased on the corner of W. 45 and Bridge Ave. where we began to hold two services each Sunday. The 9:07 a.m. and 11:07 a.m. Worship Celebrations offered nursery along with a preschool/toddler class and kids church for children K – 5. We began weekly midday “Friday Prayer” along with various activities/classes each year such as Financial Peace University, Holy Ghost Party, Summer Picnics at Edgewater, Camp MinOh and many more.
We also open up our building to host various trainings, other church plants, and seminars. The Ebenezer Church plant used the buildings on Sunday afternoons from 2 – 6 pm to minister to the Ethiopian and Eritean people of Cleveland, Ohio. Amour Du Christ Congolese church also began at W 45th and Bridge before moving to a building on Clark Ave.
In 2013 Seth Bisheimer and family moved to Cleveland to serve with the MetroAlliance Community. Juri continued serving as the lead pastor of new church work and kingdom advancement.
In 2015, God brought before our church leadership a unique opportunity. Following the prompting of God’s Spirit and through connection with Brian Upton of Building Hope In the City, we were approached by the Historic West Side Church about the potential for a merger of congregations. Having served the near West side of Cleveland since the late 1800’s, the faithful members of the West Side Church were at a point in their ministry where they were ready to partner with another church family in the neighborhood. After much sharing, praying, and discussion among our boards, the 2 churches, MetroAlliance and Historic West Side Church, decided to merge together on May 15th, 2016 as West Side Alliance Church. We now gather weekly on Sunday mornings at 10am at our new location of 3800 Bridge Ave., just down the road from the 45th street location.
In 2017, Wendy Gierhart joined the ministry team as the Director of Family Ministries. She and her husband Mike (Cole and Ivy) moved from the New Castle, PA area and joined the ministry and movement of the C&MA on the west side of Cleveland. In 2018, Mike officially joined the staff of West Side Alliance Church as Director of Music Ministries. We have been greatly blessed by their ministry and presence among our whole church family.
In August 2017, Dan and Joy Heuberger joined the church planting team with Juri and Karen Ammari in the Clark Fulton neighborhood. Having served overseas, Dan and Joy (Noel, Anna, Sam, Kaitlyn, Matthew) were eager to engage with neighborhood evangelism and relationship building. They helped to continue the work of the MetroChurch church plant that Juri and Karen had started with weekly Saturday kids and adult gatherings.
In late 2017, Juri and Karen began to sense God leading in a new direction. After much prayer and seeking the Lord together with the leadership team of West Side Alliance Church, God confirmed their new ministry in Europe with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. And so, in August 2018, they and their family moved from W. 65th Street to start a new work. The West Side Alliance Church family continues to meet weekly together both on Sundays and throughout the week in small groups.