Our History

The church began on December 23, 1952 as a group of like-minded believers who met in the YMCA and organized the Memorial Bible Mission. Rev. Dale E. Oliver was elected as pastor along with a complete slate of officers for the church and the Bible school. Meetings were held each Sunday in the Little Theater at the YWCA and the weekday services were held at the YMCA for a 9 month period. On August 3, 1953 the congregation adopted Articles of Incorporation as the First Evangelical Free Church of Keokuk, Iowa. The purpose of the church being: 1) the salvation of souls; 2) the world-wide proclamation of God's saving grace expressed in the shed blood and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary; 3) the edification of the believer; 4) the defense of the Faith once delivered unto the saints; 5) the promotion of Godly worship; 6) the cooperation with Christian activity functioning in harmony with God's Holy Word, the Bible, until the returning of our Blessed Lord.

The congregation purchased the log cabin church from the Assembly of God Church, located on 17th and Des Moines. The first services were held in November of 1953. In September of 1957 groundbreaking began for a new building, which the church would occupy until 1996. The church currently occupies the building at 2315 S. 7th.

The church has been served by 6 pastors: Rev. Dale Oliver (served twice at the church), Rev. Howard Webb, Rev. Angus McDonald, Rev. Carl Sutter, Rev. Bill Westholm, and Rev. Craig Burton. The church has also been served by 4 full-time youth pastors: Dave Overholt, Rick Goff, Chris Schaefer, and Rob Sanders.