On March 18, 1983, a small group of Christians from the Auburn area met with the District Superintendent of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) to discuss staring a local church.
On May 29th of that same year, those followers of Jesus gathered for the first time as a church. In July, James (Jim) Caister became their first pastor, and on August 21st preached his first sermon. He and his wife Marie would serve the people of Auburn and the church faithfully for the next nine years.
Over the next few years, the people would experience meaningful spiritual growth. On November 9th, 1986 the church was officially organized as a CMA church with 30 charter members. Several of these original 30 men and women are still part of our family today.
Less than a year later, the people purchased a 7-acre parcel of land without the need for a loan. We're grateful for their sacrificial giving. On February 21st, 1988 the people voted to begin construction of a building for the church family. Ground-breaking was May 15th; the facilities were opened and first used on November 6th.
March 1, 1992 marked a transition for our church family, as Pastor Jim was called to be District Extension Director for the CMA. By August of that year, Pastor Jim Welch was called as our pastor. He and his wife Janet served AAC for nearly 6 years. Along the way, John Anderson became our youth pastor, serving in that role for many years. In life there are always transitions, and we eventually said good bye to both of these families.
In August of 1998, Pastor David Schleh was called as our third pastor. He and his wife Gloria were a great blessing to AAC and the community of Auburn. Following his ministry, Pastor Clark VeltKamp served a season with us.
While many things have changed and undoubtedly will continue to change, we at AAC are deeply rooted in the ancient faith of Jesus Christ. Under the leadership of our elders (including, since July 2009, Pastor Shaun), we continue to walk into the future that the LORD has for us while honoring our rich and wonderful heritage. We humbly ask that you consider whether you might be a part of our future, too.
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