In 1939, twenty locals in McKenzie Bridge founded a church even though they didn’t have land to build it on. Smith Taylor deeded them the lot the church is still on, and local sawmills donated lumber. With the community working together the McKenzie Bridge Christian Church became a reality. The first pastor, Francis Cook, drove up from Eugene every Sunday for thirteen years to give his sermons. By the time Gary Johnson (far left) became pastor, the congregation had grown to over a hundred people.