History
History of the Church of the Good Samaritan
The Church of the Good Samaritan has been gathering and worshiping in Corvallis, Oregon for 154 years. We began worshiping in the chapel of the Good Samaritan Episcopal Girls’ School in 1872. The school only lasted a year, but the congregation carried on and has a long history with the City of Corvallis. In 1947, when the Corvallis General Hospital was failing, the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon stepped in, investing in the hospital and donating land for a new campus and the hospital was renamed Good Samaritan Hospital. Both the bishop of the Diocese and rector of the church continue to be involved with Good Samaritan hospital as board members.
Over the past century and a half, the congregation that began in the girls’ school chapel has worshiped in three different church buildings, building our current campus at 35th and Harrison in 1962. At the same time the current campus was built, the congregation built the Samaritan Village facility to provide 83 units of low-income senior housing.
Halfway through our second century we describe ourselves as “Inclusive, Traditional, and Progressive”. The pride flag on our sanctuary announces our commitment to being an inclusive space for all of God’s children. We are proud to host beautiful music with our worship and our Sundays @3 Concert series. Our love of worship, hymnody and classical music illustrate our embrace of tradition. In 2020 we installed two micro-shelters and a kitchen building as transitional housing in our parking lot, working with Unity Shelters. We are currently expanding to host 4 micro-shelters. Our commitment to serving those on the margins, to welcoming all of God’s children, and to being enriched by those encounters shows our progressive approach to following Jesus.
