Our Story
Oxboro Church Founding
Oxboro Evangelical Free Church was born as the Oxboro Gospel Mission on October 18, 1942. Prior to that date, God had been at work in the lives of individual Christians who longed for Christian fellowship and spiritual nourishment for themselves and their families. These were motivated by a vision to evangelize a spiritually needy community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were convinced that what God had called them to do, He would surely enable them to accomplish. Oxboro’s first services were held in a dance hall and then shifted to the Transient Camp dining hall in Savage, MN. From there they moved to a tent, outdoors and when that blew down, the church met in a bank building.
1942 with 42 People
God began His good work with this church on October 18th, 1942. Forty-two people were at this first gathering. It started because Bill and Sadie Sneller had a desire to see the Gospel spread from Savage, MN to here. They called themselves Oxboro Gospel Mission. The meeting place was a former beer parlor.
Just a few months prior to opening, Bill Sneller, who was so adamantly opposed to Christianity that at one time he tore up his wife’s Bible, came to know Christ when he told his wife, “Sadie, now I can see what you’ve been trying to tell me for 23 years about the power of God. It was me that was blind.”
He said those words in July. The church opened in October and just four weeks after the church opened, Bill suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrhage. His last words to his wife were, “I’m so glad we are all together in Christ’s family. Our boys are safe in the fold. If you have to sell the house to do it, keep those mission doors open so others can find the peace in living that I have found.”
The church doors stayed open then and the good work that God began in 1942 continues on today.
The Original Building
The ending of World War II brought an enormous need for housing as hundreds of young couples and their families began to move to the suburbs. As a result, Bloomington, MN grew rapidly. With increased opportunities for ministry, the space in and around Oxboro Chapel became inadequate. Sunday school attendance mushroomed. Classes met in church buses, garages, the parsonage and nearby homes. It became apparent that it was time to build. The summer of 1951, a vision for expansion crystallized. The emphasis was to be upon youth and a multi-purpose educational/recreational facility as a means of reaching Bloomington. On July 20, 1952 ground was broken for a 120 x 52 educational/recreational Quonset building with space for 35 Sunday School rooms, as well as a gymnasium/worship center and a three bedroom apartment.
Our Next Building
After many months of prayers, plans and dreams, the building of a sanctuary became a reality. On April 21, 1962 the ground was broken for a new sanctuary and in February of 1964 the building was complete with seating for 300 in the main sanctuary. The balcony, choir loft, and overflow seating would bring the total to 550. The building would be attached to the educational/recreational Quonset building.
In April of 1984, the Quonset building was demolished. The ground breaking of the new CE Building was September 9, 1984 and in June of 1985 it was completed.