Centennial 1896-1996
From Plymouth
Contents |
Plymouth
Presbyterian
Church
1896 – 1996
A Message from Marilyn
Greetings!
For one hundred years, people have been worshiping in St. Helens in a church known as Plymouth. As we celebrate our centennial, we remember with gratitude the leaders and faithful members who preached and worshiped here. We give thanks for those who worked to keep the church going during its fifty years as a mission congregation, who had the courage to make a change of denominations, to build new buildings, to reach out to the community.
It's good to remember the past. It's good to celebrate. But we do not plan to stop here. We're looking forward to our next hundred years. I believe that God has called us together, and is now calling us out into a new future. May we rededicate ourselves to the One who calls us forward.
The Rev. Marilyn K. Allen, Pastor
Preface
This is not intended to be a complete or detailed history -- it's more just the highlights that seemed to be interesting to the author. For the sake of brevity, not all the details are included.
Over the years there have been many very active and dedicated members of the church, some holding the same job for many years. To list them all would take more space than is available.
It is rather interesting to note that not all the records researched were in agreement as to the dates of certain events, and the memories of people didn't necessarily agree with the records. Some of the financial data seemed to be -- shall we say -- inconsistent.
We hope you enjoy this glimpse of our past.
Hank Anderson
Credits:
- Editors:
- Jean Anderson
- Marilyn Allen
- Research:
- Jean Anderson
- Val Gauen
- Evelyn Hopkins
- Linda Gaskill
- Brochure Cover:
- Jennifer Anderson
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
In the beginning there was the settlement of ′′Plymouth′′ established by one CAPTAIN KNIGHTON. After many trials, tribulations, failures and successes, the town of St. Helens came to be.
The roots of Plymouth Presbyterian Church were set by the American Missionary Society and the Congregational Church. For a couple of years it prospered under the leadership of a Congregational Missionary -- Rev. THOMAS CONDON (a well know name in Oregon's history), but then the community and the church almost died out.
In 1895 Rev. CHARLES PHILBROOK, a Congregational minister from Main set about to resurrect the church. On September 16, 1896, a Council was formed for the organization of a Congregational Church of St. Helens, Oregon. The Council included ministers and representatives from Astoria, Rainier, Scappoose, and Portland, Oregon and Cathlamet, Washington.
Road conditions in 1896 were not good and the quality of the vehicles available then was not quite what we all are used to today. So when a dozen people from out of town showed up for the reorganization meeting of the church, there were some dedicated people involved. The records also stated that a couple came from Beaverton, WASH. What kind of a trip might that have been?
Twenty-two citizens constituted the original membership, and services were held in the Masonic Hall. A month later the name "PLYMOUTH" was adopted, after the original name of the township.
It is not quite clear how long Rev. PHILBROOK stayed, but after his departure the dedicated people seemed to have disappeared and the church declined. The Methodists established a church in St. Helens even though the Congregationalists wrote the Methodist officials that there "was no place or use for the M. E. Church in St. Helens." There was a feeling on the part of some people that the "Congregationalists should remain out of St. Helens if the M. E.s remained out of Scappoose". By 1911 the Methodists apparently taken over the building and ran the services and the Sunday School.
There was even a dispute over who belonged to the Congregational Church; apparently two membership rolls existed. It appears that one group wanted to give in to the Methodists and the other group wanted to keep going as Congregationalists and maintain ownership of the building. This is the group that won out and late in the summer of 1913 they agreed to have the pastor in Rainier give part of his time to the St. Helens Church. It took four Quit Claim Deeds to establish the Congregationalists' ownership of the property.
The part time arrangement with Rainier was not satisfactory and was dropped at the end of the year. From 1914 to 1918 four different pastors served the church, and part of the time two school teachers filled in.
By 1918 things were looking up. Rev. RALPH SPARROW served for two years, and under his leadership the building of the church at 1st and Columbia Blvd. was started. Dedication ceremonies apparently took place in 1922.
A Men's Chorus and Choir were organized in 1919.
In 1920 a congregational meeting was held in the parlor of the Orcadia Hotel and Rev. KIMBALL CLARK was selected as pastor.
