Evangelical Free Church of Embarrass

Established in 1979, the Evangelical Free Church of Embarrass started out as a small group Bible Study in the home of Ron and Verna Sutton. That small group of families quickly began to grow, and it became evident that God was starting an exciting new ministry. They started praying for a pastor who could shepherd them, and within a short time the Lord sent them a young man by the name of Marlin Bjornrud.

This small core group of believers decided to affiliate themselves with the Evangelical Free Church of America, and they met for a short while at the town hall in Embarrass, until the Aurora Baptist Church gave them their old church building. Property was purchased, the building was moved, and EFCE was officially born! We were in that building for only a short time, however, before it burned down in 1982. Ironically, Marlin had just preached from 1 Peter 1:7.

The building was completely destroyed by that blaze. Amazingly, one of the only things left intact after the smoke cleared was the old wooden cross at the front of the sanctuary. Our faith survived that "trial by fire" as well, and we moved on to build our current church and continue the work of ministry. Glory to God!

The church has been growing ever since. We now minister to over 100 families, with an average worship attendance of 180 individuals, who come from Embarrass and eleven surrounding northern Minnesota communities: Aurora, Babbitt, Biwabik, Britt, Ely, Gilbert, Hoyt Lakes, Mountain Iron, Virginia, Tower and Soudan. It has been exciting to watch the Lord build this body into what it is today. And we are confident that He has greater things in store for us in the future, as we hold fast to the following ideals:

-A firm stand on the essential doctrines of Christianity
-Commitment to the plurality of godly leaders
-High standard of holiness
-Strong emphasis on discipleship
-Strong Biblical preaching and teaching ministry
-Commitment to being active, ministering people
-Consistent practicing of the One Another Principles
-Devotion to the family
-An effective community penetration
-A willingness to stretch our faith
-A spirit of sacrifice
-Strong focus on worshipping and glorifying God
-Devotion to corporate and personal prayer

May God keep us on track as we seek to EDIFY the saints, EQUIP workers and EVANGELIZE our world, so that Christ may be EXALTED.