Our History
Weekly Prayer Meeting
On February 13, 2010, we began a weekly prayer meeting to pray for the St. Joseph community. It was during this time that we sensed God’s leading to plant a new church in St. Joseph.
First Church Service
On Saturday, September 17, 2010, our first worship service was held as an outreach of Jubilee Worship Center in St. Cloud. Saturday evenings were chosen to present another option for worship. Our location was 106 Second Avenue NW in St. Joseph, which was previously St. Joseph’s clinic and pharmacy building.
Prayer/Small Group Study
In September of 2011, Wednesday evenings were set aside for prayer and small group studies.
Grand Opening
On September 17, 2011, we hosted a grand opening to celebrate the establishment of our name as Gateway Church with the mission statement of “Helping people find the Way.”
Food and Fellowship
In October of 2011, we introduced a monthly gathering of our church family and friends to provide an opportunity to spend time with one another during a potluck meal.
Christmas Caroling
On December 21, 2011, Gateway members and friends serenaded various residents of St. Joseph with songs of the season of Christ's birth.
Christmas Eve Service
On Christmas Eve of 2011, we celebrated Christ's birth with a candlelight service filled with songs and Scripture readings.
Sunday Morning Service
On Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012, we began to offer a Sunday morning service, in addition to our Saturday evening service.
Family Movie Night
On April 27, 2012, we invited Gateway’s church family and friends to join us on our first Family Movie Night for popcorn, snacks, and the movie “Courageous.”
St. Joseph's Fourth of July Parade
Gateway Church joined the City of St. Joseph’s celebration of Independence Day by participating in the parade.
Family Fun Fest
On July 13, 2012, the community of St. Joseph was invited to Centennial Park in St. Joseph for an evening of games, inflatables, and activities for children; volleyball and basketball for teens and adults, and free food.
Community Vacation Bible School
On August 12 - 16, 2012, Gateway joined Resurrection Lutheran Church and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church for a community vacation Bible school.
Guest Speaker Mickey Robinson
On August 18, 2012, we were honored to have international speaker and author Mickey Robinson give his testimony about how his life was changed after surviving a plane crash.
Church Picnic and Baptism
On August 26, 2012, we held our first church picnic and baptism at St. Joseph’s Wobegon Trail Shelter Park.
Thanksgiving Day Dinner
Gateway’s church family prepared and hosted a Thanksgiving Day dinner for students at St. Ben’s College and St. John’s University who were not able to go home for the holiday.
Christmas Caroling
On December 21, 2012, Gateway’s church family and friends shared the spirit of Christ’s birth with the community of St. Joseph through singing Christmas carols.
Christmas Eve Service
Christ’s birth was honored with a candlelight service filled with songs and Scripture readings.
New Year's Eve Party
On December 31, 2012, Gateway’s church family and friends celebrated the new year with prayer, games, food, and fun.
Family Movie Night
On February 22, 2013, we hosted a family movie night with a showing of the movie “Flywheel.”
Guest Speaker Dave Vilijoen
On April 20, 2013, Apostle Dave Vilijoen delivered an apostolic message for Gateway Church.
Guest Speaker Tom Elie
On May 18, 2013, we were blessed with a message from Tom Elie who is an evangelist and the president of Oasis World Ministries, located in the USA. Oasis is training pastors in 14 countries and equipping them with the “One Minute Witness” faith-sharing tool.
Guest Speaker Dinesh Chand
On May 19, 2013, we were blessed by hearing the testimony of Pastor Dinesh Chand who was born and raised in an Orthodox Hindu family in North India. He left Hinduism, became an atheist, and then an agnostic before giving his life to Christ.
St. Joseph's Fourth of July Parade
Gateway Church again joined the City of St. Joseph’s celebration of Independence Day by participating in the parade.
Community Vacation Bible School
From July 28 through August 1, 2013, Gateway again joined Resurrection Lutheran Church and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church for a community vacation Bible school.
Church Picnic and Baptism
On August 18, 2013, a church picnic was held at Centennial Park in St. Joseph. The picnic was followed with water baptisms at Spunk Lake in Avon.
Guest Speaker Newton Denila
On November 2 & 3, 2013, we were blessed to hear a message from Pastor Newton Denila, who has pastored in Nigeria, Africa, for over 20 years.
