Olalla Bible Church Renovation Fund
Monthly Goal:
USD $45,000
Total Raised:
USD $57,251
Raised this month:
USD $37,151
Campaign funds will be received by Olalla Bible Church
Olalla Bible Church Renovation Fund
Olalla Bible Church is a charming old-time church built in 1907 -
a classic beauty with a steeple, a bell, wooden pews, and sparkling white walls.
It sits on a country road in the Pacific Northwest, Washington state, among green grass and towering firs. It's the home to a community of believers that worship and study the Bible together.
Unfortunately it's seen years of excessive rain, and all the wear and tear that come with a wooden building in the Pacific Northwest. The church currently has major foundation issues that need to be addressed in order to keep this historical landmark pristine. That is why this small congregation is seeking the funds to repair the damages that 118 years of Pacific northwest weather has caused.
- This is a breakdown of what is needed
- Foundation Repair: $30K
Interior Esthetics Repair after foundation repair: $25K
Excavation and drainage system: $18K
Exterior Esthetics Repair after foundation repair: $20K
Fencing: $5K
Permits, Possible Oil tank issues, miscellaneous/unforeseen costs: $20K
General Contractor Charges: $12K If we don't reach our goals to finish any one of these phases of work within a reasonable amount of time (a year perhaps) we will return the money.
Matching Donor Praise Report
We have been blessed with a matching donor for all gifts given up to a certain amount so let's praise God for that!
Who we are
History:
The first church structure was built in 1907, at a cost of $1600. It lacked siding, and the interior was unfinished. In 1912, a loan of $400, from a church member, allowed the building to be finished, and lumber was shipped in from Ballard.
The building was first painted in 1922. In 1941, the community took up a collection to add a mourner’s room. The chancel was then redesigned so it would be more useful for the community’s funeral services.
In 1951, attendance began to drop and by November of 1952, services had been discontinued altogether. Many of the last attendees migrated to the Lutheran Church of Gig Harbor.
In 1960, Olalla Bible Church excavated the basement, and in 1961 the old wooden steps were replaced by cement. In 1965, the Sunday school building (east wing) was added.
In 1972, 5 acres to the west of the building were bought for $11,000 and the new C.E. building was begun. It was dedicated to Fred Best in November of 1979.
Olalla Bible Church as an Organization
In the spring of 1956, a series of prayer meetings were held in the homes of interested parties with the purpose of praying for a place of worship and a Sunday school. On May 22, 1956, the first business meeting was held at the home of Hardin Winslow. Mr. Lawrence Canning opened the meeting and Clarence Davis Jr. was elected to act as pastor “for the time being.” Mr. Canning was elected Sunday School Superintendent.
On June 10, 1956, the first Sunday school meeting was held in the Olalla schoolhouse with morning worship following. Evening services were held in the community club.
With attendance reaching over 100 people, the need for a church building became urgent, so they rented the Evangelical Lutheran Church building until 1958 and then bought the building.
In 1977, Jim and Lynda Rider (currently, one of the most well-known pastors in Olalla) came to fill the pulpit and stayed until 1980. They left for other ministry, but returned to Olalla Bible Church in 1989 and pastored the church until he retired in 2018.
In late 2018, Dave Campbell became the current pastor of Olalla Bible Church. His wife, Diane, assists in many things, including secretarial and office skills. Pastor Dave teaches the Bible and ministers in music. He also serves in personal and couple counseling.
Recent Donations
Offline Donation Sept 2024
Sept 2024: Garage Sale
Prayers!
Hope this helps!
Offline Donation:9/1
Offline Donation posted 8/31/2024
Posted 8/31/2024
Offline Donation 8/18/2024
Prayers!
Offline July 2024
Offline June 2024
Blessings
Save our local heritage. The church building is a treasure that should not be lost. It is a treasure for the whole community, not just those attending the church!
Offline May 2024
April 2024
Updates
Update #11 Thank you
September 15th, 2024
The gifts keep coming in! Thank you so very much. God bless you all for your prayers and hard earn financial help. May it be returned to you a hundredfold!
With your generosity, we are 1/3 the way to our original goal. We are indeed grateful. The community of God's people is indeed a blessing. The elders will be discussing our first step forward this week.
Update #10
September 4th, 2024
What a great summer we're having! The donations are coming in steadily and our booth at the Olalla Music Festival brought in a wonderful amount of help! Thank you for those still caring, as well as to our match-funds backer! We're now over $33,000. We have a dinner at the Olalla Winery this month on the 28th which will be another fundraiser for us. If you're interested in obtaining tickets, please contact them. It should be a lovely event. https://www.olallawines.com/
Thank you again!
Update August 13
August 13th, 2024
Thanks to you and our matching donor, we're getting close to where we can begin thinking about the first phases of renovation. We had a lovely yard sale last month, and next Saturday, August 17, I (D.L. Gardner) and my husband will be at the Olalla Americana Music Festival with some information, to answer questions, and taking donations. We'll have a poster with the QR code to this campaign, and we'll also be taking checks made out to the church, so if you plan on attending stop by and talk to us. Bring your friends. Enjoy the music. My husband is the head elder of the church so he'll be able to inform you if you have questions. Look for my author booth and come by and say hi.
Update #8
July 4th, 2024
Funding has slowed this month, although our funds were matched last month. Pastor Dave was interviewed and our efforts are now in the Kitsap Daily News. The concert was held July 29, and there will be a dinner at the Olalla Winery on Sept 28th. Please contact them if you'd like to buy a ticket to this exclusive catered dinner event to help the chapel.
Please also consider sharing this fundraising page with your family and friends. Every little bit helps, and working as a community can see us to our monthly goal of $45,000, which will get repairs started.
We're reaching goals~
June 6th, 2024
Thank you to everyone who has been donating. With the offline donations added in, we have now reached $5,000. This is a great mile post, and a good start! Please spread the word, and share this website with friends and family. Thank you.
Auction Items being accepted
May 17th, 2024
Thank you again to you for both your financial and prayer support.
We are currently accepting auction items. New and perhaps slightly used valuable items for the church's silent auction. We are still in the planning stage as to date and venue but we'd like to make this both a elegant and rewarding event for the community and for our purposes. If you have something you think would be of value, please call and let us arrange a time to meet you at the church for delivery. You can call the church office at (253) 851-4222.
Online Auction
May 8th, 2024
To get us started, Pastor Dave has initiated an online auction. This will complement the silent auction we are planning. This auction goes until May 19. He just put it up today and we'll be adding to it as we go.
Update #4
May 1st, 2024
Thank you everyone for your generous contributions! The church body thanks you wholeheartedly. We have some in-person events in the making for this summer and invite all of you who have an interest in this church building to come be a part of them. We're planning on a silent auction, date to be determined. If any of you have something to donate, please send us a message and we'll let you know if it's something we can use. Also there will be a booth at the Olalla Music Festival where you're welcome to come and visit.
We realize this is a community project as this church has been a hub for many of the folks living here. The congregation at the moment comprises of approximately 30 people, so this is a huge undertaking for us. If you'd like to help spread the word, send an email and we can get you some flyers.
Thank you again, and please do spread the word and this website.
Matching Donor Praise Report
April 22nd, 2024
We have been blessed with a matching donor for all gifts given up to a certain amount so let's praise God for that!
Thank you everyone for your pledges.
April 21st, 2024
If you remember this church from your childhood, have photos, or any stories we'd love to hear them and post them. I'm sure this building has a lot of tales to tell!
Update #2
April 12th, 2024
Beam supports
Prayer Requests
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