Several young families began to pray about forming a nondenominational congregation in the Dickinson County area. They desired a church where Christ would be preeminent, and the Scripture would be honored as the only rule of faith and practice. The group began meeting in homes for prayer and Bible study, and by July had left the Covenant Church in Norway. Rudy Olson, a friend to the group who ofte
n led their Bible studies and preached on Sundays, donated a piece of his farm land on US 2 between Quinnesec and Norway - still the site of Community Bible Chapel. The group congregated at the Pine Creek School until their church building was roughed in. The men of the church spend every spare hour working on the Chapel building, taking part in all aspects of the construction. The first meeting in their new church was Sunday, November 4, 1962. Almost from the beginning, youth work and evangelism were pre-eminent with Pioneer Girls, Christian Service Brigade and Sunday School beginning as soon as organized. Over the years, ministry to children and youth has been vital whether through AWANA, Pioneer Clubs, Vacation Bible School, or the current Kids Club and Rock Solid Youth Group. Home and foreign missions were foundational for the group. Their first missionary support went to a local woman, Doris Bjorkman, serving in Papua New Guinea with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Since then our missionary list has embraced and financially supported many missionaries here and abroad with nearly 1/3 of our budget designated toward missions. We've been blessed with six pastors over our 50-year history: William Taylor (1963-1969), Kenneth McGee (1969-1978), Tony Adams (1979-1985), Jeff VanGoethem (1986-1991), Paul Jaedicke (1992-1997), and Lonnie Wilson (1998-present). Each of these men brought unique strengths and gifts which helped our growth. From its inception, Community Bible Chapel has been just that - a community of believers, committed to Jesus Christ and to each other as members of the family of God. Community Bible Chapel's vision is to grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ and to share their faith with all they come in contact with at home, at school, at work and "to the uttermost parts of the earth".
