Prior to his retirement from Temple Baptist Church (now Communitas Church) in Brainerd, MN, Bob Evan was researching historical documents for the church’s 130th anniversary. He came upon a number of “newsletters” and meeting minutes from the origins of the church. The newsletters were written by and to, other Swedish immigrants in the Brainerd area. And, they were written in Swedish.

2020 had challenges, discouragement, and change. But God works faithfully amidst the troubles and trials to bring us growth and to bring Himself glory.

Like many church plants, when Pursuit Community Church launched in the fall of 2018 in Mounds View, MN, they had no office space. At the time, there were only two staff members. “We used to work out of coffee shops, restaurants, libraries, anywhere that had free Wi-Fi and cozy space. That all changed the day I walked into the Winkin Rooster.” said Lead Pastor Mark Allen.

What draws people into church today? What do they expect when it comes to making them feel comfortable? This is where Bethel found ourselves. We asked - how can we encourage people to walk through our doors? Our first step was to make changes to bring our 1890's church into the 21st century.