History of Immanuel
In the spring of 1950, a group of people who had been meeting for Bible study held a picnic at Fairhaven Park to consider the question of whether to try to remain together as a group or just scatter to various churches.
It was agreed that a desirable church would be
- Christ-centered
- Bible-based: stressing the teaching and preaching of the Word of God
- Strongly evangelistic; stressing soul-winning
- Missionary minded
- It would emphasize service to children and young people
- It would be congregational in government
Immanuel Bible Church was located in a vacant church building one block south of the present location. The first worship service held there was the first Sunday of June 1950. Soon property was purchased for the present site, a building was designed, and construction began. A member of the congregation was the general contractor for the project, assisted by a great deal of volunteer labor. The new building was dedicated in 1958. Several major projects have expanded the building since then.
Through the years, Immanuel has been particularly blessed by faithful shepherds
- Pastor Clifford Hovda (1951-1963)
- Pastor Gerald Wilson (1963-1976)
- Pastor Jeffrey Grant (1976-1989)
- Pastor David Erickson (1989-2009)
- Pastor Mike Pohlman (2010-2014)
- Pastor Russ Hawkins (2015-2017)
- Interim Pastor Dan Wilson (2018-2019)
- Pastor Michael Martin (2019-Present)