In the year 1916, traveling evangelists, Allen Crabtree and Irvin Hockett, distributed Apostolic Faith Church papers in Southwest Wisconsin. Some of this literature found its way into the hands of a young man by the name of Melvin Gander. Having been wonderfully saved awhile earlier, Mr. Gander was hungry for more of God, and the paper he read shed light on the experiences of sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He sought and received these experiences, and soon felt the call to preach the Gospel. In answering that call, he promised God to preach the Bible “from cover to cover”—a promise he faithfully kept.

In 1919, after spending some time in Portland, Oregon, with the people of the Apostolic Faith Church, Mr. Gander returned to Wisconsin eager to spread the good news. He began holding meetings in Richland County. On the streets, on the courthouse lawn, in old country churches and schools, the Gospel was preached. The meetings were filled with the Spirit of God and souls were touched. People prayed through to victory, and real deliverance was given to honest, seeking hearts. Among the early converts were Ivan “Jack” Hoover and the Fred Bible family.

Around 1925, two of the young Bible daughters moved to Minneapolis to help in the work of the Apostolic Faith Church in that city. One of them, Lucille, later married and, in 1935, moved back to the Concord, Wisconsin, area with her husband. Coming from a musical family, she felt led to start an afternoon singing and Sunday school class for the children in the neighborhood. Word spread and, in time, children literally would walk for miles to be part of those gatherings. Their young hearts were hungry for the truths of the Gospel. These meetings eventually turned into regular services that were initially held in a vacant Concord church. The young woman who had organized the “singings,” Lucille Miller, became the first pastor. She was ordained by the Apostolic Faith organization in 1937 and served as pastor for many years.

The little church had an evangelistic “heart” from the beginning. Saturday night street meetings were begun, and they continued for many years. At different times during the church’s history, the congregation ministered in jails, nursing homes, hospitals, and cottage meetings, always eager to share the message of Jesus Christ.

In the early 1950s, an old Lutheran church at the corner of Larson and Burton Streets, in nearby Richland Center, was purchased. The congregation worked evenings to repair and paint the inside of this brick building. The building was dedicated in June, 1952. In 1978, the facility was remodeled. In 1996, the sanctuary underwent another facelift. The unique metal ceiling and lovely stained glass windows, some of the original structural details, were kept intact.

In 1980, when Lucille Miller retired, Reverend James Seely briefly assumed the pastorate of the church. He was followed later in the same year by Reverend Lyle Bishop. Reverend Norman Allen also pastored the church for a time (1982 to1988), as did Reverend Paul Andrews (1988 to1994). The current pastor is Reverend Kerby Thompson, who began serving in this capacity in 1994.

The work in Richland Center is still proclaiming, “Jesus, the Light of the World.” This is done through church services, Sunday school, music programs, radio, cable TV, literature, a church web site, prison work, youth work, services in care facilities for the elderly, and individual contacts.

As from the beginning, no collections are ever taken. Every service provides plenty of Gospel music, the Word of God, and a time and place to pray before and after service for those who wish to do so.

Eighty years have passed since those first meetings were held in Concord. On October 5 - 7, 2001, the Richland Center congregation enjoyed a weekend celebration of this anniversary. Presentations, pictures, and remarks by a number of old-timers and former residents of the area all served as reminders of the many miraculous ways God has worked for the Apostolic Faith Church family in Richland Center, Wisconsin.

Information about the schedule of services for the church in Richland, Center is available here.