From 1920 to 1928, three different pastors served, and for a part of the time two school teachers kept things going. A few of the members were quite active, but operations still had to be subsidized by the national organization.
In 1028 Rev. E. A. ALLIN (that spelling is correct) came and served for eight years. During that time a new constitution was adopted and in Inter-Church Council was organized. Times were good in 1928, and for that year the church was financially independent. That was only for one year. The depression years were hard for everyone including churches. The Pastor moved to Scappoose and wanted to merge the St. Helens and Scappoose churches as a matter of economic survival. That didn't work out. It was a difficult struggle to keep going.
From 1936 through most of 1944, pastors were part-time, and in the summer, student pastors were used because they only had to be paid room and board. There was, however, a large emphasis on Sunday School and jointly operated Vacation Bible School. Membership was listed at about 100, but the number that were active was far less. In 1938 most of the Sunday School children were from families other than Church members.
The World War II years were, not surprisingly, another period of struggles. Pulpit supply was not easy.
Starting in December 1944, Rev. ERNEST R. BELLINGHAM served until he reached retirement age -- retiring on June 30, 1958 -- thirteen and a half years of continuous service. This is the longest period of service in the church's history.
Those years were not exactly trouble free, though. In the later 1950's there was general movement toward unification of various elements of the Protestant faith, and the rewriting of the bylaws of most denominations. Part pf that movement included the Congregational church becoming The United Church of Christ. The local congregation didn't agree with many of the changes and proposed changes and joined a loose confederation of five Oregon churches and a Conference centered in Pennsylvania.
In September 1958 DR. ROBERT A. HUTCHINSON was called to the pastorate. He was a Congregational minister with a history and reputation for rebuilding failing churches. The records indicate that he was walking into something of a hornet's nest. The congregation was dissatisfied with their loose affiliation with dissidents of what had become the United Church of Christ, and there were a variety of major problems with the church building.
But he went right to work on the problems. Several committees were formed, and from the reports given at a congregational meeting in April 1958, it would seem they did excellent work.
The result was the decision to become Presbyterian in October of 1959.
Conflicts are an unfortunate fact of life, and there were a few in the life of the church. Each time one came up, the membership would be divided on the course to take, and not everyone would agree with the majority. Consequently, the membership varied from time to time.
The original membership list of the ′′new′′ Presbyterian church had 105 names. As of October 27, 1996, ten of them were still members and eight of the ten attended the Centennial celebration.
Dr. HUTCHINSON had to change his ministerial status to Presbyterian. Until that was done, he could not officially moderate the congregation and the session meetings.
He had planned to stay with the church for only a short while, but instead became very involved with the membership and the plans for a new building. His intended retirement was postponed not once, but twice.
On May 5, 1964 "HUTCH" celebrated his 50th anniversary as a minister. He finally retired at the end of the month.
The CHUCK WILSON years (1965 - 1972) were relatively calm, but there were a variety of fellowship activities and support of community activities.
During this time the National organization was active in support of some political activists. This caused much concern in many congregations, including Plymouth, and the support of many local congregations suffered.
Rev. JOHN PHILLIPS became the pastor in June 1973. He instituted some interesting new activities -- most notably his safaris to many spots in the Northwest, but extending to such places as England and Alaska. There were trips to north, south and east for cultural events. There were a number of different "social" activities at the church and in parishioner's homes. The PHILLIPS had an open house during the holidays.
The musical activities expanded with the help of expert organists, pianists, vocalists and choir leaders.
1973 was the start of "Church in the Mountains" at Spirit Lake on Mt. St. Helens. That event was discontinued in 1980 thanks to Mother Nature.
A summer Sunday service was held at CHAPEL BY THE SEA in Newport for several years.
In 1974 an elaborate Christmas Pageant was started with almost total participation by adults and children. After about ten years though, candidates for Mary and Joseph became a little hard to come by and the pageant was replaced with cantatas.
Sunday School was reactivated and the problem of adequate facilities resurfaced. In 1973, at least, a trailer was used for the primary grade classes. So construction of Hutchinson Hall was started.
