A Tabernacle Built on Field Stone
The story of Pentecostal Assembly Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin begins in 1908, when a Swedish immigrant named Joseph P. Rulien gathered five or six families in private homes for prayer and Bible reading. Rulien had traveled to Topeka, Kansas two years earlier to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and the fire that was kindled there traveled with him back to the Chippewa Valley. The first services were conducted in Swedish. With no permanent building, the Chippewa River served as the place of baptism, and on one occasion Rulien immersed eighty-seven people in the name of Jesus.
The little congregation was incorporated on January 20, 1920, as Eau Claire Pentecostal Assembly and bought a storefront at 430 Water Street. They fitted it with old theater seats, a pot-bellied stove, and a baptismal tank beneath the platform. The sign out front read "Jesus Saves Gospel Mission."
The move to the church's present home at 9 Ninth Avenue took shape in 1940, when Rulien told his people that God had asked him to build a tabernacle large enough for 325. World War II delayed construction, and lumber was almost impossible to buy, so members cut their own logs into lumber and hauled nearly three hundred loads of field stone to the site. A large share of the stone facing was hand-chipped into shape by Alice Ebling, whose father had been a stone mason. The iron embedded in the walls and the six one-ton steel beams supporting the roof came from the collapsed Water Street Bridge and were purchased from the city at a fraction of their value.
The basement was dug on June 19, 1944, the first basement service was held on June 9, 1946, and the tabernacle was dedicated on Sunday, July 3, 1949, debt-free, at a total cost of $47,000. Rulien preached his last sermon there three years later, dying on December 21, 1952, at the age of 89. Members still tell the story of the night the northern lights swept low over the new building while the congregation climbed the basement stairs shouting and praising God. "We thought the Lord was going to come!" recalled Ferinda Jordan.
Richard S. Davis of Portsmouth, Ohio, became pastor in June 1953 and led the church for nearly seventeen years. A new parsonage went up in 1954, three properties on Menomonie Street were purchased during the 1960s, and a new front entrance was added to the stone building in 1969. After a brief season under Kelsey Griffon, John Tandberg became pastor in January 1971; both he and his wife Anita had grown up in the church. In 1978, New Hope Christian School opened with its learning centers in the church basement. A fellowship hall was begun in 1983 and became the sanctuary in 1988, and a new sanctuary was opened on May 30, 1999, after a wall collapsed in 1997 and a fire damaged the structure in 1998. The 75th anniversary in June 1995 drew former pastors and UPCI General Superintendent Nathaniel Urshan for a Pioneer Banquet and days of remembrance. Paul Bennett became pastor in July 2005 and served for fourteen years, and an administrative wing was added in 2006. Ray and Judi Nicholls, who had been saved at Pentecostal Assembly in 1975 and later served as missionaries in Belarus, Poland, and Ukraine, pastored the church from August 2019 through October 2020.
That October, Josh and Kristol Anderson and their two children, Hunter and Lauren, were elected as pastor. The Andersons had begun in evangelistic ministry in 2000, then served at Calvary Tabernacle in Indianapolis as Youth Pastor and later Associate Pastor for a total of ten years. They then pastored Grace Tabernacle in Greencastle, Indiana for seven years before answering the call to Eau Claire.
What Pentecostal Assembly Believes
The church's statement of faith sets out a classic Oneness Apostolic doctrine. God is one, manifesting Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, with the Son, Jesus Christ, being God manifested in the flesh. The Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, given through people and preserved as the sufficient rule of faith and practice.
Salvation follows the apostolic pattern proclaimed on the Day of Pentecost: faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, repentance, water baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, accompanied by the supernatural experience of speaking in other tongues. The Christian life is one of holiness, both inward and outward, worked out through prayer, heartfelt worship, expressive praise, honest work, godly marriages and families, and the dedication of time, talent, and treasure to the kingdom of God.
The church also confesses belief in the local and universal church as the body of Christ, in the personal and visible return of Jesus Christ for His own, in the final judgment of all people, and in the life everlasting. "Changing Lives with the Unchanging Message" is the church's motto, and it frames every service and ministry.
Sunday at Pentecostal Assembly
Sunday is the heart of the week at Pentecostal Assembly. Morning Service begins at 10:00 a.m., with Sunday School classes for ages two through eighteen running first, followed by Children's Church for ages two through nine. The Evening Service gathers at 6:30 p.m. American Sign Language interpretation is available at both Sunday services, a long-standing accommodation that makes the gathering accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing members and visitors.
