Faith OPC in Grants Pass and Trinity OPC in Medford were started as one church, the Southern Oregon Orthodox Presbyterian Church, but with two congregations. Services began in both congregations on January 2, 1977, with Calvin Malcor as pastor. The Faith congregation met in the Grants Pass Seventh Day Adventist Church, and the Trinity congregation met in Medford.
Jay Milojevich was called for an internship and located in Grants Pass beginning in July, 1978. He served as intern in Grants Pass for a year and was then called as an associate minister in July, 1979. On May 1, 1983, the two congregations became separate churches. Jay Milojevich became the pastor at Faith, and Pastor Calvin Malcor remained with Trinity in Medford.
Soon thereafter the church developed and sponsored an annual Rogue River Adventure Weekend each summer, drawing up to 100 young people and their families from our presbytery churches. This project continued until 2005.
In 1988 the congregation had to relocate from the SDA chapel to the gymnasium of the Fleming Middle School. In late 1989 the building and property at 280 Red Mountain Drive was purchased; services at Red Mountain began in January of 1990. Extensive improvements were made. Although located about ten miles north of the city of Grants Pass, the facility served the congregation well.
At the end of 1990 Pastor Milojevich resigned his pastoral position and began to do counseling. However, he continued to serve as the stated supply until a new pastor could be found.
In August 1992 Pastor Larry Conard came to Faith Church to begin his ministry. Shortly thereafter two particular ministries were begun: a Women’s Bible Study and a Youth Group. Through those ministries four families were added to the church, and the congregation began to grow significantly. The session worked diligently in home visitation, and men were trained for officers. During Pastor Conard’s tenure, average worship attendance went from 65 to 139, and the Sunday School from 40 to 92. Total membership went from 77 to 165. One of the blessings in the church has been the marriage of young people within the congregation, who now are rearing their children in Faith—three generations worshipping together!
Pastor Conard retired from the ministry at Faith, and Pastor Mark Sumpter was called to be the pastor. Pastor Sumpter began his ministerial duties at Faith in July of 2002. In June 2011 we were able to purchase a new church facility in the city of Grants Pass. We relocated from 280 Red Mountain Drive and began services at the new location at 2033 Harbeck Road. Pastor Sumpter resigned the office of pastor to take up ministry as director of Youth For Christ in the Grants Pass area in July of 2012. While looking for a new pastor, the church was well served with pulpit supply primarily by pastors Conard, Malcor, Milojevich, and Sumpter.
Pastor Karl Thompson was called and arrived in September of 2014 to take up the duties of full time pastor at Faith. He, his wife Allison, and their six children are a blessing to us, and it is nice to have Allison back since she spent part of her youth as a member of Faith church.
Over the years, we have been blessed with men who have served as interns.
- Matthew Kingsbury, summer intern, 1998
- Michael Babcock, yearlong intern, 1999-2000
- Stephen Murphy, yearlong intern,
- Dan McManigal, yearlong intern, 2006-7
- Markus Jeromin, a yearlong intern, 2007-8
- Timothy Broussard, summer intern, 2018
- Elijah DeJong, yearlong intern, 2020-21
Faith also planted a daughter church in Roseburg, OR. For many years a few interested families who were members of Faith from that area, had been interested in planting an OPC church closer to home. The Faith session agreed, and the effort began when Ralph English was called to the work there in January 2000; he ministered in Roseburg for 2½ years. Stephen Murphy served the church in Roseburg as an intern for a year, and then Pastor Dan McManigal served from 2006-2009. Pastor Conard, although retired from his full time pastorate in January 2002, preached and pastored families in Roseburg for a few years. Our daughter church, now called Covenant Grace, became a congregation on its own in May, 2011, with Jeff Scott as their pastor.