Our Story

From a nucleus of 11 members of nearby West Park Friends Church, North Olmsted Evangelical Friends Church (NOEFC) was born. A group hoping to form a church in Cleveland’s western suburbs began meeting on October 6, 1968, at Butternut Elementary School in North Olmsted.

Great Northern Boulevard was only a dotted line on a map indicating a future road when two women from the church approached Irving James as he worked in his nursery. He agreed to sell over seven acres of property to the church.

Early prayer meetings were held in individual homes, and visiting pastors came from other churches to lead the worship services. The church grew to an average attendance of 46. As the church celebrated its 10th anniversary, groundbreaking for a new church building was held.

Pastor Geoff Schultz and his wife, Mary, joined NOEFC in 1995. Under his leadership, the church began to grow. The building has been expanded twice—in 2000 and again in 2019.  

In 2021, Peace Mennonite Church approached Pastor Geoff about a church merge. By God's leading, the people at Peace Mennonite and North Olmsted Friends stepped out in faith and the Elyria Campus took root in 2023. We have been immensely blessed by the work that God is doing in Elyria and glad that we get to be a part of it.

Today, Friends still has a heart to love people to life in Jesus Christ. We praise the Lord that he has remained faithful, and we invite you to become a part of the next chapter of God’s work at North Olmsted Evangelical Friends Church!