First Assembly of God Cedar Rapids // Our Story

First Assembly began in the hearts of two young preachers, Ivan and Beatrice Kramer.  In 1940 God promised to healPastor Ivan’s back if he started this church.  The church began with 40 people in a rented storefront and God healed his back.  The services moved to the Kramer’s home and then to a double-wide garage built by Pastor Ivan in 1945.   First Assembly continued to grow and in 1948, land was purchased and the building on Oakland Road was completed in 1954.
     
Pastor & Mrs. Kramer felt led to leave the Cedar Rapids area for a new church; however the church in Cedar Rapids continued to grow.  In 1968 they moved to a new location on 42nd Street NE.  In 1983 the attendance at First Assembly was 450, pushing the capacity of the sanctuary to its limits so they began meeting at Kennedy High School to accommodate the growth. 

By September 1984 God had miraculously supplied forty acres of land.  Under the dedicated hands of First Assembly’s family the building went up.  In October 1986 First Assembly hosted the dedication of its new facilities at 3233 Blairs Ferry Road NE.

Through the years, First Assembly of God has been led by 11 senior pastors.  Each minister contributed to the growth and stability of this fellowship. 

In August 1991 Pastor Larry and Judy Sohn with their two children, Brittany and Brandt, came to First Assembly, a congregation of 600.  Pastor Larry & Judy brought with them a love for people that is evident in every service.  Under Pastor Larry’s leadership the congregation with over 3600 adherents continues to grow. 

In 1998 new facilities were added to meet our growing demands by doubling our classrooms and nurseries.  This addition also includes a 500 seat student center, full size gymnasium, state of the art coffee shop and industrial kitchen.     

First Assembly is all about people…people of all ages, from a variety of social and ethnic backgrounds, and from all walks of life.  First Assembly has a passion for our community, for our nation and for the millions around the world that have not yet heard the Good News of Jesus Christ.