April 7, 2013                                                 

382 Boblett Street (2013)

Christ Episcopal Church
Blaine, Washington

The first Christ Episcopal Church was built in Blaine in 1890.  It faced 4th Street at the southeast corner of 4th and D streets.  The  combined chapel and rectory seated 75. In 1892 the value of the church property was $2000. In 1904 this property was sold and the new church at on Boblett was built. (REF.)

The 1904 church was built in the Arts and Crafts design.  "Red cedar shingles cut in Blaine cover the exterior of Christ Church and its fellowship hall....  The shingles originally had a green stain ... The narrow Tudor upper brackets on the porches, the roof with the flared eaves, and the gable overhang shaped by the narthex window  are also Craftsman characteristics. (REF.)

Sanctuary (2013)

"The interior features plain fir woodwork in beaded wainscot and ceiling.  The fir scissors trusses and beams that support the building and the fir pews retain some of their original green tint.  The hall has the same fir wainscot, along with fir walls and coved ceiling.  The stained glass windows of deep purple and gold diamond panes with bright green trim are a Tudor design and complement the brown and green tones of the interior woodwork.  The diamond panes in the trefoil window above the altar were probably clear glass originally, colored now in pale purple shades caused by the action of sunlight on magnesium present in the glass made before World War I.  The narthex window is the only nod to traditional Gothic church architecture. 

Narthex Window (2013)

The present stained glass of the narthex window was originally donated in 1952.  "The red panel from the 1952 window was replaced in 2991 after being cracked by heavy equipment work on the road in front of the church.  Ruth Green, a stained glass craftsman formerly of Blaine, designed and made the panel of the narthex window that depicts a Celtic Cross. 

"A 1904 building cost memorandum lists $1906.85 for the church complex, including $115 for the lots.  An additional $797.65 covered freight, cement sidewalk, paving on Boblett and Adelia streets, and sewer work, for a total of $2704.50. (REF.)

"Christ (Episcopal) Church has a collection of original maple furnishings, likely made by J.M. Eaton...."  The altar is made of curly maple in memory of Rt. Rev. Philips Brooks the author of the words of "O Little Town of Bethlehem." In 1991 the moved forward from its original placement below the trefoil window. The brass "Holy Holy Holy" plaques  were moved from the reredo to the front of the altar." (See photo below.) (REF.)

Altar (Link.)

Stations of the Cross Plaque (2013)

Hanging on the walls of the Fellowship Hall are both photos of Roll Call of Clergy and plaques of Stations of the Cross.  The Roll Call of Clergy includes two that traveled from Canada for services.  The plaques of the Stations of the Cross (See photo above.) are part of an unfinished set carved in the 1990's by Donald Whitesmith, son of E. M. Smith, vicar 1907-1908. (REF.)

"Resurrection Window"

Hallway Stained Glass Window

The above stained glass "Resurrection Window" by Leslie Mason  brightens the hallway between the sanctuary and the fellowship hall.

"Our church is very active in the community with feeding the hungry, annual winter coat drives for the needy, local school supply drives, helping the unfortunate, elderly, and children in Mexico by supplying items for home and schools, building nursing homes and sanitary facilities." (REF.)

Christ Episcopal Church is also part of the early history of Saint Innocent Orthodox Christian Church in Everson, Washington (about 20 miles east of Blaine).  "The parish that became St. Innocent's had its beginnings at another church. In the late 1980s, the congregation of St. Herman of Alaska Russian Orthodox Church in Langley, British Columbia included several Americans who regularly commuted across the border to attend services.  As the American parishioners got to know each other, they developed the idea of founding their own parish on the American side of the border. Two major obstacles immediately presented themselves: the congregation had no building to worship in, and they were not recognized as a parish and thus did not have permission to serve liturgy.
 
"The first obstacle was temporarily resolved when Christ Episcopal Church in Blaine allowed the group to worship in their building. The parish began serving vespers on Wednesday nights in that location in March of 1990. (They continued to commute up to St. Herman's for Divine Liturgy.) Official parish status took a little more time, but in the end, the congregation's patience was rewarded. On June 14, 1992 (Pentecost Sunday) Father Mel celebrated the first Divine Liturgy. 15 people, 10 adults and five children, were present. After consideration, the parish took St. Innocent as their patron. St. Innocent was a great American saint, a man of many talents and almost inexhaustible drive and energy. It would take that kind of drive, the parishioners felt, to build the tiny parish into a thriving community. 

"The parish continued to worship at Christ Episcopal Church for almost four more years. During that time, the size of the parish grew and parishioners began to seek out a more permanent location. Although grateful for the generosity of Christ Episcopal Church, the Orthodox congregation had to admit that sharing space was inconvenient. The Orthodox had to wait until the Episcopalian service was completed to celebrate Divine Liturgy; often this meant that Liturgy would not begin until 11 or 11:30 in the morning. Furthermore, the service had to be "portable." The parishioners had to set up and take down their icons and other liturgical items each service. 
In January of 1996, the parish moved..." (Link 2.)

Thank you: To the congregation members who gave me the reference booklet and a tour of the church.

Photos: Taken in February 2013 by SW.

Reference 1: Christ Episcopal Church, Blaine, Washington 1904-2004.
Link 1: http://christchurchblaine.org/
Link 2: http://www.saintinnocentchurch.com/history.html
Note: 5/8/14 comment from April  Eaton- 

"Since your visit, the purple & gold argyle windows have been replaced with beautiful stained glass matching the landscapes of the environment they face (mountainscape on one side, beachscape on the other) with the 23rd Psalm running through each window wrapping the sanctuary. It is quite beautiful! The artist is Leslie Mason, a local glass artisan & parishioner (the same who did the Resurrection windows in your piece above)."                                                                             Prayer God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW)