Our Story

Rome Community Bible Church has its roots as a Sunday School started by J.M. Witter in 1908. Sunday gatherings were originally held at the Rome Grange. Holding the services in the Grange Hall presented problems because it was often necessary to clean up the hall on Sunday morning after a party or basketball game the night before. Mr. Lewis Beebe offered the group the use of a shingle mill cookhouse, which was down along Anderson Creek. This building was used for a year and during this time plans were made to build a church building an official church constitution was adopted on February 25, 1914. The Rome Sunday School is believed to be the first non-denominational church body started in Whatcom County with multiple churches from Bellingham providing preaching and other support in the early years. Property located next to the Mt. Baker Highway was purchased for construction of a new chapel building. A building dedication service was held on the last Sunday in June 1914. The Rome Chapel, as it came to be called, continued to grow over the next few years with an added classroom and an annex building.

Several part-time pastors were employed over the following decades. Reverend Ellis Honaker was called to be the first full-time pastor at Rome in July of 1958. Under his leadership the first official doctrinal statement was written, and the church constitution was updated. During his pastorate there were Child Evangelism Fellowship clubs that met weekly for elementary age kids along with a weekly program for teenagers called King’s Teens.

In the late 1960’s Rome Chapel changed its name to Rome Community Bible Church. The church once again continued to grow with the purchase of the parsonage and two new buildings (Sanctuary in 1976 and Activity Center in 1988). Rome Community Bible Church has a rich history in the community of Bellingham for over 100 years. We look back thankful for the Lord's faithfulness and now look expectantly at all that the Lord will do until he comes again.

With RCBC's rich history there are many things in the past to celebrate. There are many lives changed, many families impacted, and many things to praise the Lord about. But we do not want to rest on one's laurels. As long as God has allowed RCBC to exist we want to steward his resource's in reaching the next generation. We do that through discipleship which then is shown through training and missions (local and global).