The history of First Presbyterian Church of Baker City, Oregon is eventful and rich in efforts to follow Jesus Christ and serve God's people in Eastern Oregon and beyond. Our pastors and co-pastors have provided strong vision and leadership to these efforts over the years and we sincerely thank them for their direction and counsel.

Following is a chronological history of our church:

1831 – Nez Perce delegation to St. Louis seeking Christian missionaries and their Bible.

1836 – In response to the Nez Perce delegation and their request, Dr. and Mrs. Marcus Whitman and Rev. and Mrs. Henry Spalding crossed the Rocky Mountains traveling through “Lone Pine” Valley (now Baker Valley) and established Presbyterian missions near Fort Walla Walla and Lapwai, Washington. Narcissa Whitman and Elizabeth Spalding were the first white women to travel the Oregon Trail.

1838 – First Presbyterian Church of Oregon Territory (the Whitman Mission) was established.

1847 – The Whitman Mission was burned to the ground and the Whitmans and 12 other persons were massacred. An epidemic of measles caused the death of many Indian children and the missionaries' medicine could not help them. A band of Cayuse Indians, probably thinking the children had been poisoned, attacked the mission.

1851--The Presbytery of Oregon--Pacific Northwest was organized by Reverend Robert Robe.

1852 – The Presbyterian Synod of the Pacific is established and includes all land west of the Rockies.

1883 – The railroad came through Baker City and the current Baker Valley.

1884 – Baker City Presbyterian Church founded. Rev. J. Shepard Bingham was appointed the first Pastor. We have no record of where services were held for the first four years.

1888 – The first Presbyterian Church Building was erected on the present church site at the southwest corner of Fourth and Washington streets. The land for the building was donated by the Ladies' Aid Society, which had purchased the lot from the school district. The cost of this first church building was $4000.

1894 – Rev. J.R.N. Bell became pastor. He was Baker City's Presbyterian Pastor from 1893 to 1897 and again from 1900 to 1906.  While here he helped our church become financially self-sufficient and a resolution to become self-supporting was passed on February 24th, 1902.

Born in VA in 1846, Rev. Bell served in the Confederate Army, was ordained  a Methodist-Episcopal South minister in 1876.  Served as a M.E.S. minister in Ashland , Roseburg and Corvallis.  Oregon State University was originally Corvallis College under the M.E.S.Church and Dr. Bell became a Regent.  He transferred to the Presbyterian Church in 1885.  He sponsored the Pine Valley Church and the Sumpter Church, established the Roseburg "Review" newspaper and the Oregon Teacher's Journal.  He built the Corvallis Church, and Bell Field in Corvallis is named after him.  He lived to 100 years old to the day, dying in Corvallis.

1902 – Church went from mission status to self-supporting.

1923 -- Women become eligible to hold the office of deacon and 9 women were elected to the Board of Deacons on April 15th of this year.

1930 – The Depression brought financial problems and drop in membership.

1950 – New Church building planned under Pastor Dr. Wm. Thompson. (At this time the Baker Church donated many dollars to national rebuilding and supported a family who were refugees of the war in Europe.)

1954 -- The new church building was dedicated on April 6th. The cost of this building was $106,720, exclusive of furniture and landscaping.

1950-1963 – Women operated thrift store on Broadway Ave. to raise money for building improvements, church programs, and charitable causes.

1959 – Mabel Erickson and Carolyn Morris elected as first female elders.

1960 – Manse on 9th Drive built. Membership of 439 so we started 2 services, 9am and 11am.

1962 – As part of the ecumenical movement taking place in the United States, a tradition of holding joint meetings with the Methodist and Episcopal Churches was started. This tradition continues today with joint Vacation Bible School and Lenten services.

1963 – Church members wrote their congressmen to enact civil rights legislation and subsequently the Civil Rights Bill at the urging of the Synod office and elders of the church.

1967 – Burned mortgage for building on March 6.

1974 – The church was damaged by a serious fire caused by a Junior High student smoking in the church alley. We met at Methodist Church for 6 months while the church was repaired, cleaned, and repainted. The light wood of sanctuary was stained dark to cover the smoke damage.

Late 1970s– Private Kindergarten met at Church before Kindergarten was part of public school system.

1982 -- Baker Cooperative Preschool started in the former kindergarten rooms of church.

1983 – First Co-Pastors, Lowell and Stephanie Byall serve our church. Stephanie was the first female pastor of Baker First Presbyterian Church.

1989 – First solo female pastor Judy Marshall serves as interim.

1999 – Construction and dedication of the Mildred Rogers Fellowship Hall. The fully accessible Rogers Hall serves as a gathering point not only for our congregation, but the community at large. Read the sermon “Put it on the Lawn” by Pastor Susan Barnes for the history of this important part of our church.

 

2001 – The former fellowship hall in the church basement is refurbished for the Presbyterian Youth Group (PYG) to use as their “PYG Pen” for recreation and fellowship.

2002 – The church sanctuary is remodeled, with the dark wood in the front of the sanctuary (stained when the 1974 fire) being replaced with light oak. Pews are reupholstered and new carpeting is laid in the sanctuary.

2003 – Rogers Fellowship Hall is paid off and a mortgage burning celebration is held on September 28.

 

More information on the history of First Presbyterian Church in Baker City, OR can be found in One Hundred Years of First Presbyterian Church, Baker City, Oregon: Blest Be The Tie....1884-1984. Edited by Betty Kuhl, Centennial Chairperson. Published in 1984 by J.R. Evans and others, 49 pp. Copies of this document are located in the church library.