Albion Church Heritage

Albion Community Church is a continuation of the town's original three churches - Christian Church, Methodist Church and United Brethren Church. Over the years, the three usually held evening services together, and beginning around 1900, Sunday School was a joint effort, meeting in a different one of the three churches each week. In 1953-54, the Methodist Church and the Christian Church merged to become the Albion United Protestant Church. In 1959, the United Brethren Church dissolved and its members joined the Albion Protestant Church, which was re-named Albion Community Church in 1973.

The Albion Community Church today continues the evangelism and spiritual life of the great American revivals known as The First and Second Great Awakenings. The Albion churches have never been a part of the popular Pentecostal/Charismatic movement that began in 1906 and that promotes healing services and speaking in tongues. Since about the mid-20th century, our church has had close ties with IFCA, the Independent Fundamental Churches of America, and with Northwest Independent Church Extension, the IFCA church planting mission in the Pacific Northwest. This connection grew through close ties with the church in Onecho south of Colfax, and through the doctrinal conservatism of Pastor John Cowles and those who followed him.

The church's agreement and fellowship with Evangelicalism can be seen in its missionaries who serve under many of the evangelical faith missions (see our page, Missions). We are ecumenical in this sense: we try to practice the unity of the body of Christ. His body is all Christian believers everywhere in the world and in all generations since the day of Pentecost. For example, we pray for and support persecuted Christians and indigenous pastors in distant lands. The Albion church is fundamental in that it holds precious the historic Christian doctrines of Christ and his salvation, and of the Bible as God's inerrant Word. We are not separatist by exclusion of and criticism of other churches, but by personal commitment to be holy as Christ is holy. Our members are saved and baptized.

Pastors of the United Protestant (and subsequently Community) church through the years are: Martin Stuck 1953-1955; Russell Peet 1955-1959; John Cowles 1959-1971; Charles Powell 1971-976; Gaylen Dedmon 1977-1988; Dennis Franklin 1989-1990; William Lyons 1990-2010; Laban Molsee 2010-present.

For a complete history of the churches in Albion you may download the pdf. ACC-History.pdf