In the 1950’s several families from the Yacolt area attended Charter Oak Community Church near Battle Ground. They realized a need to begin a church ministry in Yacolt. Alton (Mac) McDaniel was driving the Charter Oak Sunday school bus and was picking up many children in and around Yacolt. In 1959 Herbert King and his wife of Charter Oak started children’s and youth meetings in homes in the area, with an average attendance of 15. This continued until Easter Sunday, April 17, 1960, when regular Sunday Services started in the old Eaton Grocery Store on Yacolt Street.
In October of 1960, Rev. Peter Wiebe from Alberni, B.C. came to view the situation and decided to help with the work during the winter months. An evening service and prayer meeting were started and visitation work began. In February 1961 the Charter Oak Church gave Pastor Wiebe a call to act as Pastor in the Yacolt Church. The Wiebe family moved to Yacolt in July of that year.
In January of 1962 the church became self-governing, separate from the Charter Oak Church. Later that year the church was incorporated. Lots were purchased, and on July 22, 1962, ground-breaking for the new building at the corner of Cushman and Johnson was held. The first meeting was held in the new facility on October 2, 1962. As the church grew, often seminary students from Western would be called on as part-time pastor while they completed their studies. The work was too small to be able to support a full-time pastor so that is why there were 15 different pastors in the first 25 years.
In 1986 the church purchased two more lots at the corner of Cushman and Jones for parking lot enlargement and possible future building expansion. That same year the church hired their first full-time Pastor.
In 1994 the church began a gym addition to enhance church ministries to the community by supporting youth and Awana programs. Once it was finished and the entire building carpeted, we had outgrown the chapel and moved our Sunday services into the multipurpose room. The church experienced slow but steady growth. Two years later the gym addition was completed and debt free. The program for kids steadily grew and the gym was used more.
Yacolt Community Church owns 12.5 acres of property just west of the North Clark Little League ball fields. Right now we are waiting to see what God’s plans would be to fulfill the mission that God has called us to, reaching the families of this community. We hope someday to build a new church facility to reach many more lives for Jesus in this Yacolt valley.
