Great faith was revealed by starting a new church in a city the size of Cheyenne. Sustained by that faith, Pastor Adrian House accepted the call on October 11, 1964 to plant the Berean Fundamental Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming and to become its first pastor. He agreed to serve with no stipulated salary. Instead, Pastor House would be supported by personal friends and relatives across the country until responsibility could be shifted to the local church.

In carrying the “Good News of Salvation,” we believe our responsibility includes the people of Cheyenne, the surrounding cities and towns, and every corner of the world. Jesus said, “The world is the field.” It was on this premise Cheyenne’s Berean Fundamental Church was organized on October 19, 1964 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gydesen. Present were Pastor and Mrs. Adrian House, Pastor Carl Goltz, Pastor Glenn Adams, Pastor Everett Lisle, and the Gydesens.

The first services were held on November 1, 1964 with ten people in attendance in the morning worship service and five in the evening service. The I.O.O.F. Lodge Hall was leased and used for Sunday services for two years. “We were the only church with a Coke machine in the sanctuary,” one longtime member laughed! Midweek services were held at the Pastor’s house. Richard and Judy Gydesen were received as the first members. Nearly 100 people came to know Christ the second year of the ministry.

Attendance was increasing and the congregation was outgrowing the hall. A new building was erected in 1966 at 5307 Hynds Boulevard. God’s blessings were evident from the very beginning. We had purchased land, built a new building, and had approximately 200 in attendance all within the first two years.

Upon the resignation of Pastor House, Pastor Ron Smithgall took up the banner on January 5, 1969. Five years later, the present property at 5716 Powderhouse Road was purchased and ground breaking service was held on July 25, 1976. Construction was concluded in record time, due in part, to hard work by the congregation completing much of the interior themselves. The new Berean Fundamental Church of Cheyenne proudly hosted the National Convention of 1978. The hand of our Heavenly Father was truly on this work.

The present pastor, Richard Crocker, conducted his first service on February 3, 1990. He and his wife, Toni, serve God and the flock tirelessly. Many new programs such as Focus Groups and MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) were initiated that provided out reach into the community. The house just south of the church property was purchased and church offices were moved there, providing additional Christian education space in the main building. Twice in the last decade CBC has hosted the Berean National Convention. Hallelujah! What a Savior!  Back to Top

40th Anniversary Video Script

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands . . . from one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him . . . “ Acts 17:24-27 NIV
 
The Psalmist proclaims to God in Psalm 119:90, “Your faithfulness continues through all generations!” Indeed, our God has been faithful to all generations! Today, we are celebrating God’s faithfulness in and through the 40 years of Cheyenne Berean’s ministry; His faithfulness to our church family; His faithfulness to His eternal purposes in Cheyenne and to every part of the world.
 
So let’s rejoice together in thanksgiving to God as we glimpse at the past, celebrate the present, and eagerly look to the future.
 
Rev. Adrian House had been the pastor of the Berean Fundamental Church of Mitchell, Nebraska. When Adrian told his wife, Juanita, that they had been asked to go pastor a new church in Cheyenne, she said, “No way, Jose. I’m not going to that windy city!” Although Mrs. House had said she would never live in Cheyenne, Wyoming, later she wrote, “Isn’t it fascinating how the Lord turns our dislikes into a growing loving submission and gives us grace to make us yield to His will?!”
 
On October 11, 1964, he resigned his pastorate in Mitchell, and accepted the call to start a Berean Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Berean Fundamental Church of Cheyenne was organized on October 19, 1964, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gydesen, and those present for this organizational meeting included, in addition to Rev. and Mrs. Adrian House, Rev. Carl Goltz, Rev. Glenn Adams and Rev. Everett Lisle, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Gydesen and Willadeen Arnold (Chamberlain).
 
Great faith was manifested in starting a church in a city the size of Cheyenne. It was faith which revealed the enormous need of a large city. A need that could not be met by the churches in the city, and it was felt that a Berean Church could help.
 
Almost simultaneously to the starting of the church was the opening of a bookstore on 17th Street in Cheyenne.  Mr. and Mrs. Gydesen made themselves to run the bookstore. The store had been previously owned and Dr. Olsen was approached for the purchase of the bookstore. The Scottsbluff District took over the store, and carried on a most successful bookstore ministry.
 
The first services in Cheyenne were held on November 1, 1964 in the I.O.O.F. Hall, at 1521 Dun Avenue with ten people in attendance in the morning service and five in the evening service. The hall was rented for $70.00 per month. One long-time member laughed, “We were the only church with a Coke machine in the sanctuary!”
 
Sunday School, and morning and evening services were held at the hall; and mid-week services were held in the pastor’s home at 4120 East 6th Street and later at 1010 East 5th Avenue. God’s blessings were evident from the very beginning of the work. The attendance under the ministry of Adrian House was most encouraging.
 
