40 people started Willamette Church of Christ, in the basement of the old West Linn Fire Hall back in 1957.  These members had a vision to impact their community through authentic worship, biblical preaching and genuine community service. 

As our church population grew, ministry needs did as well, and in 1961 we purchased and built the original church building off what is now the 10^th street exit in the Willamette District of West Linn.  In 1973, the church added an additional wing to the building to accommodate educational needs.

In 1982, the church purchased a five-acre parcel of property in West Linn for $100,000 dollars.  Originally, this property was bought with the intention of building our new church upon it, but it proved too expensive to build out as our church home.   In 1995, we sold this property for $900,000 dollars. 

In the early 80’s, we adopted the name Willamette Christian Church, and as membership continued to grow, we completed a full major remodel.   Again, in 1996, we remodeled and added 80 seats.  In the fall of 2000, we contracted with Rosemont Ridge Middle School to host our Sunday programs and now we regularly serve over 800 people in two services each Sunday morning at Rosemont Ridge.

In December of 2006, we hosted a Big Event at the Monarch Hotel to officially commence on our Growing from the Heart Campaign – a three year capital campaign of contributions to purchase and construct our new church home.  We received unanimous support from the 700 in attendance to embark upon the purchase of 34.7 acres at the corner of Brandywine and Salamo road.  Through their vote, and the sacrificial commitment of over $2.55 million in pledges, we moved forward to purchase the property at the heart of West Linn.   Outside the urban growth boundary, our property is under the jurisdiction of Clackamas County, and is directly situated on the West Linn property line.  This location presents unique challenges in the design and approvals process, and we have endeavored to work closely with our partners at the County and City Hall. 

In January of 2007 we received Conditional Use Approval from Clackamas County and began defining our program and space needs, and in May of 2007, we closed on the property and commenced on our design.  The Architectural firm of Myhre Group was selected to design our new church home, and the General Contracting firm of BNBuilders has partnered with us to construct our church home.  The future home includes three phases, with Phase I including a multi-purpose worship and meeting space, administrative offices, nursery and children’s area, and parking to support over 200 cars.

In October 2007, we celebrated our 50^th Anniversary and a Groundbreaking Ceremony entitled “Our place in HIStory”. Over 800 adults, youth and children enjoyed a Sunday service that included worship, special guests and members from the community, and a message from Lead Pastor, Joel Dombrow.   We honored former Lead Pastors Leo Woodruff, Terry Malsey, Don Johnson and Gary Snavely (pictured below left to right).

After the service, we enjoyed a special lunch together, displayed a pictorial history of our church, and paraded to the new property to dedicate the new land.  Charter member George Perdue, and long term elder and building committee member, Mark Foley, dug a ceremonial shovel of dirt to dedicate our new land and commence on the building process.

In December of 2007, we renovated the Tenth Street building once again to provide a youth lounge for our junior and senior high schoolers, and to support a Saturday night service to attract the youth and un-churched in the Southwest Metro area.  Through the contributions of many of the church family, and the hard work of many hands, once again our Tenth Street building was enhanced to support the ministry needs of our community.  Today, over 200 adults, youth and children enjoy a vibrant Saturday night program, and are part of the Willamette family. 

Our Tenth Street building is home to many activities throughout the week, including bible studies, children’s and youth events, worship practices, men’s and women’s gatherings, and community programs like Young Life, 4-H, Lions’ Club, and other civic and service needs.  It is in a strategic location to be a visible, viable and enriching part of the Willamette and West Linn communities.

Since 1959, our emphasis has been on being a caring community that loves God, loves people, and serves the world.  Today, we have over 30 ministries and missions that serve our church family, the community and our world.  Our newest ministry, “The Table”, serves breakfast each Friday morning to those in need, and is a tangible representation of the hearts of service of the WCC family.