Our Congregation's History

The Beginning

Mountain View Church of Christ began meeting as a congregation October 4, 1992 at 8778 Estebury Circle, Colorado Springs, CO, 80920. That day, six families: Ralph & Kathy Bowden, Ron & Beth Echols, David & Linda Mills, Bill & Betty Nicks, Larry & Sharron Ozburn, and Ken & Betsy Sublette, were in attendance. Shortly thereafter, the congregation became very mobile moving to different locations around the city as growth required until they arrived at 254 South Academy Blvd. They stayed at that location until November 9, 1995 when the congregation, fast outgrowing their current facilities, purchased the current building and property at 1080 East LaSalle. Recently, we puchased property on the east side of town and are planning a new, larger facility to meet the needs of this growing area.

Ministers

During these transitions, preaching was performed by various men of the congregation. In November, 1994, Dennis McCarty, an Air Force Chaplain stationed at Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, and a preacher of the Lord's Body, filled this position until the Air Force reassigned him to Europe in July of 1996. For the next 13 months, men of the congregation once again filled this void until August, 1997, Glenn "Randy" Randolph was hired as the first full-time minister. Randy retired in February, 2006. As of January 2007, Gordon Shields was hired as the full-time minister.

Leadership

In February, 1995, Ralph Bowden and Larry Ozburn were appointed elders in accordance with God's Word. In June, 1995, deacons were also appointed as follows: Greg Aksamit, Gerald Cleveland, Bob Darnell, David Laubach, John Mitchell, Bill Ragsdale, and Mike West. Since that time, we've grown and the need became apparent for additional elders and deacons. Currently, we have five elders and nine deacons serving this congregation.

Missions

We currently support mission work in Tanzania, Bosnia, Croatia, Italy, and various areas within the United States such as Quincy, IL, and others.

Youth Forum

"Outlook Toward the Future" was held on April 22, 23, & 24, 1994 and was the beginning of the now annual event known as "Youth Forum". This event draws teens from Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming with attendance ranging from 250 to 500. Housing for two nights is provided by families within the congregation. A song director and speaker are usually brought in from outside the local area. Topics are derived from current events affecting teens.

Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School began in the summer of 1996 and has also become an annual event with great success. In previous years, the congregation brought in a group of young people from Saturn Roads Church of Christ in Texas to teach the classes. Currently, we conduct our own VBS with the Mountain View Youth Group helping to teach and perform with puppets.

Youth Camp

In addition to the above events, our young people can spend a week at a Christian Camp in the Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs.

Attendance

The Mountain View congregation has been blessed with growth from the beginning growing from six families (12 in attendance) in October, 1992; to 88 families (215 in attendance) in December, 1994; to 121 families (287 in attendance) at present.