Oregon Trail Church Celebrates Heritage, Mortgage Payoff

By Magel Walo

The first weekend in October marked a milestone in the life of Oregon Trail Church of God. The weekend celebrated seventy years that the Church of God has been in the Caldwell, Idaho community. It was also the celebration of thirty years at our present location on thirty acres of land at exit 25 on Interstate 84. In 1982, the church, known then as the First Church of God, moved from the downtown location to land given to us with our promise to build a church at this site.

In June 2006, the final phase of the building was completed with dedication in the sanctuary, making the promise a reality. In October 2011, the mortgage was paid off and we all witnessed the burning of the mortgage!

One year following the burning of the mortgage, we celebrated all the milestone events in the life of our church with a Heritage Festival filled with many fun activities involving the church community and people of the area. Guests enjoyed a deep-pit barbecue dinner, and local bands performed for our enjoyment. The children had a myriad of activities, from old-fashioned games like cake walks and pony cart rides to modern thrills found inside bounce houses.

Adults took part in a silent auction, toured the craft and garden fair, and learned more about our missionary families throughout the world. One of our local television stations featured an on-site story of what our church has done and plans to do in the future for our community.

The experience marked the start of a new vision for Oregon Trail Church of God. We now look forward with a passion to ministering to our community in all areas of need. The pioneers that started this church have given us excellent guidelines on how to reach out and accomplish our goals for the future.