History
Our Church History
In the 1950’s several families from the Yacolt area were attending the Charter Oak Evangelical Free Church (near Battle Ground). They realized a need to begin a church ministry here in Yacolt. Alton (Mac) McDaniel was at that time driving the Charter Oak Sunday school bus and was picking up many children in and around Yacolt. So in 1959, Pastor and Mrs. Herbert King of Charter Oak started children’s and youth meetings in homes in the area, with an average attendance of 15. This continued until Easter Sunday, April 17, 1960, when regular Sunday Services were begun in the old Eaton Grocery Store on Yacolt Street.
In October of 1960, Rev. Peter Wiebe from Alberni, B.C. came to view the situation and decided to help with the work during the winter months. An evening service and prayer meeting were started and visitation work began. In February 1960 the Charter Oak Church gave Pastor Wiebe a call to act as Pastor in the Yacolt Church. The Wiebe family moved to Yacolt in July of that year.
In January of 1962 the church became self-governing, separate from the Charter Oak Church. Later that year the church was incorporated. Lots were purchased, and on July 22, 1962, ground-breaking for the new building at the corner of Cushman and Johnson was held. The first meeting was held in the new facility on October 2, 1962.
As the church was growing, often seminary students from Western would be called on as part-time pastors while they completed their studies. The work was too small to be able to support a full-time pastor.
In 1986 the church purchased two more lots at the corner of Cushman and Jones for parking lot enlargement and possible future building expansion. That same year the church hired their first full-time Pastor, Clyde Andrews. He pastored for five years and then was called to be a missionary in Romania.
In 1994 the church began an addition of a gym to enhance the church ministry to the community and support the youth and Awana programs. Once it was finished and the entire building carpeted we had outgrown the chapel and had to have our Sunday services in the multipurpose room. That same June, the church body also called Norm Schwab to be Pastor and he moved to another ministry the summer of 2009. The church has experienced slow but steady growth. In 1996 the gym addition was complete and debt free. The program for kids began to steadily grow and the gym would be used more and more.
The church call went out for the first full time youth pastor in 2000. Nathan Noorlun is currently our youth pastor.
Now the church dreams of a building that would better help them fulfill the mission that God has called them to, reaching the families of this community. They have purchased four acres just north of town that are completely paid for. And in the fall of 2006 they acquired another 8-1/2 acres adjacent to the former four acres, with a house for $300,000. It’s on these combined 12-1/2 acres they are trusting in God to completely pay that off and begin building a new church facility to reach many more lives for Jesus in this Yacolt Valley.