This was done primarily by volunteer labor, including many hours by JOHN PHILLIPS. The building was completed after almost three years of labor, and dedication ceremonies were held in 1979. Some of DR. HUTCHINSONS'S family were present for the ceremony.
In September 1978 there was a special service honoring the 80th anniversary of the church.
JOHN PHILLIPS retired from the ministry on July 31, 1981.
Rev. CHARLES FALCONER served as interim pastor while the Pastor Nominating Committee looked for a new minister.
Rev. DEAN AGEE was called and served from June 1983 until December 1984.
There was a burglary in which several items of office equipment were taken -- later to be recovered by the police, but kept by them for evidence.
The relationship between DEAN AGEE and the membership did not work out as expected and he resigned.
In 1985 Rev. FALCONER returned as interim pastor.
In April of 1986 it was decided to ship the old Book of Minutes to Philadelphia for safekeeping.
BRUCE CAMERON started in 1986. The church came into the computer age when one was acquired for the treasurer and pastor's use. A TV and VCR were acquired. There were a number of physical changes in the buildings. New hymnals were purchased. In 1993 the Heartlight radio program on KOHI was started.
BRUCE resigned in November 1994 to attend chef's school.
RICHARD TERRY was the interim pastor until the arrival of the present pastor. He was well received by the congregation.
MARILYN ALLEN was called as pastor in July 1996.
One of MARILYN'S first activities was to organize the Centennial celebration held on October 27, 1996. There were 108 people at worship, which was followed by a luncheon in the Fellowship Hall where displays of the history covered the walls. Many members participated in a program depicting scenes from the church's first 100 years. Former interim pastors GEORGE SHUMAN, CHUCK FALCONER and RICHARD TERRY were present. Former pastors JOHN PHILLIPS, CHUCK WILSON and BRUCE CAMERON sent greetings.
SOME COMMENTS ON BUILDINGS
The histories of physical facilities for the church over the years were somewhat involved. Around 1948 a community church building was erected on the bluff at the head of Cowlitz Street with material brought around the Horn in sailing ships. After settlement of Capt. Knighton's estate some time after 1866 the Methodists assumed control of that church property.
It is known that a church building was moved from its original site at some time, but the detail on that is missing. So whether a new building was built on the property, or the old building was moved to that property can't be stated for sure. However, part of the problems with the Methodists in 1911 involved ownership of property.
Records indicate that a piece of property was acquired in 1897 -- Lot 22 of Block 16. By May of 1913 title to that land was not clear; three different families signed deeds "in consideration of a Trust heretofor existing in favor of The Plymouth Congregational Church of St. Helens" for that one lot. In September of that year a deed for lot 11 of block 2 of the Rose Hill Addition to the City of St. Helens was given to the church.
The building on First and Columbia Blvd., just two blocks from the original building was started in 1919 and was the curch's home from 1922 until 1962. The land was purchased for $3,000 and the building cost $6,000. Where this money came from is not clear. The labor was largely volunteer and apparently not all expert. There weren't a lot of code requirements in those days, either. Many of the furnishings were specially made by the members.
In the later years it seemed to require a lit of maintenance; the walls started warping out and had to be held together by cables. The heating system was 'different' and ventilation almost nonexistent. In 1934 a new heating plant was finally installed. Maintenance was a continual problem and not all the work was financially feasible at the time it was needed.
Among the problems inherited by Dr. ′′′HUTCHINSON′′′ was adequacy of the building. The Sunday School needed more and larger rooms; in the annual report of 1959 total enrollment was listed as 121.
Once the problem of denomination affiliation had been resolved, work was started on the building problem. There was some agonizing over the means of financing new construction, but a building committee was formed.
An architectural firm was hired to evaluate possible sites; In June 1961 they recommended some property on 18th Street as the most favorable of three possible locations. Sykes Road was not listed as a possibility.
There was a canvass for funds with the very surprising result of pledges totaling 75% more than was expected!
The present location was chosen, the land was purchased for $2,500 and in March of 1962 there was a "Ritual of Dedication" following the regular services at the old church.
In July 1962, the building on Sykes Road was dedicated.
Record of who built the building, how much it cost and how it was financed could not be located. However, the mortgage for the building was paid off in 1973.
