Beginnings
Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church
came into being when a group of members from Grace Evangelical Lutheran
Church, under the guidance of their pastor, the Rev. T.R. Adascheck, launched
a mission outreach program to be conducted in the western part of Yakima.
Seventeen families, numbering 43 communicants and 70 souls, volunteered
to form the nucleus of the new mission.
The new mission congregation was officially organized on July 25, 1948. Under the first officers of the congregation -- Mr. John Miller, Mr. Ernest Luepke, and Mr. Louis Krug -- a constitution, which was recommended by the District Mission Board, was adopted. About a month later, on August 16, a call was issued to pastor George Frey of Clarkston, Washington. He was led by the Spirit to accept the call and was installed as Redeemer’s first resident pastor on November 14, 1948. The following Sunday regular Sunday worship services were begun at the facilities of the Keith and Keith Funeral Chapel.
On September 19, 1948 the congregation decided to purchase three lots for about $4,000 at 415 South 31st Avenue. This was to be the site for the missions church building. About the same time as the land was purchased, application was made to borrow $15,000 from the Wisconsin Synods Church Extension Fund to finance the erection of a suitable chapel on the newly purchased site.
With each step, excitement began to build. The congregation asked the Rev. M.J. Witt to draw plans for the chapel, modeled after Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Spokane. On Sunday, December 18, 1949, following the service, the members of the congregation drove to the building site for groundbreaking ceremonies. Under the guidance of the building committee -- Mr. A.C. Waldbauer, Mr. Henry Miller, Mr. Ted Poulson, and Mr. Ernest Luepke -- forms for the footings were constructed during the week following Christmas, but cold weather prevented pouring the concrete.
Work on the construction of the church was resumed on March 9, 1950 with the footings poured on March 13 and the foundation walls poured on April 13. Construction moved forward steadily until the first part of June when most of the work was halted due to the failure of the Weyerhaeuser Lumber Company to deliver the roof trusses on account of a strike at their Longview plant. The trusses were finally received in late August and were put into place early in September. The brick work on the outside was completed about the middle of October.
About this time a shortage of funds developed
in the Church Extension Fund. As a result, the Synod was able to
loan the congregation only $13,000 of the $15,000 that was requested.
Application was made to borrow an additional $8,000 from this fund to complete
the building. This request was granted but no assurance was given
as to when the money would be available. The congregation raised
over $800 to meet its current bills and borrowed an additional $3000 from
other sources. This allowed for the completion of the basement.
With the basement almost completed, it
was decided that the remaining work on the church would be done entirely
with donated labor from the members and friends of the congregation, under
the guiding hand of Mr. A.C. Waldbauer. And so it was that a year
and a half later, with several thousand hours of volunteer labor, the church
was dedicated on July 27, 1952.
The congregation at this time numbered
84 souls and 57 communicants. Pastor Frey wrote in the dedication
folder, Much remains to be done before the building is entirely completed.
But we are confident that the Lord will guide our members with a will and
a zeal to work at our task until it is complete. It is our dedicated
task to use our church solely for the work of bringing the Gospel of salvation
to souls lost in sin. May the truth of Gods Word sound forth at all
times from our pulpit.
In July of 1960, Charles Tessmer, a seminary graduate, arrived to become the congregations second resident pastor. During his pastorate the parsonage was built and he was married. The open house for the new parsonage was held in October, 1962. Pastor Tessmer remained with the congregation until July of 1967 when he accepted a call to a congregation in Wisconsin.
Pastor Arthur Valerio of Grace in Zillah was asked to serve as vacancy pastor. This vacancy ended one year later when Marc Diersen was ordained and installed as pastor of the congregation in July of 1968. He remained with the congregation until the spring of 1973.
In August of 1973 the congregation extended a call to Pastor Arthur Valerio of Wilmot, Wisconsin to be its pastor. He accepted the call and was installed in September of 1973 as the congregations fourth resident pastor. The end of 1984 brought another change in pastors. Pastor Valerio accepted a call to serve as mission explorer in Juneau, Alaska and left in January of 1985.
Pastor James Oldfield of Divine Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Renton, Washington accepted the call and was installed as Redeemers fifth pastor on February 24, 1985.
In 1992, Pastor Mark Franck of Nampa, Idaho was installed as Redeemers sixth pastor. Pastor Franck served Redeemer until July 5, 1998 when he accepted a call to Howell, Michigan.
Our present pastor, Rev. Kevin P. Westra, was installed on November 8, 1998 in an evening service. The president of the district, Pastor Warren Widmann was the installer, with pastor Vaughn Vogel as the Liturgist. There were a total of 8 WELS pastors who participated in the laying on of hands. Long time friend and fellow pastor Thomas Unke, preached the installation sermon with the theme of "Tell Them What You Know"! The pastors present were:
Rev. Warren Widmann - Senior
pastor, Grace, Portland, OR. and District President.
Rev. Vaughn Vogel - Pastor, King
of Kings, Kennewick, Wa.
Rev. Thomas Unke - Pastor, Faith,
Tacoma, WA.
Rev. Melvin Teske - Pastor, Grace,
Yakima, Wa.
Rev. Carl Schomberg - Pastor,
Grace, Zillah, WA.
Rev. Daniel Voight - Evergreen
Lutheran High School, Des Moines, Wa.
Rev. Thomas Vallesky - Pastor,
Our Savior, East Wenatchee, WA.
Rev. Jonathan Bilitz - Associate
Pastor, Grace, Portland, OR.
While also burning the mortgage, the congregation celebrated its 30th anniversary of the dedication and cornerstone laying with a special worship service at 4:00 on September 27, 1981. Pastor George Frey was the guest speaker at this special occasion.
In 1981, the congregation numbered 114
communicants and 132 souls. May the congregation continue to
use the church building as the center for sound Gospel preaching and mission
outreach into the community.
A congregation is not just a building
and pastors, however. A Christian congregation is people -- precious
souls brought into the household of faith in Jesus Christ, nurtured and
kept in that faith. It is people -- children of God serving one another
in love and striving to win others for eternal life through Jesus.
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