Our Church had its earliest beginnings in the home of Mrs. Mahala Smith who came to Eugene in 1906. Her home was located at 937 West 5th Avenue and she opened if for the first public service of the Church of God early that year. Services were conducted by U.G. Clark and others of the same faith.On Christmas Day 1906, Mrs. Smith was miraculously healed of cancer in answer to prayer. This led many earnest seekers of the truth to come to her and inquire about her beliefs. From that humble beginning, the congregation grew too large for the Smith home and was moved to the larger home of Mr. and Mrs. Layton. There the congregation remained until the first unit of the structure at 3rd and Monroe Street was completed in 1908.The church continued to grow, meeting in this new building, under the pastorates of Reverends Clark, John Green, John Gillespie, Mamie Bisconer, C.K. Chapman, Harrison Smith and Gerald Rousch.

         In 1948, Dr. Wilma and Clarence Perry came to pastor the church. Under their leadership the church grew too large for the building at 3rd and Monroe. With a great deal of prayer and consideration, the congregation voted to build a new building. A study of the city was conducted and it was determined that the present location at 23rd and Friendly had the greatest potential for residential growth. At the time, no other church was located in the area. In 1953, under the leadership of the Perrys, we moved into the present building. Ours was the first church building in Eugene utilizing a truly contemporary concept of architecture.

In 1953, Dr. Perry resigned to become a professor at Warner Pacific and the church called Joe Crane to the pastorate. Reverend Crane was followed in 1959 by Reverend Ray Tuttle and then Dr. David New in 1972. Ronald Swanson came in 1980, followed by our current pastor, Michael Mugford, in 1989.

We continue to maintain an attitude of service to our community. The Church of God, where salvation makes you a member, is open to everyone. In all the years since its founding, the church’s foundation has continued to be Jesus Christ.

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