History of GCC

1860s – 1900	Gold Rush Days	In the 1860s, gold was discovered on the Weippe Prairie near the town of Pierce, then it was found in the Buffalo Hump and Elk City areas. It didn’t take long for settlers to discover the rich soil of the Camas Prairie, sometimes called the ”black gold” of the area. A fort was established at Mt. Idaho. A grange hall was built in what became known as the town of Grangeville.
June 17, 1877	White Bird Battle, June 17, 1877 Fight of Chief Joseph	In the 1870s, the clashes between white settlers and the Nezperce tribe were becoming more frequent. The US government changed the reservation agreements they had made earlier with the Nezperce, which was the catalyst for the ensuing battles and the fight of the Nezperce across Lolo Pass. There are many interesting books written from both perspectives about this time.
November 18, 1895,	Farmers and ranchers homesteaded on the Camas Prairie	On November 18, 1895, the Nez Perce Reservation was opened for white settlers by the US government.
1895	First Christian churches organized	In 1895, E.A. Chase from Oakland, Oregon, moved to the Camas Prairie and conducted the first service by a minister. This service was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Elijah Adkison four miles west of Grangeville. Mr. Chase preached at the Fairview school house, six miles NE of Grangeville, organizing the first congregation in the vicinity.
1895	Church started in Denver	The American Christian Women’s Missionary Board sent G.F. Stivers, R.E. Dunlap and William Baskett to start a new church at Denver, which was on the route of the future railroad being planned.
1895	Tent meeting held in Grangeville, 1895	In the summer of 1895, an evangelical team from Denver held a tent meeting in the south part Grangeville.
1898	1st railroad tracks completed to Lewiston in 1898	The Northern Pacific built this train route from Spokane, to Pullman, to Moscow, then down the Palouse River Valley, a 2000-ft descent, into the Lewiston area.
1901 - 1910	Stites became railroad boom town.	In 1902, the town of Stewart was renamed Kooskia, and the end of the railroad line was completed in Stites on the Southfork of the Clearwater. Gold from Elk City, along with a steady flow of farming supplies, traveled by horse-driven freighters out of Stites. Grain was transported down to the river by tramways between Winona Butte and Kooskia.
1902	Church started in Winona Butte area	Twenty miles north of Grangeville, Brother John Kincaid founded another congregation. Services were first held in a private home, then in the Red Rock school house until a church building was erected in 1902. This congregation kept its separate identity until 1937. The Higgins family attended this church.
1901	Second tent meeting held in Grangeville, 1901.	The same Denver evangelistic team, this time led by Mr. and Mrs. Leroy F. Stephens, held a six-week meeting in Grangeville on a parcel of land north of Main Street. There were sixteen baptisms after this tent meeting, which resulted in the organization of the Grangeville Christian Church with 28 charter members.
1901 - 1905	C T. McDonald, first minister, 1901 - 1905	Serving as the minister for five years, McDonald was a graduate from Southern Christian University in Texas. He and his brother were practicing attorneys in Grangeville.
October 6, 1901	“Birthday” of GCC	October 6, 1901 is considered the official beginning of the Grangeville congregation. This is the date that the original building was dedicated.
	Original building site on the North side of town.	The original building was located on the corner of W. North 2nd Street and North State. L.F. Stephens, who had been a contractor and builder before becoming a Christian, was the architect and foreman of this project. (This property was sold to the Madison Lumber Company after the church building was moved.)
	P.Y. and Loulie Jessie are married at church.	P.Y. Jesse, better known as “Doc” Jesse, came to Idaho from Arkansas in 1898. Loulie arrived that same year after a 3-month covered wagon journey. These two married at the Grangeville Christian Church on Dec 23, 1903, and soon became an integral part of the congregation. Doc taught adult Bible Class, served as Sunday School Superintendent, and his talents as a carpenter were utilized throughout these early years. Their two daughters, Eva and Opal, were both married and remained in the Grangeville area. Grandchildren include Katherine (Long) Cox, and Barbara (Manes) DeHaas.
