First church building on Western Avenue, in use 1899-1906.
On March 10, 1899 a small group of Swedish people organized a church in Idaho Falls and named it The Swedish Evangelical Mission Congregation of Idaho Falls. They met in a little church building that had been a Mormon church located on Western Avenue. The church shared the pastor with the New Sweden Church, west of town. The pastor was compensated $60 monthly to pastor both congregations.
The year 1906 brought a lot of changes to the church. In May, Rev. Herbert Hultman of Chicago was called to pastor The Swedish Evangelical Mission Congregation at a monthly salary of $40; that summer a Sunday School program was started. Also in 1906 new property was purchased and a new building was constructed on 6th Street, just east of Boulevard. The church building on Western Avenue was sold to the Idaho Falls Lumber Company for $765. The price for the new building was $3,200, which would be financed. The treasurer’s end of year report showed total income was $485 with expenses totaling $542, ending the year $57 in the red.
Second church building, in use 1906 – Present.
In 1907 the church voted to seek membership in the Mission Covenant denomination (a Swedish Reformed church denomination formed in 1878). The Swedish Evangelical Mission Congregation was accepted and the church became a Mission Covenant church.
In 1916 a six-room parsonage for the pastor was built on the lot just east of the church building for a cost of $1,253. In 1921 a special meeting was held to decide whether services should be held in English or Swedish. The church decided that the young people’s meetings and Sunday School that were already English speaking would continue in English, but the worship service would remain Swedish; the Swedish language was used until 1934 when the first minutes were recorded in English. Also in 1934 the church favored the idea to hold a fall festival service; two years later on November 27, 1936 the first “Annual Harvest Festival” was held.
In December 1936 the church began to broadcast its morning worship services on KID radio in Idaho Falls. In July 1939 the first Bible Camp for young people was held in Jackson, Wyoming. Twenty-five campers from Idaho and Montana attended. On June 5, 1942, 35 years after becoming a Mission Covenant Church, the church changed the name to The Mission Covenant Church of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
In 1945 the church honored 18 soldiers serving in WWII with special gifts and remembered Robert Thompson, who was killed in action. In 1947 Mission Covenant Church remembered their founders with a special service and “Heartened by the example of their founders, the church continued to build for the future.” In 1949 the church celebrated its 50th anniversary with special services from October 19th-23rd.
1954 new sanctuary addition.
In 1951 the construction of a new sanctuary began; on Easter Sunday, 1954 the first service was held in the new sanctuary. Also, in 1954 the church held its first daily Vacation Bible School program. Over the next several years the church struggled, but reported, that “the church maintained its strong Swedish influence and friendly, warm outreach to visitors.”
In the 1960s the National Reactor Testing Station was instrumental in bringing growth in the church. Among those who came were Matt and Mary Laug, George and Lorie Hayner, and Bob and Cathy Phipps. In 1964 another house, just east of the church was purchased for $16,000 and rented out for $100 monthly.
In 1966 the Ladies Sunday School room became known as the “Victory Room.” Also in 1966 Rev. George Laug was called to be pastor. In 1967 the church again changed its name from Mission Covenant Church to The Evangelical Covenant Church. In 1972 Pastor Laug left and a new pastor was called the following Summer. In December 1973 the church allowed the pastor to move from the parsonage in order to purchase his own home, helping him build money for retirement. The parsonage was rented out. In 1974 the church celebrated its 75th anniversary. In the mid-seventies the church considered moving to the intersection of First Street and Woodruff on the advice from an urban planner of the Evangelical Covenant denomination; however the church decided to stay at its 6th Street and Boulevard location.
In September 1977 Pastor Marriot was asked to resign and a number of families left the church with him. The church contacted a District Superintendent of the Christian and Missionary Alliance requesting help to fill the pastor’s position. Rev. Harold Best was recommended and came as an interim pastor while the search continued for a permanent pastor. In 1978 Rev. Bill Gaube was called and in 1979 the church began its affiliation with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, while remaining a member of the Mission Covenant denomination.
In May 1981, a house north of the sanctuary located on 5th Street was purchased for $94,500. The church raised $25,000 to put down and the remaining balance was paid in full in seven years. Also in 1981 the church decided to leave the Mission Covenant denomination and again changed the name from The Evangelical Covenant Church to Alliance Covenant Church. The church retained “covenant” in the name because of the long heritage with the Evangelical Covenant denomination.
The 1980s saw much growth and the church purchased another property located on 6th Street. With the newly acquired property the church owned 250’ of property on 6th Street and 200’ on 5th Street. The houses purchased by the church were destroyed and the basements filled in to provide room for the new facility and parking. In 1986 Pastor Gaube accepted a call to another church; nevertheless the building plans continued under the new pastor who was called in 1987, Rev. Harry Bolwyn. A fund raiser was begun and a groundbreaking ceremony was held in September, 1988. In 1989 the house that had been the parsonage was moved to Bone, Idaho to make room for the new sanctuary.
New sanctuary, dedicated September 17, 1989.
On July 2, 1989 the first Sunday service was held in the new sanctuary; the formal dedication service was held on September 17, 1989. In 1991 major renovations to the old sanctuary (now the educational building) were completed and the parking lot was paved.
In 1999 Perry Rotenberger was hired as a part-time youth coordinator while he also worked to get the Old Faithful Christian Ranch youth camp up and running. Also in 1999 as the church celebrated its centennial, Dr. Gary Goeschl was called to pastor the church into a new century.
In June 2000 the church sent a short-term mission team to Pine Ridge, South Dakota to minister to the Lakota Sioux Indians. In 2004 Pastor Goeschl resigned to do church planting work in Missoula, MT. Cade Bichel came as an interim pastor in January, 2005 and served until Rev. Michael Wedman was installed by District Supernatant Dr. Tim Owen in September, 2005. Pastor Wedman tendered his resignation in November, 2010. Pastor Tim Rupp was called April 1, 2011.
