He also founded North Central Bible College. Lindquist later helped to establish the work in Brainerd and was pastor there and at the Minneapolis Gospel Tabernacle for over 30 hears. He answered, “Frank Lindquist.” Brother Hardin responded, “Fine, Frank hasn’t a call to ministry but he could lead your song service. Hardin he felt he should have someone go along with him, he was asked who he had in mind. (They also bought tent poles not realizing they would be ministering in forest country.) Hardin replied that he felt it would be Minnesota so Menzie purchased a truck, folding chairs and ordered a tent. He asked Superintendent Ben Hardin, who had traveled extensively, where the most needy field was.

James Menzie offered to go anywhere God wanted him. In the spring of 1921, having had experienced ministry in Pennsylvania, Rev. But God had a plan for the community of Casino and was working out the details before anyone even noticed.

The first meetings of the church were held in the fall of 1921 in the Sunrise School located one mile north of the present church. The name Casino seemed to stick to the area where the church bears its name. This left a community of homes, farms and a church. Woodman Hall disappeared in 1942 (Pleasant Hill church took it down and used the lumber to build their church), Sunrise School was consolidated with Pillager School in 1949, and the post office left Casino in the early 1900’s. Woodman Hall, Sunrise School, a post office, and later a church made up the town of Casino. It housed a local casino, which influenced the name of the community. This building was a lodge and gathering place for the community.

Originally the area was first known as Cass, then changed to Casino in 1897.Įvery 4th of July in the 1880s a big celebration was held at the Woodman Hall located on the northeast corner directly adjacent to the present church property. The community received it’s post office, set up in the home of William Bryant (1 mile northwest of the church) in 1895, officially placing the town on the map. By the late 1890’s, native timber was gone and families went to dairy farming. From there they could hear the trains whistle on the track that Pilllsbury Mills put in to move logs to Gull Lake. In 1889 the Horn family settled just north of here.

In the 1880’s several families came to this area to log.

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