1906-1910	H.H. Hubble, minister	Serving from 1906-1910, Mr. Hubble was a graduate of Drake University and a veteran of the Spanish American War. He was the first full-time minister to serve the Grangeville Christian Church.
1908	The Grangeville church building was moved across town., 1908.	In 1907, land for a new location was purchased on the corner of Idaho Avenue and W. South 1st Street. The original building was moved across town by a horse-drawn pulley system in the spring of 1908. The building was enlarged at this time to accommodate the rapidly growing congregation.
1908	The Camas Prairie Railroad arrived in Grangeville in 1908.	The tracks climbed up the Lapwai Canyon to Craigmont, then hugged the sides of Lawyers Creek Canyon to reach Cottonwood. It went through the town of Denver (outside of Fenn) and ended in Grangeville. Trestles and tunnels spanned long distances with grades as steep as 3%.
1909	Tent Revival, 1909	Rev. C.P. Pledger, assistant to Billy Sunday, had revivals in Grangeville for two weeks. “It was quite a thrill to have such a celebrity in town.” (research from Rena Dye)
1910	D. Lloyd Morgan, minster	Started in 1910.
1914	A.F. Van Slyke, minister	Pastor in 1914. At this time, the church was called the Church of Christ.
1916	Walter Callison, minister	Served in 1916. Mentioned as “efficient musicians, who started a fine orchestra and choir in the community.”
1908-1912	Jake Ernest, Sunday School teacher	One of the earliest pictures in the church’s records is a High School Sunday School class in which Mr. Ernest is the teacher. It is estimated to be taken between 1908 - 1912
1910	Keith Fenn, Sunday School Superintendent	Keith was a charter member of the church in 1901. He returned in the 1910s and became a Sunday School teacher and superintendent under Rev. Callison. He wrote much of the historical information about the early years of the church, describing great stories about teaching the Jr. High class in the belfry, 1911-1912.
	E.R. Black, minister
	Oscar Cooper, minister
1918	J.A. Pine	Started in January 1918. He served during the WWI era with his wife and 3 children. There is another picture taken during this time, circa 1910 – 1916.
1918	Spanish Flu Epidemic, 1918	In the fall of 1918, there were no church services and school was stopped, along with all public meetings, until the end of December.
1921-1930	Great Depression era	This started in the fall of 1929 with the stock market crash. Effects of this lasted throughout the early 1930s.
1923	Purchased first parsonage in 1923.	The Ladies Aid purchased a residence at 622 Lake Street for use as a parsonage.
1924	O.A. Ismail, minister	Started in 1924. He baptized Eva Jesse when she was 12 years old.
1928	E I. Mitchell, minister	Started in 1928.
1932	F. R. Jamison, minister	Started in 1932.
1935	Hubert E. Sias, minister	Started in 1935. He came from Northwest Christian College at “the close of the depression of the early thirties, when the church was at a very low ebb both spiritually and financially.” (Eva Jesse Manes) He helped revitalize the congregation and was minister during the time of the south side annex project in 1937.
	Jasper Havens, minister
	G.W. Lawson, minister
1937	The Winona congregation combined with Grangeville’s in 1937.	Winona church maintained its separate identity until 1937. When the two congregations combined, Winona gave their pews and pulpit to the Grangeville church. The original pulpit from the Winona church is currently located in the GCC library.
1937	Social hall and annex added onto existing building in 1937.	The need for more classroom space and a social hall prompted this addition, added to the south side of the building. This was dedicated in October of 1937. The guest speaker was W.F. Turner of Seattle.
