Church revives inside and out

Before work came prayer.

As volunteers prepared to prime the exterior walls of Lighthouse Tabernacle on Saturday, they bowed their heads and listened to the words of Bishop Walton Mize.

“Lord, we thank you for the blessing of this day,” said Mize, blessing the paint that would soon coat the trim and siding of this historic South Hill church. “We thank you for the opportunity to share and work together on a house that you say is hallow.”

Mize considered selling the old building in 1989, when he first moved to Spokane to become the state overseer of Christ Holy Sanctified Church of America. There was no parking in the neighborhood, he thought, no room to grow.

“I prayed about it,” the bishop recalled, “and the Lord distinctly told me I couldn’t sell it because it’s hallowed ground.”

Members of Lighthouse Tabernacle and others have been grateful for that decision. The church’s upkeep hasn’t been easy for this congregation of about 20, but many consider this sanctuary their second home.

With help from the Spokane Preservation Advocates, church members have embarked on a restoration project that will improve the exterior of this near-century-old church located at 25th Avenue and Grand Boulevard. They began about two weeks ago by power-washing the building’s rustic stone façade and weeding the garden. On Saturday, volunteers from the preservation group worked side-by-side with church members to paint.

The restoration happening outside the church is a reflection of the momentum taking place inside, some say.

After years of declining membership, Lighthouse Tabernacle is experiencing a revival, members say. On Sundays, visitors and others in the community have been joining this small Pentecostal congregation as they praise and worship God with soulful sermons and lively rhythm and song. The church is also looking for a new pastor.

“There’s suddenly a lot of excitement for what the church can be,” said Mize, who’s serving as the interim pastor. “We know something is going on in this congregation. God is doing something – we’re not sure exactly where he’s going, but wherever he goes, we go with him.”

The congregation of Lighthouse Tabernacle started worshipping together 42 years ago in a South Hill church on Pittsburg Avenue. In 1973, it moved to its current building, which was previously occupied by a United Methodist congregation.

The history of the actual church building is unclear. While the cornerstone states “1887-1936, First Evangelical Church,” records from the Historic Landmark Survey housed in the Spokane Library’s Northwest Collection indicate that the building was erected in 1910 as St. James Episcopal Church. The church’s late Gothic Revival architecture also was praised in a 1921 issue of “Architect and Engineer,” according to library records.

It’s quite possible that the cornerstone was moved from another church to its current location, said Steve Franks, a volunteer with Spokane Preservation Advocates for the last seven years.

Church members have been trying to fix the building for some time, but it was clear they needed help, said Suzanne Bonacum, who became a member of Lighthouse Tabernacle 10 years ago. Last month, her prayers were answered when she met Ann Cronkhite of the Spokane Preservation Advocates.

Cronkhite, who often drives by the building, had long admired the building and its historic significance. At the same time, it saddened her to see the church slowly fall apart. So Cronkhite stopped by one Sunday and offered the services of the nonprofit preservation group.

Every month, the group sponsors a “Doing It” project by providing volunteers and supplies to help fix a historical building or home, she explained. They chose Lighthouse Tabernacle this month and received a donation of paint from Columbia Paint & Coatings.

“It’s such a distinct little church,” said Jacqui Halvorson, president of Spokane Preservation Advocates and one of the more than two dozen volunteers who helped paint on Saturday. Halvorson, who grew up in the neighborhood, recalled how she used to walk past the church every day on her way to Hutton Elementary. “It’s considered a landmark,” she said.

Church members were grateful for the help.

Abram Klebanoff, who joined Lighthouse Tabernacle a month ago, said it was the structure itself – the exterior of rough, uncut stones – that first drew him to the church. “The tug of the Holy Spirit,” however, is what keeps him there, he said.

In the same way that old church buildings need to be restored on a regular basis, so, too, do the people who make them their spiritual home, said Bishop Mize.

Membership at Lighthouse Tabernacle has fluctuated over the years, he said. There was a time when as many as 100 people would crowd into the tiny church. While many of its members over the years have been black, Lighthouse Tabernacle welcomes everyone, said Bonacum. “The love is what drew me,” she said.

Although the church has few members now, those who attend are experiencing a renewal that’s drawing others to Lighthouse Tabernacle, said Mize.

“There’s a change in attitude, a change in the overall desire to fulfill the mission of the church and to preach the Gospel,” he said.

Working together with the Preservation Advocates has been a good experience for the congregation, said Klebanoff.

“It is a great thing when people come together to beautify the house of God,” he said.