Ministries | United States | Willamina Christian Church

Hello, my name is Derek Helt, and I've been the pastor of Willamina Christian Church since February, 2026. My wife, Pam, and I moved back to Oregon after spending nearly twelve years serving with an anti-trafficking ministry in Cambodia. Before that, we lived and served churches in Newport, OR, and Gallup, NM. Our daughters and grandchildren are here in western Oregon, so when it came time for us to return to the US, we looked for a church and community where we would thought we could not only serve, but also "fit in" and find a good group of Christians to be part of.

We think we've found all of these things here at Willamina Christian Church. It's a smaller church and has had struggled a bit since the COVID-19 pandemic, but the members have been faithful to God and to each other. The leadership is solid and the attitude is great.

Derek and Pam i front of the royal palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Currently, WCC has four elders, including me, the pastor. We're an independent, self-governing and self-supporting congregation. We take seriously Jesus' charge to love our neighbors and it is our hope that our care for our neighbors is evident to the people of Willamina, Grand Ronde, and Sheridan.

There's a motto on the sign outside the church building, "A place where connections are made." Lest you think that means we're just a glorified social club, our hope is that WCC would be a place where people can make three essential connections:

With God in worship and salvation through His Son Jesus
With fellow believers for encouragement and growth in our spiritual journey
With our community to share the love of Jesus with them in practical and tangible ways

We're under no illusion that we do any of these three perfectly, but we trust that the Holy Spirit works through our weaknesses and that God can be glorified even when we mess it up.

We'd love for you to join us on any Sunday morning at 10AM. If you have any questions, please call me at the church office on most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays, or email me directly.

In Christ,

Derek