In 1963 the old building was sold for $1000. A podium, communion table and the bell were the only things rescued when the building was demolished.
In the 70's Sunday School facilities were again (or still) a problem. The original plans for the present building called for temporary, movable walls for the class rooms in what is now the Fellowship Hall, and those walls were far from sound proof. Some of the fittings for these walls are still visible in the floor.
So once again a building committee was formed, and the result was HUTCHINSON HALL, built in 1979 using mostly volunteer labor. That was a $50,000 investment -- $25,000 coming from a twelve-year loan from the Synod of the Pacific, $4,000 as a gift from the Presbytery of the Cascades, $1,000 from donations by interested congregations in the area, and the rest from contributions from the members. The building was dedicated on September 16, 1979. The loan was paid off in 1986.
During the night, after the 1985 Maundy Thursday services, neighbors turned in a fire alarm for a blaze in Hutchinson Hall. It was proved to be arson from a flammable liquid poured on the carpet of one of the classrooms. People were questioned and leads were investigated, but no charges were ever filed.
Also the Fellowship Hall was re-roofed that year with a 20-year life roofing material.
It was discovered in 1987 that the walls in the kitchen were suffering from dry rot, so the whole kitchen was remodeled.
The sanctuary was remodeled in 1988 – the choir loft was enlarged and changed to face the congregation, new carpet was installed and a new cross was put above the communion table. Insulated windows were installed. New paint furnished off the project.
1989 saw more improvements in the kitchen and new stained glass in the high windows in the east wall of the sanctuary.
Ceiling fans were added in the sanctuary in 1994 and the outside of the buildings were painted.
The building and grounds committee is always busy and every year there is a significant improvement to the facilities. This year cushions for the pews were added and a new storage building was erected.
SOME COMMENTS ON FINANCES
It takes money for a church to operate, and, as is the case in personal finances, often there is just not quite enough.
For many years the operation of the church was subsidized by loans and mission grants from Congregational Conference.
There are several references to a parsonage or manse. In 1912 a mortgage of $800 was authorized. On November 19, 1914 the Congregational Church Building Society gave a loan of $500 payable in five years, to build a parsonage
There was a mortgage of $600 TO Anne Cox for parts of lots 12 & 13, block 27 in 1926. A Satisfaction of Mortgage was finally filed on May 29, 1945.
Various loans were made in the ‘30s in amounts from $65 to $300. Payments of $5 to $10 per month were made on some of them. At one point there was a loan of $2500. In January of 1940 the balance was in the neighborhood of $2150 – the exact amount depended on who was asked.
A mortgage was give to The Congregational Church Building Society for $700 on February 8, 1935. From 1940 on there were problems about whether or when this note or any part thereof had been paid, but finally a Satisfaction of theis mortgage was filed in August 1943.
During the depression years the WOMEN’S MISSIONARY SOCIETY was a major contributor of income with their program of providing lunches for the Kiwanis Club and the Commercial Club and other special events. The annual Tea they put on was a social highlight of the community as well as a fund raiser.
In 1936 the city nearly foreclosed on the building for nonpayment of the assessment for paving the street in front.
Ministers were not paid consistently and often they took on outside jobs to make ends meet. Some ministers didn’t stay long.
The first year the church became continuously self supporting was in 1946, fifty years after its founding.
When the denomination was changed, some “grants” made as far back as 1898 and up to 1939 suddenly became a loan at 6% interest. The amount claimed due totaled $4,355. In December of 1959 there was a demand for payment of another $200 loan.
There was an interesting difference of opinion between Presbytery and the Congregationalists on how debts should be handled. When the Presbyterian Church in Enterprise went Congregational, that was one thing, but when St. Helens went the other way, the rules changed. In both cases the Presbyterians had to pay.
There was quite a bit of correspondence with the Congregational Church Building Society trying to arrange a settlement of the claims for “grants” made in 1898 and 1939. The Board of Trustees for the church wanted to sue, but Dr. ′′′HUTCHINSON′′′ talked them out of that. It took three months, but finally the Building Society reluctantly agreed to settle for payment of $1675 principle by the church and $825 interest paid by Presbytery. It appears that Dr. HUTCHINSON underwrote part of the church’s payment himself.
