Community United Methodist Church

Leavenworth, Washington

The  Community United Methodist Church at 418 Evans Street sits two blocks north of the Gazebo in the center square of the Bavarian style town of Leavenworth, Washington. It has been there for over 100 years.

"1907: Rev. Melvin Rumohr arrived on Memorial Day to organize a
                        Methodist church in Leavenworth.
             First service held a few weeks later with 20 people received
                        into membership.
           Sunday School began two months before his arrival, with five teachers
                       and nearly 40  children  attending.
           Annual conference held in September. Church incorporated as
                       First Methodist Episcopal  Church of Leavenworth, WA.
           Land purchased as building site for a church. Rev. Rumohr bought
                      adjacent lots and built a home for his family.
1908: Methodist Episcopal Ladies Aid Society organized.
          Choir organized by Mrs. Martel, a fine organist.
          Church built, at Evans and Whitman Streets. First services held Dec. 9.
1909: Church dedicated June 10, one of three Methodist churches in the
                     valley dedicated that day.  Others in Peshastin and Cashmere.
          Organ purchased. Bell installed in the belfry.
1912: Parsonage built.
1929: First women pastors appointed: Bertha Reich and Winifred Dove.
1946-49: Four lots purchased at Evans and Summit Streets for new, larger
                    church. Existing house on the land became the new parsonage.
         Church construction took three years; Rev. Rumohr was on the
                    building committee.

Sanctuary 2011

1950: "Art" window installed in the sanctuary.

Sanctuary "Art Window" of Jesus Christ

1954: New church dedicated, after mortgage was paid off (required before a
                    building can be dedicated).
1959: Golden Jubilee of the church celebrated (50 years after dedication of
                   first church). Rev. Rumohr participated.
1969: New parsonage purchased.
1986: Church exterior stuccoed.
1997: Celebrated 50th anniversary of laying the cornerstone of present church building.
2006: Lift installed for handicap access.
2007: Celebration of Centennial Year." (See Link.) 

Thank you: To Jane, church historian, for reference to history of Community United Methodist Church.
Photos: Taken in November 2010 and October 2011 by SW.

For more information on Leavenworth, Washington see these Blog Posts at
        http://www.demolitionmama.blogspot.com/
                              Saturday Travel Feature, "The Gazebo", November 6, 2010.      
                              Saturday Travel Feature, "FestHalle", November 13, 2010
       and  at "Churches on Sundays" Blog, "St. Joseph's Catholic Church",
                              January 1, 2012.

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Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

Sunday Church Feature
St. Joseph Catholic Church
Leavenworth, Washington

Leavenworth, Washington is a town in north central Washington State that reinvented itself as a Bavarian tourist destination when its lumber industry died.  The landscape of high mountains gave the setting and the citizens added facades and paintings to their buildings to transform the town into this Alpine delight.  Some even incorporated some of the original heritage buildings of the area.  One of those was the hotel Pension Anna.

In 1992 the owners of Pension Anna moved the abandoned St. Joseph's Catholic Church to their site one block south of the Front Street.  Here they added it to their hotel space and named it  the Old Chapel Suite.

The church building is distinctive with its Russian onion shaped steeple. A painting of St. Joseph decorates the south exterior wall of the church.  It was original built at the north east corner of Evans and Cascade Streets, an area known as Leavenworth Gardens,  in 1910.  The building was "26 by 38 with a vestibule and tower at the entrance. Sacristy, 14 X16, will be located opposite the entrance.  Cost approximately $2000. (The Sacristy is presumable the small structure attached at the rear of the building.)... church received a handsome altar from Seattle...1913 The bell arrives, largest in town, weighing nearly 1000 pounds..the church bell now (2010) resides in Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church at 145 Wheeler St., Leavenworth." (Reference.)

"Saint Joseph (Hebrew יוֹסֵף, "Yosef"; Greek: Ἰωσήφ), often clarified as Saint Joseph the carpenter, is an important figure in Christian belief, the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus. According to Christian tradition he was not the biological father of Jesus, but acted as his foster-father^[1] and as head of the Holy Family. According to Christian tradition, Jesus was referred to as the son of Joseph during his public life,^[2] though in Mark he is referred to as Mary's son (Mark 6:3).^[3] Joseph is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches." (See Link 1.)

Reference and Thank You: To Leo Bodvin of south of Yakima.

Photos: Taken in Leavenworth in October 2010 by SW.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph

Link 2: http://www.pensionanna.com/rates.html

See:  http://www.demolitionmama.blogspot.com/ Blog Post November 6, 2010

              "Saturday Travel Feature, The Gazebo, Leavenworth, Washington" for

                more information on the history of Leavenworth.

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Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)