John Lichty and Christian C. Wenger came from the Sonnenberg Swiss Mennonite Settlement in Dalton, Ohio, to “American Switzerland” in the frontier of Oregon in the late 1870’s. Soon, other families followed them, forming a rural community of hard working farm based families near Silverton. In 1890, Emmanuel Mennonite Church, (the first Mennonite church west of the Mississippi), was organized with 32 members under the ministry of Rev. John Rich. The first fourteen years were spent in a rented church building, 1 1/2 miles east of the present site. The rental cost was $10 a year, and Rev. Rich received no salary. There are many things that have changed since that time, besides the budget! But, many of those things that made Emmanuel so special in those early years are still the same.
In 1904, the church began meeting at its present site. Buildings have 
been constructed, remodeled and burned down, but Emmanuel still has a presence in the community. The size of the congregation has grown, but many of the charter member’s family names are actively represented in our congregation today. Many of our programs have changed, but it is the same Word of God we preach and teach. God has helped us to grow in our witness through both our words and our lives right here in our community as well as “to the uttermost parts of the earth”.
In 1984, the Emmanuel Mennonite Church congregation decided to withdraw from membership in the General Conference Mennonite Church, and in 1985, took the name Emmanuel Bible Church. Some of the distinctives that have characterized the ministry at Emmanuel 
through the years are a high rate of volunteerism, good music, solid family ties, a great mix of generations, a high regard for God’s Word, and emphasis on integrity of life and a healthy involvement in missions.