Guest Speaker Tyler Perkins
On November 23 & 24, 2013, Tyler Perkins, with Youth With a Mission, delivered a message about his work at YWAM
Christmas Caroling
On December 20, 2013, friends and family of Gateway blessed various members of the community of St. Joseph by singing Christmas carols.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Our celebration of Christ’s birth included a cappella songs and a message from God’s Word.
New Year’s Eve Party
Gateway’s family and friends brought in the new year with games, food, and fellowship.
Guest Speaker Missionary Steve Sullivan
On January 25th & 26th, 2014, Steve Sullivan shared about the new missionary assignment that he and his wife, Jacque, will soon undertake in Myanmar.
Family Movie Night
On January 31, 2014, the movie “The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone” was featured for our Family Movie Night.
St. Joseph’s Free Community Meal
On February 23, 2014, Gateway joined in partnership with the Central MN Catholic Worker, the CSB Community Kitchen, St. Joseph Area Churches, and community members by helping to host St. Joseph’s monthly free community meal at St. Joseph’s American Legion.
Guest Speaker John Severson
On March 15th & 16th, 2014, pro-life speaker John Severson shared a message about his ministry “Abortion: Satan’s Prized Possession.”
Interpretive Dance
For our Easter services on April 19th & 20th, 2014, our worship time included an interpretive dance by Brittney Jones. Brittney is from the Bahamas and attended the College of St. Benedict.
Temporary New Location
During the months of July, August, and September, we met at the St. Joseph Fire Hall in the community room. During this time we held a morning and an evening service on Sundays.
St. Joseph’s Fourth of July Parade
Once again Gateway joined in the City of St. Joseph’s celebration of Independence Day by participating in the parade.
Guest Speaker Tyler Perkins
On August 17, 2014, Tyler Perkins with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) gave an update about his ministry and work at YWAM.
Annual Church Picnic
On August 24, 2014, Gateway’s family and friends met at Millstream Park for our annual church picnic.
New Meeting Locations
In October of 2014, we started meeting in two locations. On Saturday evenings, we held our worship service in the Heritage Hall of the Catholic Church of St. Joseph. On Sunday mornings, we held our worship service in the Benedicta Arts Center Recital Hall at the College of St. Benedict.
Worship Service at The Legends Assisted Living Facility
On Thursday, October 30, 2014, Pastor Bruce began leading a monthly worship service for the residents of The Legends Assisted Living Facility in Sartell.
Monthly Men’s Get-Together
On Saturday, December 6, 2014, a monthly get-together for men was initiated as an opportunity for men to talk about things that pertain to guys and to pray for one another.
Christmas Caroling
On December 16, 2014, various residents of St. Joseph enjoyed Christmas carols sung by family and friends of Gateway.
Christmas Eve Service at The Legends Assisted Living Facility
Residents at The Legends Assisted Living Facility in Sartell and members of Gateway Church joined together in singing songs and listening to a message from Pastor Bruce on Christmas Eve morning.
New Year’s Eve Party
The New Year was celebrated with food, games, and fellowship at the St. Joseph Fire Hall.
Guest Speaker Tyler Perkins
On February 28th and March 1st, 2015, Tyler Perkins updated Gateway family and friends about his work at Youth With a Mission (YWAM).
Russell Arms Apartments Service
In February 2015, Pastor Bruce began leading a weekly worship service and Bible study with residents of the Russell Arms Apartments in Sauk Rapids.
Picnic in the Park Sunday Services
In the months of June, July, and August of 2015, we were unable to meet on Sunday mornings at the College of St. Benedict. To fill the void, we held monthly informal worship services on Sunday mornings at parks in the St. Joseph area. The services were followed with a picnic and games.
St. Joseph’s Fourth of July Parade
Gateway’ family and friends continued the tradition of joining in the City of St. Joseph’s celebration of Independence Day by participating in the parade.
Community Vacation Bible School
From July 26th through July 30th, 2015, Gateway again joined Resurrection Lutheran Church and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church for a community vacation Bible school.
New Church Home
On October 1, 2015, Gateway signed a three-year lease to rent a unit at 708 Elm Street East in the Northland Plaza in St. Joseph. Following two weeks of painting, cleaning, and preparation, we held our first services there on October 17th and 18th.
