Wilsonville Spokesman Online

Wilsonville Methodist Church celebrates 100 years

Celebration includes memory sharing night, worship service and special luncheon

• By: Michelle Te  
• Published: 3/20/2010 9:00:00 AM

Photo By: Michelle Te100 years
Donna Talus acts as the historian for the Wilsonville United Methodist Church. She helped put together many photos for this weekend's centennial event.

In its earliest days, the new Methodist Church building in Wilsonville had no electricity or indoor plumbing.
The congregation got by with a wood stove for warmth, while a plentiful supply of rainwater kept them afloat.

Yet, the small group of Methodist followers worshipped faithfully, content to occupy their own building just a year after officially organizing themselves.

Now, 100 years later,  the Wilsonville United Methodist Church will mark its centennial year on Sunday, March 21, with a visit from Bishop Robert Hoshibata, a special communion and a celebration luncheon.
Additionally, there will be a “memory sharing night” on Saturday, March 20, when former pastors and members can join and reminisce.

“For me, it’s an exciting time,” said the Rev. Bruce Wenigmann, who currently leads the Wilsonville church. “It’s an opportunity, not only to look back and appreciate how we’re standing on the shoulders of others who have gone before, but it’s a time to look ahead and see what God has in mind for the next 100 years.”

Early church records date back to 1909, although some believe the roots reach to just after the turn of the 20th century.

In the summer of 1909, Captain C.O. Branson and his wife came to Wilsonville and held a six-week revival meeting at a tent on the grounds of Wilsonville Grade School.

Just a few months later, the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized by the Rev. J.W. Exon and church services took place in the A.O.U.W. Hall. There were 28 charter members, with last names of Aden, Petersen, Sumner and Seely among them.

Joe Chalupsky, a prominent carpenter in the area, was hired to construct the building on S.W. Boones Ferry Road. According to church history, the bricks used in the chimney were made by Charles Thompson, who learned the trade in Spokane, Wash., before coming to Wilsonville.

The church building was completed at the cost of $3,500 and was dedicated debt-free on Aug. 27, 1911.
Back then, ice cream socials and oyster soup suppers provided church members with fun social times.

A focus on community service
While some of the church’s groups and classes have changed names, waxed and waned over the years, the church’s purpose of serving others has not deviated in the slightest.

“Our mission statement is learning, living and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ,” Wenigmann said. “Especially for smaller churches, you can’t be everything to everybody, but I’d say that we focus on community service.”

In fact, it was in the 1970s that the United Methodist Church and the United Meridian Church of Christ first met to join in providing a community-based food-sharing program. Other churches quickly joined in, and the Wilsonville Community Sharing program was born.

According to Donna Talus, church historian, during a ‘70s recession, the store that was to supply turkeys for the Christmas food boxes backed out.

“Our Methodist Church dug a little deeper and provided all the necessary turkeys,” she said.
“We’re still active in supporting Wilsonville Community Sharing,” added Wenigmann, who is president of the group’s board or directors. “We’ve also helped seniors moving into new residences, especially after the Thunderbird closure, or when we get calls from the senior center. Our members visit people at Windfield Village and those who are in the hospital. We also have a ‘recovery’ group.”

For nearly 80 years, Wilsonville Methodist members met at the Boones Ferry location, making improvements as they went along.

In 1949, stained glass windows were installed. In the 1970s, the kitchen was remodeled. New restrooms and a pastor’s study were added in 1982, with much of the work done by church members.

The church steeple, removed in the late 1940s, was replaced in the early 1980s using memorial funds donated for Charles Boozier, Talus said. Replacing the steeple top left the repaired bell tower standing  53 feet tall, making it the tallest building in Wilsonville.

Despite the tireless efforts of many church members, the old building eventually began to show its age. It also became increasingly difficult for older members to get up and down the steps into the building and its basement.

In May 1992, the church had a worship service and ground-breaking ceremony for a new facility off Wilsonville Road using an antique plow that represented their historical roots. By November, the congregation was using its new space.

“It was a move that I felt, and a number of people did too, that needed to be done,” said Dave Schafer of Wilsonville. “But it was not one we wanted to do. My daughter was baptized in that old building, there were confirmation classes for my kids, Christmas functions, Easter services. There was just a lot of emotional attachment to that old building.”

But at the same time, Wilsonville’s population was booming.

“It was a very difficult decision, but one that we were compelled to do,” he said.

Generations of Wilsonville’s founding residents, among them the Adens, Booziers and Magnus, had grown up in that church.

“We were very fortunate to meet them and benefit from their years in the church,” Schafer said, “and in the community in general.”

“This centennial celebration is important,” said Wenigmann, “because it’s wistful, looking back at the good old days. But it is important, especially because we, as Americans, don’t have a strong sense of history. We’re focused on the present and short-term future. It’s important to realize how much went into what happened, not only the start, but the different things they did, and the impact they made on the community.”

Taking that historical perspective allows members to look at where they are now and analyze what God has for their future, he said.

“How can we build on what we’ve been given, to make a difference for the gospel?” Wenigmann added. “It’s an opportunity to look back, help people to appreciate and to claim the heritage they were given, and then to build on that to go into the future.” 

Service
Memory night: Saturday, March 20. Worship service begins at 11 a.m. Sunday, March 21. A special luncheon will follow.
Details: 503-682-0987.

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