At 2 p.m. on May 26, Spokane’s first and oldest church will be celebrating its 140 years in the community.
Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ, chartered on the same date in 1879, has extended an invitation not only to its members and friends but also to the residents of Spokane. The church also hopes to host guests from City Hall, the Spokane Tribe, and from the religious community of Spokane.
Carol Evans, the chairwoman of the Spokane Tribe, will be present to give a greeting to all attending. Two of the church’s founding members were members of the Spokane Tribe.
“The reason we are celebrating is because we have recommitted ourselves to this downtown location,” said the Rev. Andrea CastroLang, the church’s pastor. “We’re drawing attention to the fact that we’ve always been at the heart of the city.”
The celebration will include a display of the church’s original charter with signatures on loan from the Museum of Arts and Culture. There will also be art, new celebration music and tours of the building.
A reception with food will follow the celebration in the social hall.
“We are celebrating 140 years in this community,” said CastroLang, “but we’re also looking ahead to the next 140.”
