Steilacoom Community Church

Steilacoom Community Church
Country United States
Denomination Protestant
Website http://www.steilacoom.church/
History
Founder(s) Arthur Burnell

Steilacoom Community Church is a Protestant church in Steilacoom, Washington, founded in 1883.[1]

History

The original church was established in 1883 as Oberlin Congregational Church with eight charter members, including its first minister, Arthur Burnell. The vacant Presbyterian Mission was purchased with the help of the American Home Mission board to house the new church.[2] The name "Oberlin" was chosen in honor of Oberlin College, where Burnell and his wife had attended college.[3] The congregation officially changed its name to Steilacoom Community Church on December 13, 2015.

In 1902 the members of the church voted to build a new church building. Their new two-story wood-frame building, with a steeple, incorporated lumber from the old church, which had been dismantled. Timbers from the 1854 Methodist Episcopal Church building may also have been used. Members of the First Congregational Church in Tacoma are reported to have traveled by electric streetcar from Tacoma to participate in its dedication.[2] The 1902 church building now houses the Steilacoom Cultural Center and Tribal Museum.[3][4]

The church had about 28 ministers over its first 125 years of operation, from 1883 to 2008. For many years one minister served the church as well as congregations in the nearby communities of Lakeview and Lake City. In 1915 the church asked the Home Missionary Society for a loan of $144 to buy Reverend Charles Gaffney a motorcycle for traveling between Steilacoom and the other churches he served. The first full-time minister was Herbert West, who served from 1926 to 1951.[2][5]

For many years, the church Ladies Aid Society kept the church open by conducting fund-raising events to pay its operating expenses.[2]

As the community and the church continued to grow during the 1950s, the decision was made in 1960 to build a new church at the corner of Rainier and Pacific Streets. The first phase was completed in 1961, the second in 1978 with the additions of a Fellowship Hall, Sunday school rooms, offices and kitchen.[2]

In April 1983, the church celebrated its centennial year. In 2002, the church participated in the Washington State sesquicentennial celebration as Steilacoom's oldest "pioneer" corporation. The 125th anniversary celebration of the founding of the church was observed in April 2008, with a special prayer service and potluck dinner.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Steilacoom Community Church website".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Oberlin Congregational Church of Steilacoom". Secretary of State Archives, Washington State.
  3. 1 2 Sunny Pepin (2008). Steilacoom. Arcadia Publishing. p. 46.
  4. ↑ "Steilacoom Tribal Museum & Cultural Center". Heritage League of Pierce County.
  5. 1 2 Nancy Covert (March 7, 2008). "Steilacoom's Oberlin Church turns 125". The Suburban Times.

Coordinates: 47°10′19″N 122°35′55″W / 47.17194°N 122.59861°W / 47.17194; -122.59861

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