Church Heritage
1950
“One evening in May, 1950, a group of six gathered in the living room of the Chester Reed’s in north Greeley…” Thus begins the earliest written record of our church’s history. It was at this very first meeting of our congregation that the church we know today as Greeley Wesleyan was born. Reverend and Mrs. G.A. Duncan, our founding pastors, were called to be the first of many wonderful couples God would rise up to be our spiritual leaders.
The minutes of that organizational meeting would go on to record that the “directors” were given these directions, “To meet with the lawyer and go ahead to purchase the property at 2403 Ninth Avenue, to buy twelve folding chairs, and to look for a suitable piano.” Now, 58 years later, the property, chairs and piano first used for our fellowship are gone but the pioneering spirit of our church remains strong.
A small church building was begun later that summer as the new church continued to meet in a home located on the property. A youth service, along with a missionary society, were some of the very first ministries formed by our fellowship. These programs clearly demonstrated what would be some of the greatest priorities of our church …connecting young, old, near, and far away with Christ. By the end of our first year there were 43 attending Sunday School. A modest building, whose construction and furnishings cost only $6,000, was completed by our congregation in May of 1951.
1956
Under the leadership of our second pastor, Rev. R.J. Gilbert, our facility expanded to include a brick sanctuary. Six years after our founding, our church had already completed its second building project …again, continuing the commitment of connecting people
to Christ and Christian community.
These buildings became home for a small number of families who worked hard to build a work that would be bigger than their building, a work that would reach well beyond the scarcely occupied Avenue on which they met to worship. God continued to bless our church …new faces, families, and friends started attending our church and joining the work of our church. As our fellowship grew from a congregation of 43 to 90 they continued adding to their resources by remodeling and adding adjacent lots to their property.
1968
Rev. Wilford Kauffman succeeded Pastor Gilbert as the senior leader of our church. Under his leadership the congregation continued to believe God for greater blessings …drawing up plans for a new parsonage …a home for our pastors that would be dedicated by Rev. Rolland Fletcher, our fourth pastor, in 1968.
1971
“God continued to honor the vision and faith of pastor and people” …so writes one of the earliest historians of our church family. Reverend Francis W. Hubbard became our fifth pastor in 1971. Under his leadership the church facilities and families continued to grow.
1980
The membership, which had grown to 183 members, voted to move the church from our initial home on Ninth Avenue to our current home on Twenty-second Avenue.
1981
In yet another forward step of faith a completely new facility was built at 3600 West 22nd Street. In March 1981, the congregation moved to the new location, believing that God would do as He had so faithfully done, continue to bless the church with growth and opportunity.
1982
Rev. Franklin Hauser, a pastor who had served with distinction in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, was called to follow Pastor Hubbard. After serving as our spiritual leader for only a short time, Rev. Hauser died from a long battle with diabetes. Rev. Jack Gilbert, who had joined the staff as an assistant pastor under Pastor Hauser, was called to be our new Senior Pastor. The church continued to grow under Pastor Jack’s leadership, reaching an average attendance of about 350 regular attendees. Perhaps most importantly, significant progress was made by the congregation in reducing the indebtedness of the church.
1991
In the fall of 1991 Rev. Stephen E. Wilson was called to be our Senior Pastor. Under his leadership the church continued to grow…almost exponentially! The debt of the church was retired in 1993, and in 1999 ground was broken for the construction of a new addition to the facility and some renovation of the existing facilities.
2000
Believing that God would continue to bless this ministry, our church added a 40,000 square foot addition to the west end of our facilities. This new addition houses our Student Center and Administrative Offices. The gymnasium was remodeled to be a Fellowship Hall, and a new kitchen was added, along with three new nurseries. The addition and remodeling project was completed in August 2000. By 2003 the average attendance had grown to just over 1,500. With the rapidly increasing growth of the ministry, as well as the original facility approaching 20 years of age, it was time to consider the next phase of building expansion and renovation of existing facilities.
2004
In October 2004, a congregational meeting was held to discuss the future direction of the church. The faith-filled congregation challenged the leadership to “think outside the box” when considering all possible options for ministry expansion. By the spring of 2005, the leadership and congregation voted to begin a five-year capital campaign to raise $6.4 million for the needed additions and improvements, and ground was broken in January 2006. The additions and renovations included a complete remodeling of the Worship Center with theater seating for nearly 1,000; the addition of an outer court that houses the Common Grounds Coffee Shop and the Resource Center as well as a large Guest Services area; the addition of a Worship Arts practice room; and a new two-story addition on the west end of the building that provides 4,100 square feet of new office space (1st floor) and four new adult classrooms (2nd floor). The construction was completed and the renovated building was dedicated in January 2007.
Through all the remodeling and renovation fund-raising, our church continues to faithfully provide support for 19 missionaries as well as several mission organizations. In addition, many individuals of our congregation have participated in short term mission trips to New Orleans and Kiev, Ukraine. The annual faith promise missions giving by our church family now exceeds $110,000.
Over the past 16 years, additional staff has been hired, greatly increasing the ministries and capabilities of the church. Annual outreach events for the community include our Christmas “Sights and Sounds” presentations, as well as our summer Vacation Bible School for children. A combination of prayer for God’s blessing, as well as faithfulness to use our gifts and abilities, has resulted in many people coming to know Christ as their personal Savior, for which we praise God!
Strong and vibrant ministries for children, youth and adults continue to nurture the growth and spiritual health of our church family, which is approaching 1600 in average attendance. New people visit the church each week as a result of being invited by a family member, friend or neighbor who excitedly calls Greeley Wesleyan Church their church home.
With newly remodeled facilities and a passion for those who do not know Christ, our church prayerfully and expectantly looks forward to continuing the spread of the Gospel in the growing community of Greeley, northern Colorado, and around the world.