Worship is Pentecostal and expressive, grounded in the conviction that the same gifts of the Spirit that marked the early church are active today. The 9 Ninth Avenue sanctuary, completed in 1999, anchors the present-day congregation.
Wednesday Nights and the Weekly Rhythm
The week builds toward Wednesday evenings, when three programs run back to back. Navigate Classes begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Weekly Bible Study at 7:00 p.m. and Hyphen, the young adult gathering, at 8:15 p.m. There is usually a chair and a plate of food close at hand for the late crowd.
Men meet for prayer twice a week: Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. and Thursday mornings at 7:00 a.m. The first Tuesday of every month is set aside as an all-church prayer meeting at 7:00 p.m., drawing the whole body together for an extended time of intercession. Friday nights belong to the youth: Amplify Student Ministries meets at 7:00 p.m. for students from seventh grade through young adulthood.
Children, Students, and Young Adults
Pentecostal Assembly invests heavily in its young people. Children's ministries include Sunday School, Children's Church, Bible Quizzing, and a Children's Choir, along with annual events such as a church picnic, Rally Day, and a Christmas program. The aim is to share the gospel and the knowledge of Jesus with every age, from toddlers through the teen years.
Amplify Student Ministries is built around Friday night services and a student center where middle schoolers, high schoolers, and young adults can hang out, play, and grow together. Beyond the weekly rhythm, Amplify takes students to Summer Youth Camp, Winter Youth Convention, National Youth Congress, sectional events, and P7 Bible Clubs. The ministry's motto is "Live Louder for Jesus Christ."
Hyphen gathers young adults ages 18 to 35 for community, friendship, and faith. Meetings follow the Wednesday night Bible study, always include food, and range from game nights at the church to outings around Eau Claire. A weekly text reminder keeps the group connected.
REACH, ADVANCE, and Heritage Builders
REACH Ladies Ministries serves women at every stage of life through tea parties, baby showers, hospitality, visitation, baking for special events, and a monthly ladies' prayer gathering. The group also hosts a Ladies Retreat each May and a Christmas Banquet in December.
ADVANCE Men's Ministry connects men to Christ and to one another through service and fellowship. The men have cut and hauled wood, installed garage doors, moved entire households, helped smaller churches around the state, and traveled to Panama and Costa Rica on building trips. They also sponsor outings that include fishing, marksmanship, and auto shows.
Heritage Builders is the church's senior fellowship, gathering for breakfast at local restaurants, holiday dinners, soup nights, and occasional trips to a show together. Moms of all ages and stages meet monthly for a Mom's Night Out through the church's Mom's Group.
Discipleship, Bible Study Series, and Purpose Institute
Discipleship is taken seriously at Pentecostal Assembly. The church publishes three structured Bible study series that move newcomers and longtime members alike through the foundations of the faith. The Firm Foundation Series walks through justification, repentance and baptism, the promise of the Holy Spirit, the nature of God, prayer and fasting, discipleship, spiritual authority, studying the Word, the attributes of holiness, and the believer's place in the church. The Building on a Sure Foundation series picks up with lessons on the will of God, the Son of God, the rejection of Jesus, the second coming of Christ, and godly leadership. The Fishers of Men Series focuses on the calling, surrender, unity, the supernatural, and the harvest, with a strong missions flavor. Each lesson is available as a printable handout.
Beyond the published series, the church offers a Sunday morning Discipleship Class at 9:30 a.m. for newer members, as well as individual, group, and couples' Bible studies. Pentecostal Assembly also serves as a local campus of Purpose Institute, a ministry education program that trains leaders while letting them stay rooted in their local church, work, and family.
Visiting Pentecostal Assembly
Pentecostal Assembly Church meets at 9 Ninth Avenue, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703, easy to find from downtown and one block from the Chippewa River. Sunday morning service begins at 10:00 a.m., and Sunday evening service is at 6:30 p.m. Services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, so anyone who cannot be there in person can still join.
American Sign Language interpretation is offered during the Sunday services. Children are welcome in their own Sunday School classes and Children's Church, and the family-friendly atmosphere extends through every ministry of the church. The church office can be reached at 715-832-2361 or paoffice.ec@gmail.com.
Pastor Josh and Kristol Anderson lead the church alongside a congregation that has been gathering on or near this corner of Eau Claire for more than a century. Pentecostal Assembly is affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International and is part of the Wisconsin District, and the same conviction that sent Joseph P. Rulien home from Topeka in 1908 still shapes the church today: changing lives with the unchanging message.