The Christian Evangelistic Association, an organization that has been planting churches in the Pacific Northwest for 60-plus years (and which will become Evergreen Network this spring), recently reported on the grand opening of Generations Church in Eugene, Ore., which conducted its first public worship service on Jan. 21. Generations is a multi-generational church with a special focus on college students—especially those at the University of Oregon. The CEA gave us permission to share their January newsletter update about “A New Church in Eugene.”
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(Originally published by the CEA on Jan. 25)
It was a crazy week in Oregon—freezing temperatures, snow, ice, downed trees, power outages . . . and the grand opening of Generations Church of Eugene! Despite the adverse conditions, the core team that has been growing and preparing for months hosted their first public worship service! And 485 people still showed up!
One of the best attributes of this new church is how much they emphasize relational evangelism and discipleship with their entire team. This is not a new church born out of marketing, but of genuine generational connection.
Sol Rexius, a fifth-generation Eugenian, has been praying and preparing for this reality for several years. Sol is a graduate of the University of Oregon and Western Seminary in Portland. After graduation, Sol moved away from the Pacific Northwest to Ames, Iowa, to lead a campus ministry at Iowa State University called Salt Company. The Salt Company in Ames isn’t just any campus ministry, it is the first campus ministry in a network of campus ministries around the country called Salt Network. Their mission is to disciple, empower, and raise up college students so they can be sent out from their respective universities upon graduation to help start new churches and campus ministries in college towns all over the United States. It is a tremendous vision!
Sol maintained his heart for Eugene and the University of Oregon campus, and he made the move back to his hometown with his young family about a year ago. His desire was to start a new church and a campus ministry . . . but he didn’t come alone! He brought with him an incredibly gifted group of 30 college grads who have been empowered to lead, share their faith with and disciple others!
Back in September, this core team met thousands of freshmen starting their college careers on the campus of the University of Oregon and began building relationships. Shortly thereafter they started the Salt Company Oregon!
As their team helped students move into their dorms, they also created opportunities to forge relationships—setting up puppy-petting areas in the center of campus, asking students to get coffee and inviting them into small groups. Then, shortly into the new school year, they began holding Thursday-night gatherings across the street in the chapel of Bushnell University. They had 163 students come to their first gathering!
These college students have created tons of energy and given countless hours of service. They have also been given opportunity to enter discipling relationships with followers of Jesus from the core team a generation or two their senior.
Because of Sol’s family connections and the help of the CEA, another core group of people was being developed to lead the church side of things. In 2023 this group also grew and grew. In the fall they began monthly “preview services” that averaged around 250 people of all ages!
That has been Sol’s vision all along. To establish a multi-generational church with a special focus on college students—because the best context to disciple college students is in a multi-generational church!
So, on Sunday, there were people representing every generation from 8 months to 80 years old! Generations Church is off to a fantastic start! The CEA is so grateful for our financial and prayer partners all around the country. The former University Christian Fellowship in Eugene, Southeast Christian Church in Kentucky, Flatirons Church in Colorado, and so many of you partnered to make this new church and campus ministry a reality!
But we are not done yet! Another Salt Company campus pastor from Missouri announced to his church last Sunday that he will be moving to Oregon in the next two years to start a daughter church with Generations Eugene. The CEA and Salt Company will partner again to start a new church in Corvallis, Oregon, with a focus on Oregon State University students!
This aligns with our new CEA values and vision. We not only want to start 50 new churches in the Pacific Northwest in the next decade, but we also want at least 10 of those new churches to be led by leaders developed and sent out from other CEA churches!
Thank you for your partnership, prayers, and financial support that are all helping to establish churches like Generations Church in Eugene! The impact isn’t just generational . . . it is eternal!
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