Christian Assembly

Our Beginnings

It all began with a prayer.  Pearl Finke and her husband, Leroy, devoted followers of Jesus, prayed for years and years (since the 1940’s) for the city of Waseca and those who live here.  Their heart was that God would plant an Assemblies of God church in Waseca – a church that exhibited the vibrant, faith-filled life of those in the New Testament, engaging in ardent prayer and personal sacrifice, embracing Pentecost and the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

But it wasn’t until 1979 that Waseca Christian Assembly was finally planted.  At the invitation of Milt Crossan (who had joined the Finkes in their prayer), Rev. Ronald Scheimo of the Evangelistic Missionary Fellowship (EMF), along with students from Calvary Bible College in Minneapolis, began meeting on Sunday nights in a room rented from the University of Minnesota, Waseca Campus.  Rev. Steve O’Brien, a graduate of Calvary Bible College, accepted the position of Christian Assembly’s first pastor in 1980, serving until his resignation in 1986.  The church purchased its first building, located at 203 SW 2nd Street, in 1984.

From the very beginning, Missions has been a vital part of Christian Assembly.  In 1985, members of Waseca Christian Assembly participated in a missions team to Haiti.  Later that same year, Christian Assembly established “missions giving” as part of its annual budget.

Rev. Jim Risner, a licensed minister of the Assemblies of God, was elected as Pastor in 1986.  Two years later, the congregation voted to end its membership with the EMF and became an Assemblies of God church, establishing membership with the Minnesota District of the Assemblies of God. 

Very early one morning in 1987, a fire began to burn in a neighboring structure.  Many from the congregation were roused from their beds and watched as firefighters fought the fire… and saw God’s miraculous protection: though the structure next door was completely destroyed, the only damage to Christian Assembly’s building was a scorched wall and the smell of smoke.

During the next few years, the congregation of Christian Assembly began to feel God leading them to support missions on a greater level: in 1989, Christian Assembly helped support seven missionaries; in 1991, the Church Council voted to establish a tithe of the annual income to be dedicated to missions.  And as the church continued to be faithful in their giving to missions, God was faithful in providing for the church’s needs.

The church continued to grow over the next decade, and as the space seemed to get smaller, the congregation began to pray for God’s direction in purchasing property on which to build a new facility.  When a local realtor was approached in 1998 to assist in finding property, the realtor asked if the current facility was for sale – someone had already expressed an interest in buying it.  Though that buyer never made a formal offer on the facility, later that year, Christian Assembly’s first building was purchased by and became the home of the Waseca Neighborhood Service Center.

For the next two years, the congregation met at Central Intermediate School, renting office space in downtown Waseca.  In June 2000, Rev. Risner resigned and a search was made for a new pastor.  In July of 2000, Rev. Brad Wickersheim was elected Senior Pastor of Waseca Christian Assembly; In September, he and his wife, Gayle, and their three children made the move to Waseca from Wood River Illinois, where Pastor Wickersheim had served as youth pastor.

In May 2001, the contract with the Waseca Public School District came to an end, and once again, the congregation diligently sought the Lord’s direction for not only a property to build on, but for a place to meet.  It was at the end of an extended time of fasting that Pastor Wickersheim was approached by the leadership of Grace Lutheran Church, who graciously offered Christian Assembly the rent Ramseth Chapel until a permanent home was found.

It was a summer of great anticipation, prayer and meetings as the Church Council began searching for property in the Waseca area, praying over the land that was available, and preparing the congregation for the upcoming building by conducting a summer-long building campaign.  “Building Today…Impacting Generations” was the theme for that campaign, generating excitement in the congregation as we looked ahead to what God had in store for us not only in the immediate future, but in many years to come.

It was to be a project that involved everyone in the congregation, along with friends and neighbors.  Land was found and purchased on the SE side of Waseca (which was annexed into the city later that year); groundbreaking took place in the late fall.  And for the next ten months, the dream of a building became a reality: under the leadership of Project Manager, Dave Lent, much of the work was completed by teams of workers from churches throughout Minnesota, MAPS workers (an Assemblies of God ministry of RV’ers who travel around the country – and the world – assisting with church construction projects), and members of Christian Assembly.  The first services in the new building were held in September 2003 and on a chilly November afternoon, Rev. Clarence St. John, MN District Superintendent, led the dedication service.

The church has continued to grow, building on its foundation of prayer.  In 2007, Christian Assembly planted St. Mark’s Community Church, a campus church, in neighboring Janesville.  In 2011, Living Hope Church in Elysian was added as another campus of Christian Assembly.  Missions giving has grown exponentially: what began with two or three monthly missions pledges has increased to more than 30 monthly missions pledges.  The annual Missions Convention is a great highlight of the year as itinerating missionaries, and missionaries who are just beginning their missionary careers, share their calling, their vision and their passion to touch the world with the love of Jesus.

Countless members, staff, guest speakers, missionaries, and evangelists have contributed to the health and growth of Christian Assembly.   There are too many too name, but we honor those who have been a part of our church.  We have found that as we as a church body continue to follow God’s leading, as we continue to seek His face and will in our lives as individuals and as a congregation, and as we are obedient to do as He bids, God continues to pour out upon us blessing upon blessing.

This is where God has brought us so far.  As we watch for and work toward His return, we eagerly anticipate all He has in store for us.