The History of Our Church

Mission work was attempted in the Casper area by the WELS in 1974 but was discontinued. “Casper grew from a sleepy city to a major regional center for oil and gas companies and the service industries that follow them as growth accelerated in the mid-1970′s. In the spring of 1982 a recession arrived and eventually many families moved away” (US News & World Report).

On July 20, 1980 seminary graduate David Russow was ordained and installed at an evening service in the Casper Hilton Inn.

Groundbreaking for the 2,298 square foot Worship Education Fellowship (WEF) unit was held on Easter Sunday, April 22, 1984. Pastor Russow accepted a call to St. Peter, Fort Collins, Colorado, and the resulting vacancy lasted from the fall of 1985 to July 1986, when the Lord provided seminary graduate Ricky Himm as the next shepherd of the congregation. In 1996 Pastor Himm accepted a call to California, and the Lord provided the congregation with Pastor Nathan Seiltz. In early 2000 the congregation said good-bye to Pastor Seiltz and his family after he accepted a world mission call to the Dominican Republic. Pastor Philip Spaude was installed on September 2, 2001 as the next pastor of the congregation.

Groundbreaking for a new 120 seat chapel was held on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006. In May excavation began. By November 1 the project was completed by Brownell Construction. One blessing of this new chapel is that it doubles the size of the current facility to provide more space to conduct ministry.

As the city of Casper grows, the congregation plans to continue to be a tool of the Holy Spirit, to reach out to the unchurched in our community, and to nurture its own people with the living and enduring Word of God.