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Clear Lake Church Celebrates 100th Anniversary
CLEAR LAKE, WA (August 25, 2003) - Community Covenant Church celebrated their
centennial with a handful of events, including a weekend celebration in
early May.
The church hosted an open house on May 3 and later held anniversary
banquet at a local convention center. A Sunday morning worship service
on May 4 was followed by a birthday party and luncheon.
Along with the centennial celebration, Community Covenant Church, led by
pastor Tim Hedberg, completed a building expansion that included
doubling the fellowship hall and other improvements. A sign on the
church building, announcing the renovation, read "Making Room For You."
Community Covenant Church began its ministry with the help of Richard
Bushnell, who was pastor of a mission church in McMurray, Washington,
but extended his work with preaching occasionally in Clear Lake. On
April 4, 1903, Bushnell met with 11 others at the home of Myron Cole to
organize a church, which was then called Clear Lake Congregational
Church. A total of 17 signed the original church charter on May 4, 1903,
according to a history of the church written by Paul Day. Worship
services were held every other week for a time.
In 1904 Fred Flawith became the first resident pastor for the McMurray
and Clear Lake congregations. Other pastors in the early years included
Louis Emmett Scholl, Spencer Garrison, Joseph Herbert, E.A. Orr, C.F.
Wood and Orson Stillman. From 1917 until 1922, Charles Williams served
as pastor (Emma Van Valkenberg was the church chair) and the Clear Lake
church grew considerably. By 1922, there were 93 members and 300 in
Sunday-school activities and/or Boys and Girls Scouts programs.
The economy in the lumber towns of the area declined and a local lumber
mill closed, which hurt both business and church attendance. The Clear
Lake church struggled during the 1930s (there was no resident pastor
from 1925 to 1937), although a small group of families in the
congregation were vital in continuing ministries. Pastors Percy Stoute
(1937-42) and Martin Ramsey (1942-47) helped the church revive and the
congregation affiliated with the North Pacific Conference of the Mission
Covenant Church in 1947 and changed its name to Community Covenant
Church. The church's first Covenant pastor was William Hawkinson. The
pastor with the longest tenure of service at Community Covenant was
Elmer Johnson, who served from 1962-70.
In the 1970s, pastor Cecil Stuurmans helped Community Covenant purchase
land where its present building now stands in April 1972 - the facility
was completed in May 1973. As the church reached out to its community,
membership rose to 75. Paul Day became pastor in 1978 and the church
began phase two of its building project before Day left in 1984. Paul
Wilson served as senior pastor from 1988 until 1994 when became field
director for the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska. The church
nearly doubled in worship attendance during his tenure, reaching many
unchurched locals. Another pastor who was integral in the life of the
congregation was Steve Eng, who had begun as an associate pastor and
served at the church from 1991-99. Pastor Tim Hedberg has served the
church since January 2000.
Community Covenant Church had an average worship attendance of 101 in
2002 according to the latest Covenant Yearbook statistics. For more
information about the church and its centennial events, call 360-856-1023.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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