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Spokane Valley Baptist Church celebrates 100 years this weekend

Courtesy of Spokane Valley Historical Museum Left, church members posed for a photograph on the front steps of the Spokane Valley Baptist Church at Sprague and Union while it was under construction in the spring of 1928. The old church burned down in October 1927 and this church was complete nine months and eight days after the fire. (Courtesy of Spokane Valley Historical Museum / The Spokesman-Review)
By Nina Culver nculver47@gmail.com
Courtesy of Spokane Valley Historical Museum Left, church members posed for a photograph on the front steps of the Spokane Valley Baptist Church at Sprague and Union while it was under construction in the spring of 1928. The old church burned down in October 1927 and this church was complete nine months and eight days after the fire. (Courtesy of Spokane Valley Historical Museum / The Spokesman-Review)

After 100 years of worship, the congregation of Spokane Valley Baptist Church is just like family, and not just because some of the members are related to each other.

Marilyn Luebke is a third generation member of the church, a tradition that started with her grandmother. Flipping through a book of historical photos and papers, Luebke can pick out her father in the background of a picture of the church’s groundbreaking at its current location at 12th Avenue and McDonald Road in 1960.

Luebke isn’t alone. Some members have come to the church for 75 years, and their children and grandchildren often make their way back to the church. “I’ve gone to other places, but I’ve just ended up back here,” she said.

The church will host a full schedule of events this weekend to celebrate its 100th anniversary. On Friday at 6:30 p.m. a potluck dinner is planned. Church members will use recipes from church cookbooks published in 1986 and 1994. Several former pastors are expected to be in attendance and some members will share stories about the church.

Saturday at 6:30 p.m. there will be a banquet served by the Starr Road Baptist Church youth group. Roy Medley, general secretary of the American Baptist denomination, will be the guest speaker and the Chancel Choir will perform. Medley will also speak during the 11 a.m. worship service on Sunday.

Before the congregation moved to McDonald Road, it had been in two other churches, said the Rev. Norman Haupt. “They moved once because the church burned, the second time because they outgrew it,” he said.

Many former members are expected to return for the event. “We’ll have a lot of people who grew up in the church come back for the celebration,” Haupt said.

The church’s 163 members have been preparing for the celebration for a long time. “We’ve done a lot of refurbishing to the building, painting and fixing it up,” Haupt said. “With this they really wanted to pull out all the stops and make it special.”

The church began in 1908 as Opportunity Baptist Church and its first building was completed at Sprague and Union in 1909. That church burned down in October of 1927 and the congregation met in the Opportunity Christian Church building while they built a new church at the same location. It was during that time that the congregation voted to change the name to Spokane Valley Baptist. A growing congregation and limited parking ledz the congregation to their current site on McDonald Road in 1960.

Haupt, who has been pastor of the church since 2003, said he’s had experience at leading old congregations. In New Jersey he was once pastor of a church that had been going strong for 175 years. No matter how old a church is, his job is always about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

“You also have to make it relevant to today,” he said. “You have to meet the people’s needs. I think a lot of that need is hope.”

The church has dozens of old photographs, Sunday bulletins, newspaper stories and letters thanks to longtime member Virginia Schmidt, who died three years ago, Luebke said. There’s even a program from the 1928 dedication of the second church. “She saved every bulletin that was ever printed,” said Luebke of Schmidt. “Her life was this church.”

After the anniversary celebration, many of the historical items will go the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum for an exhibit on the church.