History
Beaverton Foursquare Church was founded by Bill Melton and his wife, Jean, in 1961. In 1964, the congregation purchased 10 acres (40,000 m2) along Walker Road, which was then on the outskirts of Beaverton. The initial building project started in 1966 with the chapel being completed in 1968. The new building was dedicated by Rolf McPherson, son of Aimee Semple McPherson who founded the Foursquare denomination. The average weekly attendance at that time was 75 people.
In 1973, Ron Mehl took over leadership of the church. During his time of leadership, the weekly attendance increased to over 5,000 people. A number of new building projects were completed in order to accommodate the growth of the church. This growth also resulted in the Heart of the Word radio ministry, broadcasting the sermons from Pastor Mehl. The staff of the church also increased to include many pastors and other employees. By 2000, the church had grown to 6,000 and was the largest church in Oregon. Ron Mehl continued in his role as Senior Pastor until his death in 2003; his radio ministry continues nationwide under the direction of Compassion Ministries.
After Mehl's death, Randy Remington was named his successor and continues in that role to this day.
Read more about this topic: Beaverton Foursquare Church
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“It gives me the greatest pleasure to say, as I do from the bottom of my heart, that never in the history of the country, in any crisis and under any conditions, have our Jewish fellow citizens failed to live up to the highest standards of citizenship and patriotism.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
“When the history of guilt is written, parents who refuse their children money will be right up there in the Top Ten.”
—Erma Brombeck (20th century)
“The principle that human nature, in its psychological aspects, is nothing more than a product of history and given social relations removes all barriers to coercion and manipulation by the powerful.”
—Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)