Currently (1996), the church is free of debt and all expenses are met by contributions from the congregation.
THE CROSS
The original Celtic Cross in front of the church building was a wooden structure and was a gift from DAVID B. WILLIAMSON and FRED WATTERS, a memorial to their respective mothers, IDA (Mrs. R. B.) WILLIAMSON and HAZEL (Mrs. LESLIE) WATTERS. Mr. WILLIAMSON, assisted by HAROLD HADLEY, built it in his garage and driveway, and on the morning of October 12, 1962, FRED WATTERS came with his crane to move it to the church. They finished setting it in concrete about noon, set some props against it, and as an added precaution left the crane attached to it with loose lines.
That, of course, was the day of the infamous Columbus Day storm – winds of up to 110 MPH for several hours. When the roads were cleared of the blown down debris, those who went to check on the new cross found a miracle had been granted. The cross had not shifted – not eve a fraction of an inch.
During the week of May 5, 1964, the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a minister, Dr. HUTCHINSON added a layer of concrete to the base of the cross, and embedded in it his lifetime collection of rocks. Each of these came from the grounds of places he had visited or were a memento of some important event in his personal life. The collection consisted of about thirty-five items.
Time and the elements had their effects on the structure. Rot set in at the base and in November of 1988 a new metal structure was installed, which necessitated the building of a new concrete base. Salvaging of the rocks embedded in the original base was attempted, but was not entirely successful.
THE ELMER LOYD BELL COURT
In November 1922 the building of The Plymouth Congregational Church of St. Helens, Oregon was dedicated. In its tower hung a fine bell that bears the casting date of June 1915. Many people of the community answered the bell’s call to worship over the years.
On October 31, 1954, ELMER and IDA LOYD became members of the church. They continued to be active in the congregation and were part of the group of members who voted to change their church affiliation to that of a Presbyterian Church on October 4, 1959.
Due to the deteriorating condition of the church building at First and Columbia Boulevard, it was decided to build the present church located on Sykes Road in 1961. This building was dedicated in July of 1962. In 1964 the old building was sold and was to be razed with the plan being to build a commercial building on the site. This has never been built and the site remains vacant.
One day before the building was to be razed, a group of concerned members, including ELMER, made arrangements to remove the bell, which still hung in the old bell tower. The bell was stored at the home of a church family until appropriate plans could be executed for it to be hung at the new church.
When ELMER died in April of 1975, IDA requested that the memorial funds for him be placed in a special fund for a bell tower. After HUTCHINSON HALL was built, a court area was available for such a tower, and several members, under the principal leadership of DAVID WILLIAMSON, and KENNETH ASBURRY planned and erected this memorial bell tower. It is the vision of all of us that the bell will again serve its original purpose, that of calling Christian Pilgrims to worship the Lord in His House. This was the fond hope of ELMER LOY and it was dedicated in his loving memory.
OTHER MEMORIALS
Over the years many items, both inside and outside the building, have been acquired through the contributions to Memorial Funds. Listing them all would tame much more space than is available in this document!
Most of these gifts are cataloged in the BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE which is kept in a case that in itself is a memorial.
PASTORS
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
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1852 – 1854 |
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1895 - ? |
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1913 - |
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1918 – 1920 |
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1920 – 1926 |
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1926 – Mar. 1 1936 |
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Oct. 1936 – Jun. 1937 |
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Summer of 1937 |
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Nov. 1937 – Dec 1940 |
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May 1941 – Oct. 1942 |
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Jan. 1943 – Dec. 1943 |
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Dec. 1944 – Jun. 30, 1958 |
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Sep. 1958 – Oct. 3, 1959 |
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
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Oct. 4, 2959 – May 31, 1964 |
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Feb. 7, 1965 – Apr. 30, 1972 |
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1972 |
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Jun. 10, 1973 – Jul. 31, 1981 |
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1981 – 1982 |
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Jun. 12 1983 – Dec. 31, 1984 |
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1984 and 1985 |
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Jan 12, 1986 – Nov. 13, 1994 |
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1995 – Jul. 1, 1996 |
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Jul. 21, 1996 - |
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