1944	Lew Brown, minister	Started in 1944.
1946	Bill Harris, minister	Started in 1946. Basement project started while he was minister.
1947	Jim Updyke, minister	Started in 1947. Minister during the dedication of basement project.
1948	Basement was added.	In 1948, the church needed more classroom space and more adequate heating equipment. So, starting in July of that year, a basement was hand-dug under the entire main building. “During the next two years extensive remodeling of the main building and completing the work in the basement has resulted in a very satisfactory and commodious house of worship.” (K.O. Fenn, charter member, 1953)
1948	A bell was purchased in 1948.	The original church had a bell tower, or belfry. From Keith Fenn’s stories, it sounds like it first housed a fire bell that would ring when there was need of a fire alarm in town. When Mr. Fenn was teaching a class in the belfry, there wasn’t a bell. The Methodists sold their bell to the Christian Church in 1948 for $100. According to Mr. Fenn, “this was the first church bell ever to ring in Grangeville, calling people to worship and it is still sounding out its clarion call every Lord’s Day.” (written in 1973). This bell is still in storage, waiting for a place of honor in the new building someday.
1952	New Parsonage built.	In the fall of 1952, Mrs. Lila Hollingshed donated the city lots located at 210 S. Idaho. The Lake Street parsonage was sold, and the new parsonage was built for approx. $14,000. This was Doc Jesse’s last building project. The new parsonage was dedicated on Sept. 20, 1953. The dedicatory speaker was Earl H. VanDoren, area minister for Washington and North Idaho.
1950	Glenn Warner, minister	Served in the early 1950’s. He was the minister at the time the new parsonage was being built.
1956	Dorsey Dent, minister	Started in 1956.
1957	John Stotsenberg, minister	Started in 1957.
1957	Another addition built.	In 1957, a new office space, pastor’s study, and a classroom for the “Who So Ever” class was added to the west side of the existing building, along the back side of the church.
1958	John Strong, minister	Served 1958 – March 1960.
1958	Adjoining property purchased.	Parking was becoming quite a problem, so in 1958, a 50-ft. parcel was purchased on the west side of the existing building along W. South 1st Street. Then, in 1961, another 75 feet of property was purchased. This is where the current educational wing is located today.
1959	Herb and Georgia Shrom, teacher and elder	Keith Fenn mentions Herb and his wife joining the congregation as “new converts” in 1959. Herb was an elder for many years; his sons are some of our “Timothies.”
1960	Vern Hunt, minister	Started the fall of 1960.
1962	Dick Hake, minister	Started around 1962
	Marion McQuary, interim minister
1967	R.A. McDonald, minister	Served around 1967.
1969	Darrel Johnson, minister	Served around 1969 for four years.
1972-1977	Jack Pinkley, minister	Served from 1972 – 1977. He was one of the church’s longest serving ministers. At this time, the church was called the “First Christian Church.”
1977	Carlton Buck, interim minister	This was the first time that Carlton served as an interim for the church, from August 1977 – 1978. His wife Frieda came with him during this time.
1978-1981	Richard Butler, minister	Served from 1978 – 1981.
	First church secretary	First church secretary was hired in 1978.
1980-1981	Don Johnson, minister	Served in 1980 – 1981.
1981	Dewey Kooy, interim minister	Short interim stay in 1981
1982-1989	Bob Wood, pastor	Served at GCC for 7 years, from 1982 – 1989. During this time, the church changed its name to “Grangeville Christian Church.”
1984	Congregation continues to grow.	By November 1984, the congregation had outgrown the original sanctuary. They went to two worship services with Sunday School held in between the two services. On Easter Sunday 1986, the congregation had one worship service that was held in the multipurpose room of the elementary school with 250 people in attendance. By 1990, the congregation held three worship services.
1989	Decision to build new sanctuary, 1989	Plans and prayers were ongoing to start a new building project. The decision was made in 1989 by starting a building fund with $500,000 set aside.
	Lydia Jones Grubb, associate	Lydia was born and raised in Grangeville. She was the Sunday School Superintendent for many years, and also the first to help fill in as an associate during this time of growth. She married Jim Grubb and moved to the Post Falls area to start a new ministry, called Real Life Ministries. GCC supported Real Life’s start up.
