The Rev. Carlton Olson, mission developer, came to Newport in June of 1965 to survey the area. On February 27, 1966 the congregation was formally organized. Worship was held in the Seventh Day Adventist Church until April 26, 1970, when the congregation dedicated their own church on a three-acre site purchased in 1966. Commitment to Christ and the community marked the program of Atonement from the beginning. A ministry to seamen that came to the deep water shipping port of Newport was the first special ministry. A special program, carried out in cooperation with other area churches, brought inner-city children and youth to Newport for weekends on the beach. Since 1978 the congregation has experienced dynamic growth, adding a second service, improving its property, strengthening lay leadership, and growing in Word and Witness.
From the guide to the Atonement Lutheran Church, Newport, Oregon, Records, 1966-2012, (Pacific Lutheran University)
