By Kathleen Anderson

In 1987 there was an influx of new members at Way of the Cross Church in Blaine, MN . Several had come from different churches in Elk River ; within a short time they were serving in many areas: usher, greeter, youth activities, wedding coordinator, leadership, etc. As strong as the mark of servant hood characterized the Elk Rivergroup, so was the stamp of an evangelist upon the pastor of Way of the Cross Church (WOTC), Tom Stuart. Within those years had been a stirring in his heart to see sister churches raised up. This stirring turned into a vision, and as he shared it, those who felt the same stirring began to formulate a plan.

After much prayer and discussion, two areas were targeted as sites for satellite churches. One was the East Bethel area south of Isanti, and one was Elk River . In the summer of 1990 a task force who felt committed to the Elk River work began a phone calling campaign in the Elk River area. Bob Pullar headed up the ‘Phones For You’ calling. Six thousand people were called; six hundred showed interest in this new church.

Roger Sutch, an elder at WOTC, and his wife Judy were chosen to pastor, and they, along with the thirteen Elk River families who had been serving at WOTC and several families from Blaine who had made a short-term commitment had their first official Sunday service at VandenBerge Jr. High School on September 8, 1991. Roger and Judy taught ‘Life in the Spirit’ classes for years, helping bring people into a further walk in the Spirit; they laid that same foundation now on Sunday mornings as they taught the small congregation at VandenBerge, known as Way of the Cross, Elk River .

In March, 1993, Roger and Judy returned to WOTC, along with most of the Blaine families. Bob Pullar, who had been an elder at WOTC and his wife, Marci, stepped in as pastor and pastor’s wife. In July of 1994, under the recommendation of WOTC founding pastor Don Pfotenhauer, WOTC Elk River was released from its status as a satellite church, to become a local church with its own identity. In the months that followed the new church began to understand who it was that God made it to be. It seemed that the name Living Waters itself, once it was chosen, set the church on its path into the fullness of what God had for it, as well as bringing in an influx of new members. What had been a congregation of around one hundred began to quickly swell.

In the years since that time, Living Waters Church continues to be marked as a body of people who have tasted of the goodness of God, who have known and experienced His presence in life-changing ways, and who like the early church, are devoted to teaching and fellowship and to the breaking of bread and prayer.

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