In June of 1999, a group of about 35 people started meeting on Sunday evenings in the Boesiger’s yard. There would be singing, a lesson from the Bible and prayer. A time of fellowship usually followed. The people that came enjoyed the teaching and the fellowship so much that it didn’t take long before the idea of joining together to actually form a church started to develop. That idea was prayed about, thought on, chewed up and thoroughly digested until it was decided to seek Jim Harris, pastor of Grace Bible Church of Boise (GBC) for advise and direction. The Boesiger’s had been a part of the congregation there while they lived in the Treasure Valley and knew he had a passion for planting churches based on expository teaching of the Scriptures.
Jim and the Elders of GBC prayed about the possibility of planting a church in the Magic Valley. In August, Jim met with the adults of the fellowship group to present a plan for planting a church. That meeting discussed everything from a statement of faith, to "pulpit supply". After more prayer it was decided to start Magic Valley Bible Church (MVBC). MVBC begin services in September 1999.
Initially, pastors of GBC would fulfill the teaching and preaching ministries of MVBC until enough financial support was available to hire a full-time pastor.
During the first few weeks the church met in the Evergreen Building on the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) campus. The lecture hall in that building was soon outgrown and the church moved to the Shields Building at CSI toward the end of October.
Eight months latter, in August of 2000, MVBC called their first pastor, Bear Morton. With the addition of his effort, the leadership of MVBC started a six-month process of leadership transition, moving the leadership responsibility from the steering committee (established at that first meeting with Jim) to the biblical model of elder rule.
MVBC continued to meet, every Sunday, in the Shields Building for two more years. During those formative years, Vacation Bible School became an important ministry to MVBC. Since MVBC had facilities for Sunday only, the July 2001 and 2002 VBS weeks were held in a big tent behind the Expo Center on campus. Both years were very successful, both spiritually and physically (lots of kids!). Many children, as well as parents learned about the love of God through Jesus Christ, His Son, who came to save men from the punishment of their sin which they deserved.
The Elders had also been praying for an opportunity to move out of the Shield's Building and into a facility that would afford 7-day ministry facilitation. In September of 2002, God opened an opportunity for MVBC to move from CSI into the building of First Christian Church. MVBC has enjoyed the use of that facility holding mid-week, and weekend ministries like Awana, Adult Bible Studies, fellowship meals, Outreach, Youth ministries, Men’s and Women’s ministries, Children's Church and Sunday School, and Adult Fellowship classes for all ages and so much more!
God has abundantly blessed Magic Valley Bible Church above what we could have ever imagined...
Magic Valley Bible Church
Services - 601 Shoshone St N, Twin Falls, ID
Office - 421 Washington Street North
Phone - (208) 733-5248