Gleanings From
In Christian Fellowship
By Shirley Lindahl
Edited by Jerry Rutherford
Washington Association Meets in Houghton Church
Congregational churches of Oregon and Washington had been grouped under one association until 1879 when the Congregational Association of Washington was formed. The Houghton church sent four delegates to the association meeting in 1880.
During 1881 weekly prayer meetings were held. Bible study was conducted on Sunday evening in addition to the regular Sunday morning service. The pastor preached only on the first and third Sunday of each month. The rest of the time everyone attended the Sunday School.
After the first full year there were 29 members. Included in the newcomers were Mr. and Mrs. John W. DeMott, whose homestead included most of the property now in downtown Kirkland. The other was Eliza Forbes, wife of Dorr Forbes. They had property on what is now Rose Hill and a saw mill in Juanita which was located north of what is now Juanita Beach. They later opened a resort area called "Juanita Beach" which is the east section of the current park. Eliza Forbes was the first woman justice of the peace in King County.
The following financial report should be of interest to us all--particularly the amount of money spent as compared to our annual budget at this time.
Treasurer Harry French reported at the annual meeting on March 4, 1882 that in addition to the $350 aid received from the American Home Mission Society that the local church had raised $117.86. These funds went to pay the pastor, buy Sunday School supplies, payments on two loans and a gift to foreign missions--leaving a balance on hand of S2.75.
It was also reported that the five Sunday School classes had an average attendance of about 29 children.
Some of the expenses listed for 1882 included a map of Palestine, $5.10; clock, $6.25; stove, $13.24; insurance, $9.00; taxes, S4.40; lamp brackets, $5.35; can of coal oil, $1.90. The pastor received $60 from the local church for his salary which was supplemented by the aid sent by AHMS in the amount of $350.
In July of 1883 the members of the church felt they were ready to host the meeting of the Washington Association. This was quite an undertaking for a church that was only three years old.
Letters were sent out announcing the Fifth Annual meeting of this group stating that each church was entitled to one delegate for its organization and one for each 10 members or majority fraction of ten.
It also stated that the church would solicit lower rates from the transportation lines to the area--from Seattle by stage to Lake Washington and then by steam ferry crossing the lake. In the narrative of this event no mention was made of housing, but what usually happened was that local families provided it.
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