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The church used a wood stove for heating until about 1940, when the furnace was installed. Members dug out the basement under the building and the men installed the centralized heating we still use today.
The women have always been a visible and strong presence in the life of the church, first as a Ladies' Aid, then as the Women's Society for Christian Services {WSCS) and the Wesleyan Service Guild {circles for working women), and now as the United Methodist Women. The enduring purpose then as now is to carry out the mission of the United Methodist Church through mission projects, fellowship, prayer and study. The fund-raising projects have varied through the years, but the Elma United Methodist Women have a long history of being one of the highest per member givers in the Vancouver District for global missions, relief, and development.
During the years of 1965-1968, the church was thriving. In fact, it was bursting at the seams. They were the years of the annual Salmon Bake, successful bazaars and rummage sales, and a large choir. The balcony was necessary to seat everyone. There were 200 members, and the year's average worship attendance in 1968 was reported at 97. The Sunday School enrollment was 115. A member sold her house and lot next to the parsonage to the congregation for $5,000. The Sunday School was held in "the old Callow house," upstairs in the church, and tucked in wherever space could be made. It was clear that a church school building was desperately needed.
Soon after, a building committee was formed and serious work was begun to layout long-term building plans for new church facilities. The building committee laid out the plans. First, the education building would be built. Then the parsonage would be replaced. Finally, a church sanctuary would be built on the lot where the parsonage had been . Unfortunately, the next years were difficult. Dissension arose from a variety of individual, congregational, and community circumstances. In less than two years, the congregation declined to an average Sunday attendance of 87, with a church school enrollment of 84. But the work of building went on. It Between 1974-1979 the education building was completed.
By 1983, the parsonage was rapidly deteriorating, and once again the congregation was forced to take up the long-range building plans. In the summer of 1985, a mortgage was signed for a new parsonage located at 112 Hillcrest at a purchase price of $60,500. A year later, the old parsonage was demolished. In 1987 a trust fund was established to provide for the day when the congregation is ready to build a new sanctuary for new generations.
Today, Elma hosts a vibrant, multi-generational congregation that continues to worship together, and reach out to both the community and the world. The historic buildings remain alive not only with Sunday school and worship, but with community events throughout the year. And as members of the Elma community, we continue to host outside organizational meetings ranging from various scouting groups, to weekly meetings of Fresh Start, the Grays Harbor chapter of NA. We remain an active and vital community of Christian worship and a part of the community around us.
We’d love to show you more about our faith community, and look forward to meeting you on Sunday morning.
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To contact us: |
History of Elma UMC (page 2) |
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Elma United Methodist Church |
