Our History
On August 18, 1907, thirty children and adults met in the Rainier Beach public school at the invitation of W. A. Hillis to discuss organizing a Sunday School with the idea of developing it into a Presbyterian Church.
The Sunday School was organized as a mission of Westminster Presbyterian Church, on September 18, 1907 in "The School House on the Hill", at the corner of 59th Avenue South and South Pilgrim Street, and by early 1908 it had an enrollment of 70.
After a short period in the country-style school house, services
began on October 20, 1907, in a portable building on the west side of Waters Avenue South,
across from the former Hutchinson family residence, the structure which still stands at
the corner of South Keppler Street. The site was leased for one year for $25, the
portable was loaned by Westminster Church, an organ was loaned by Bethany Presbyterian
Church, gospel songbooks were obtained from Westminster Church and 100 opera chairs
were purchased from Bethany Presbyterian Church for $30.
A petition for organization of the Rainier Beach Presbyterian Church was granted by the Presbytery of Seattle on April 10, 1910 at a meeting in Ballard (now Northminster) Presbyterian Church. The formal organization was instituted on May 8, 1910, with 43 charter members of which 22 were transfer from Westminster Church.
On September 6, 1910, the current site was
purchased from a Isabelle M. Schultze for a total cost of $850. A frame building with
a brick bell tower was constructed in 1911 for a cost of $15,000. The first church
building was built on the site of the present Christian Education Building and had a
seating capacity of 250 in the sanctuary, a Sunday School auditorium with thirteen
classrooms and basement rooms for primary and beginners departments.
In 1955, the architectural design firm of Durham, Anderson and Freed was retained to design a new church and on March 30, 1958, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the present sanctuary building. The current sanctuary building was constructed by Herbert U. Taylor General Contractor, at a cost in excess of $105,000 and was dedicated on November 23, 1958.
The original church building
was razed in the spring of 1964 and construction was begun on the current Christian
Education addition of the church. The bell from the old church now hangs in the
center of a three-member arch tower in front of the present church.
A manse for the pastor was constructed at 9603 61st Avenue South and was dedicated on New Year's day 1950. Due to non-use by the newly arriving pastor, the manse was sold on December 1980.
The Hutchinson family home located at 6102 Keppler Street (across the street north of the church) was made available to the church on November 1962. This property was the boyhood home of the late Dr. William Hutchinson and his brother Fred Hutchinson of professional baseball fame and for which the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center was named. The house that had been rented since being acquired in 1962 was sold in early 1968 with the church retaining the eastern portion of the land for use as a parking lot.
The land to the east of the church was purchased in 1983.
History Tidbits
Children saved their pennies and contributed to the bell tower constructed along with the original building in 1910. The cost was $15,000. The bell from the original tower still stands in front of the Church today.
By 1960, there were 290 Church members and 288 children enrolled in Sunday School.
In 1932, the Church hit financial hardships and Pastor van Zante had to cut his salary. He and two Elders cut firewood to heat the church while the Session announced that the Church would take fuel as payment towards financial obligations.
RBPC Interim Pastor Myrlene Jacobsen was the first woman pastor in the Presbytery of Seattle in 1978.
Pastor Jane Plantinga Pauw is our 25th pastor.
Our Pastors
Rev. Ernest S. Morton |
1910-1913 |
Rev. Walter Hendricks |
1913-1914 |
Rev. Luther M. Bicknell |
1914-1915 |
Rev. John Ewalt |
1916-1917 |
Rev. E.C. Botts |
1919-1920 |
Rev. Ernest G. Randals |
1920-1929 |
Rev. Arthur Van Zante |
1930-1936 |
Rev. Robert Smith (SS) |
1937 |
Rev. William J. Howell (SS) |
1937-1938 |
Rev. D. D. McKay (SS) |
1938-1939 |
Rev. Morton Hickman (SS) |
1939 |
Clarence Weyer (SS) |
1939-1941 |
Harlow Willard (SS) |
1941 |
Rev. McKenzie Murray |
1941-1947 |
Rev. Daniel Weyer (SS) |
1947-1948 |
Rev. Ernest M. Jeffrey |
1948-1953 |
Rev. Elbert E. Sullivan |
1953-1971 |
Rev. John J. Frerichs (SS) |
1971 |
Rev. Howard F. Bower |
1971-1973 |
Rev. Donald W. McCullough |
1974-1978 |
Rev. Myrlene Jacobsen |
1978-1979 |
Rev. Roger Smith |
1979-2002 |
Rev. Jett Brooks (Associate) |
1999-2001 |
Rev. David Mote |
2002-2004 |
Rev. Jane Plantinga Pauw |
2004-Current |
|
|
SS: Stated Supply |
|
"Thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ"
I Timothy 4:6