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Sometime around 1860, at the start of the Civil War, the first Methodist minister arrived to serve Elma and the surrounding circuit. Washington was still a territory. In 1884, a Methodist church was chartered at Elma.
For much of our history, Elma has been a part of a circuit. The circuit has included Satsop, McCleary (organized in 1912), and Malone (organized in 1917, closed in 1925). The preaching point in Porter may have been part of the Elma circuit as well. For more than 30 years, the preacher at Elma also preached in Malone and/or Satsop. For about 50 years off and on, Elma and McCleary were yoked in one parish and shared a minister. In 1920, Elma and Malone reported 156 members and two Sunday schools with 205 enrolled. Methodist ministers have a reputation for moving frequently, and Elma preachers were no exception. In the 121 years since chartering, there have been 44 ministers appointed. Twenty-four of those stayed two years or less. Thirteen stayed a year or less. However, in over 100 years, Elma has never been without a preacher.
The activity of the church other than worship and visitation was left almost exclusively in the hands of the local members in the early days. Men were visible organizers and leaders. Sunday School was led by lay people, and the office of the Sunday School Superintendent was a respected community position, held by a man usually equal to the pastor in influence and responsibility. Sunday Schools generally had more adults enrolled than children. The Sunday School Union, uniting Sunday School members of various churches, was an important community organization into the mid-1900's and Elma Methodists were active in it.
We know that women were then, as now, important in the work of the church. "Women's work" in the church from the beginning included the children's and women's sections of the Sunday School, local charities and benevolence work, fund-raising for missions at home and abroad, war relief, and prayer networks. Oakhurst was first a tuberculosis sanatorium, and many Methodist women volunteered their time to patients there. Throughout Oakhurst’s history, United Methodist Women continued to visit patients.
The first regular pastor, arrived in 1884. In 1885, the Methodists purchased land, and the church was built with a parsonage next door. The piece of notebook paper with the signatures of the sixteen who pledged their money and labor to build the parsonage still exists, along with the original parsonage's floor plan. A loan of $1,000 at 6% interest was secured from the Church Extension Committee of the Board of Home Missions, and the church was built according to a standard plan provided by the Board.
The church was not built on the present location, however, but near the Elma "Y" .According to old deeds, the church was probably moved westward into town twice, finally being settled in the present location. 502 West Young was purchased in 1905 for a year's taxes, a total of $3.25. One of our current member’s grandmother was a young child when she saw the church rumbling up Young Street, rolled on logs, pulled by a team of horses.
In 1922, a trade was negotiated for what would become the next door parsonage at 506 W. Young for the next 62 years. We have no record of what was traded to acquire the parsonage, but the owner of the house was an ardent Methodist, and surely the trade was generous in the congregation's favor .
Sometime between 1939-1944 the church was drastically remodeled. A crisis spurred the remodeling effort. The sanctuary was in such a state that a member sarcastically offered his chicken coop for a worship place, because it was "a durn sight better than this one." With that, the congregation moved to prevent the threatened collapse of the building. The walls had to be pulled back into place with pulleys. The building was lengthened by about 10 feet on the west end, and the second-floor classrooms were added. |
History of Elma UMC |
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Elma United Methodist Church |
