Pastor ending 37 years at Plymouth church

In 1969, former members of Westminster Congregational Church had been worshipping for a few years in an old synagogue at 1502 W. Eighth Ave. that they had bought and renamed Plymouth Congregational Church.

That same year, Don Gilmore had been working at a Methodist church in Cincinnati and was looking for a change.

The members of Plymouth put out the word that they were looking for a new pastor, and Gilmore answered the call.

“I thought, ‘How romantic, how wonderful,’ ” Gilmore said of moving to the wilderness of the Northwest. He, his wife, Natalie, and their children moved to the Spokane area.

Now it’s 37 years later, and after hundreds and hundreds of Sunday morning services, baptisms, marriages and memorial services, Gilmore is ready to move on to the next chapter of his life. Easter Sunday will be his final service.

“I’m not thinking of it as retiring,” he said. “I’m going to be finishing this work and starting something else. I want to do what the Lord wants me to do.”

Gilmore is planning on writing books, something he has been doing over the years but wants to have more time to do.

“I love to write,” he said.

He has written the books “In the Mist,” “Freedom to Fail,” “Standing in the Gap,” “Praying through Crisis” and five others. He also has worked on the radio program, “Perspectives for Living” for the past 25 years.

Gilmore is proud of his accomplishments at Plymouth, but he is especially proud of the congregation’s dedication to prayer and having a social conscience.

“I feel really good about where we come from and what we’re about,” he said.

After Easter, Natalie, his wife of 52 years, will continue with her prayer ministry, but Gilmore will have to find another place to worship.

Ministerial ethics dictate that he can’t stay with the same church – he doesn’t want to interfere with the new pastor’s ministry.

But at the 10 a.m. service on Easter Sunday, Gilmore will be joined by Natalie and three of their four children to celebrate the end of an era at Plymouth.

“We’ve been blessed,” he said of his time at the church. “It’s just been a joy.”