Christmas Caroling
On December 21, 2015, Gateway’s family and friends walked to nearby homes to serenade our neighbors with Christmas carols.
Christmas Eve Service at The Legends Assisted Living Facility
Residents at The Legends Assisted Living Facility in Sartell joined together in singing songs and listening to a message from Pastor Bruce on Christmas Eve morning.
Christmas Eve Service at Gateway
At 5:00 p.m., Christ’s birth was celebrated at Gateway Church with songs and reading Scripture verses.
New Year’s Eve Party
Beginning at 7:00 p.m., Gateway’s family and friends celebrated the New Year with an original song sung by Tommy Wortham, games, food, and a slide show of the past year’s events.
Guest Speakers Bill and Joyce Tilney
On January 2, 2016, Bill Tilney gave a message on “A Heart to Build.” On January 3, 2016, Joyce’s message was “Building a Life for Divine Purpose.” Bill and Joyce are former pastors, authors, and traveling speakers. Joyce is the founder of Women of God Ministries.
Worship on Thursday Evenings
A time solely for worship began on January 21. Larry Hillman led the worship.
Family Movie Night
The movie “War Room” was shown on February 27th and March 11th.
Memorial Service for Peggy Osfalg
On Friday, April 1, 2016, a memorial service was held for Peggy Osfalg, wife of Dale Osfalg, and mother of John and Matthew Osfalg.
Membership Classes
On April 13 and April 16, 2016, a class was held for those interested in becoming a member of Gateway or for those who wanted to learn more about our church.
New Members
On Sunday, April 17, 2016, six new members were welcomed as Gateway Church Gatekeepers at our Sunday morning service.
Annual Family Gathering
On Sunday, April 17, 2016, Gateway’s family gathered for prayer, worship, testimonies, reports, and discussion of the church’s past year and the days ahead.
St. Joseph’s Annual Fourth of July Parade
Gateway’s family and friends were blessed with the use of a semi-trailer for our parade float by Brenny Transportation as we joined in St. Joseph’s Independence Day celebration.
Community Vacation Bible School
From July 24th through July 28th, Gateway again participated in a community vacation Bible school with Resurrection Lutheran Church and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Annual Church Picnic
Our annual picnic was held at Millstream Park on August 7th with an informal worship service at 10:00 a.m. in the park’s shelter, followed by a potluck picnic lunch and games in the afternoon.
Ladies' Brunch
On November 12, 2016, the women of Gateway began a ministry of fellowship by holding a Saturday morning brunch with plans to meet on a regular basis in the future.
Christmas Eve Service
Our Christmas Eve service was combined with our regular weekend service since Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday. We did not hold our regular Sunday morning service to allow people to have time with their families.
New Year’s Eve Celebration
An abbreviated celebration was held after our Saturday evening service because New Year’s Eve fell on a Saturday.
Annual Family Gathering
On Sunday, March 19, Gateway’s family gathered for prayer, worship, testimonies, reports, and discussion of the church’s past year and the days ahead.
Worship Schedule Change
A decision was made to combine our Saturday and Sunday worship services into one Sunday morning service. Our final Saturday worship service was June 3.
Guest Speaker
On July 9, 2017, we were blessed to meet Jeremy and Melissa Hall and their children. Jeremy presented a message about their ministry with Youth with a Mission (YWAM).
Church Picnic
On Sunday, August 6, Gateway's church family and friends gathered for a picnic at St. Joseph Township's Lions Park.
New Year’s Eve Family Celebration
Gateway’s family and friends gathered to celebrate the New Year with games and a slide show of the events of 2017.
Going Deeper
On Friday, February 16, a biweekly evening meeting including the Word, worship, prayer, and seeking Holy Spirit direction began.
Annual Family Meeting
On Sunday, March 4, our church family met following “food & fellowship” to review the past year and review our financial report.
Burn 24-7
On Saturday, April 21, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Gateway hosted “Burn 24-7”, a worship, prayer, and missions movement. Several worship teams from across central Minnesota came to lead twelve hours of continuous worship and prayer intercession. Everyone was invited to come and worship for as much time as their schedule permitted.
Women’s Luncheon
On Saturday, April 28, ladies from Gateway and their family and friends came together for a time of encouragement, inspiration, and refreshment.