In his Pastor’s Report for 1964, Pastor House wrote, “God has been so very gracious to us these past two months in Cheyenne. There is no doubt that His hand is upon the work. ‘For a great and effectual door is opened to us, and there are many adversaries’ (I Cor. 16:9). We feel there is much ‘ground yet to be possessed.’”
 
Pastor House’s personal purpose for the church was threefold:
 
First, it is our purpose to so teach and preach the Word of God that people will receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior.
Second, it is our purpose to build Christians into effective “soul-winners”.
And third, it is our purpose to help and instruct Christians to discover and live the “Spirit-filled” life.
 
Established on these purposes, Cheyenne Berean believed that in carrying the “Good-News of Salvation”, it’s responsibility includes the people of Cheyenne, the surrounding cities and towns, and every “corner” of the world. Jesus said, “The world is the field.”
 
It was discovered that there were many who had similar burdens for the need of a Berean Church in Cheyenne, and who identified themselves with those who spearheaded the work. Nearly 100 people came to know Christ the second year of ministry.
 
By 1966, plans were made for a church building. In the same year, a building was erected at 5307 Hynds Blvd. God’s blessing increased, and the work grew. Within two years, land had been purchase, a new building constructed, and about 200 people were in attendance. Late in 1968 Pastor House accepted a ministry with Biola College in California, and resigned from the pastorate in Cheyenne.
 
Very shortly after Pastor House left, the Scottsbluff District helped the Cheyenne Church locate Rev. Ron Smithgall, who was serving a church in northern Indiana. He accepted the call to the Cheyenne Church in December of 1968. Pastor and Mrs. Smithgall and their two sons, Randy and Rex, moved to Cheyenne and took up the work on January 5, 1969. God’s presence became immediately marked, and the work that had begun continued to spread and to increase.
 
In 1972 a radio ministry with KVWO was begun that continued for eight years, a half hour broadcast on Sunday mornings at 8:30.
 
In 1973 the AWANA ministry was started at Cheyenne Berean. It was one of the first chartered in the Rocky Mountain area.
 
It was early in 1974 that it became obvious that the need of a larger church was necessary. An architect was obtained for the expansion plans. A thorough study was made of what could be done on the old site; if it were possible to enlarge the existing facilities. But because there was not enough land, and because the property surrounding the land was of such exorbitant cost, it was agreed that it was necessary to re-locate.
 
In the fall of 1975, the present property site was purchased, and the ground-breaking service was held on July 25, 1976. Construction began in September of 1976. The building was actually built in very good time, and the National Convention of 1978 was held at the newly completed Berean Church in Cheyenne. On September 11, 1977 at the dedication of the church, the founding Pastor, Rev. Adrian House, was brought for the ministry, and Pastors from the Berean Fellowship assembled there; many participated in the lovely dedication service. It was the opinion of Dr. Ivan Olsen that the Cheyenne Church facility was one of the best and most adaptable church buildings in the entire Fellowship.
 
As the ministry grew, Eldon and Marian Sandin joined the staff on New Year’s Day of 1983. Pastor Sandin served as associate pastor until the fall of 1987.
 
Our present pastor, Richard Crocker, conducted his first service on Feburary 3, 1990. He and his wife, Toni, continue to serve the flock tirelessly. Ministry has expanded through ministries such as the Focus Groups and MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), which has been initiated by their efforts to reach out into the community of Cheyenne. In faith, additional staff have been added to carry out God’s assignment for Cheyenne Berean.
 
Pastor Crocker has been used by God in instrumental ways not only at Cheyenne Berean, but also through his service as Vice President of the Berean Fellowship, Chairman of the Board of Maranatha Ministries, and his involvement on the International Church Planting Team of the Berean Fellowship. Pastor Crocker has made multiple missions trips to India and has contributed to the training of native Indian pastors and the establishment of the Berean Fellowship of Churches in India.
 
We are thankful for their diligent and faithful service for these nearly 15 years! Pastor Crocker has been at the helm and courageously guided Cheyenne Berean through peaceful and stormy seas. We look forward to his continued leadership as we seek to carry out God’s assignment for Cheyenne Berean now and into the future.
 
Through 40 years of ministry, God has raised up His servants from the family of Cheyenne Berean who have touched all the continents of the world except Antarctica.
 
We praise God that Cheyenne Berean remains faithful and committed to the three purposes on which it was founded of winning the lost, building up Christ’s Church, and equipping believer for effective ministry.
 
Today, we celebrate God’s faithfulness to all generations. Today, we celebrate God’s faithfulness to His purposes in Cheyenne, the surrounding area, and to every corner of the world. Today, we celebrate God’s faithfulness as we look to a future where the people and ministries of Cheyenne Berean continue to be used by God to impact our neighborhoods, communities, and world in such a way that people can only explain it as the work of God.
 

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