The History of Mile Hi Church
A Spiritual Beacon in Colorado since 1960
It all started in a sales auditorium of a vacuum store on West Colfax, to be exact. There were 17 adults and even more children. This group of visionaries began meeting on January 18, 1959, as a study group, learning and embracing the Science of Mind and Spirit principles. About a year later, on March 14, 1960, Mile Hi Church was officially recognized as an affiliated church with the Church of Religious Science. Rev. Roger Miller, a local youth pastor and a favorite with the teens in the group, was Mile Hi’s first minister. It was the beginning of an incredible story that illustrates the power of committed individuals with a vision!
• The congregation quickly outgrew the Kirby auditorium and purchased a church building at 25th Avenue and Chase Street in Edgewater, offering two services to accommodate the growing church community. Rev. Roger Miller served as Senior Minister until June 1962.
• From late 1962 until October 1966, Rev. Lester Bashara served as the Senior Minister. During that time the congregation outgrew the small church building and began renting the Lakeridge Theatre in Wheat Ridge to host the Sunday services.
• In October 1966, Dr. H. Fred Vogt came to Mile Hi and served as Senior Minister for 27 years until his retirement in March 1993. Under his spiritual leadership the Mile Hi family continued to grow and the vision emerged to have a permanent home. Through the commitment of a few hundred Mile Hi’ers, the land was purchased and the dome-shaped structure at the corner of Alameda Avenue and Garrison Street in Lakewood became the new home for Mile Hi Church. The first service was held in August 1973.
• Dr. Fred began a five-minute radio show, “Good News with Dr. Fred,” in 1977 and later launched a Sunday morning half-hour television program, “New Design for Living,” that aired for 16 years on a major Denver network station. After his retirement, Dr. Fred continued to serve Mile Hi as Minister Emeritus until his passing in 1999.
• Dr. Roger W. Teel was called to return to Mile Hi and serve as Senior Minister upon the retirement of Dr. Fred in March 1993. Dr. Roger, having served churches in Portland, Oregon, and Huntington Beach, California, as well as in the home office of United Church, also served Mile Hi Church previously as Associate Minister and Co-Minister.
• As Mile Hi continued to grow, the need became clear for a space for classes, youth, and connecting.Once again, through the committed individuals that of this Mile Hi family, the Community Center was built and formally dedicated on July 12, 1999. It serves as home for the Teen Center and some of the church offices, provides much needed classroom space for the youth and the adults of Mile Hi, as well as space for fellowship after church services.
• The Mile Hi Administrative building was built on the east side of the campus, and officially opened in December 1999.
• Mile Hi's 1,500 seat Sanctuary opened on April 6, 2008, to a record attendance. Taking an environmentally conscious approach, the Sanctuary is an energy efficient dome that uses fewer resources than a conventionally constructed building of the same size.