1987	Kevin Hill, associate pastor	Stepping out in faith, the congregation hired the first full-time associate pastor in 1987.
1989-1991	Bill Miller, pastor	Served from August 20, 1989, to early 1991.
1991	Dr. Newell Morgan, interim	Short-term interim during 1991.
1991	New building project started for “Phase 1”: new fellowship hall and educational wing.	As the church attendance grew, planning and praying continued in earnest to build a fellowship hall, kitchen, office area with pastor’s and associate pastor’s study, and two-level educational wing. Bonds were sold to the members.
1992	Carlton Buck, interim for the 2nd time, 1992 - 1993	Carlton was a great blessing for our congregation. He provided sound guidance for the leadership and gave the church body a much-needed time for healing and growth. Carlton wrote poems and song lyrics, many of which are widely-known around the U.S. (“I Believe in Miracles”) He wrote several songs for our church using familiar tunes. (“Little White Church on the Prairie”) (See hymnary.org)
1992	Chris Blair, pastor	Served at Grangeville for 5 years, 1992 – July 1998 Currently in the Redmond, Oregon area.
1993	Coby Tefft, youth pastor	Served in 1993 with Chris Blair.
	Kevin Duden, youth pastor	Served with Chris Blair.
1993	The congregation moved into the new building, 1993	The congregation officially started worship services in the new fellowship hall during Easter, April 11, 1993. The Dedication Ceremony for the new building took place during the Holiday Dinner on December 12, 1993. During these years, it took the entire congregation to change from the worship service space into a fellowship space with tables and chairs for dinners.
1994	The original church building was torn down, 1994.	The original church building was torn down bit by bit. Many things from the original building were lovingly salvaged and stored. The old basement was filled in and a lawn was planted on this corner lot. This space was used for picnics and outdoor activities over the next few years while planning stages started for the new sanctuary.
1995	Stephanie Jordan, Minister to Children	Planning for Noah’s Ark Preschool started on May 18, 1995. The preschool room is located in the corner room of the basement in the educational wing. During this time, Stephanie became the head teacher for the preschool. She served as Minister to Children, overseeing all children’s programs for many years.
1999	Harold Gott, pastor	Longest serving pastor, blessing GCC and the community of Grangeville for 19 years, from February 1999 – June 30, 2018.
October 2001	100th Birthday Celebration	There are many testimonies written during this celebration. Watch for links to more stories here.
2001	Brian Carter, associate	Served in 2001 with Harold Gott
	Lloyd Pounds, associate	Served with Harold Gott
2008	Broke ground to start new sanctuary.	Officially broke ground for the new sanctuary. Watch here for more information about this construction process.
Spring 2011	Dedication of new sanctuary.	The dedication of the new sanctuary took place over several weeks, along with a large celebration for the church’s 110th birthday. More stories and information will be added here.
2013	Tom Helmick, associate, Minister to Seniors	Served with Harold Gott from 2013 until June 30, 2019. Tom was the first associate pastor to live in the house across the street, with his wife, Nancy.
2018-2024	Dave Sanchez, pastor	Served from August 2018 until August 2024 Currently serving in Kansas.
2020-2023	Freddy Chacko, associate pastor	Served with Dave Sanchez from Feb 2020 until May 2023. Currently serving at Vineyard Church of Marysvill.
2020	COVID pandemic	For the second time in the church’s history, schools and meeting places were shut down due to a worldwide pandemic, starting in March of 2020. During this time, church services were held out at the Drive-In Theatre. Families sat in their cars or in the back of their pickups. Freddy and Dave preached from a flatbed hay trailer.
2024	Clay Boyd, interim associate pastor	Served from January 2024 – July 2024.
2024-2025	Stephanie Jordan, GCC administrator
2025	George Lichti, pastor	Started serving in March 2025.