Faith Lutheran Church (Toppenish, Wash.)

Faith Lutheran can trace its origins back to an Indian Mission established by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Rev. Frederick Geiswinkler was serving the field for a number of years, but in the middle 1930s, the LCMS decided that they could not continue supporting the mission. Rev. Geiswinkler appealed to other groups for support and Gus Adolf, a member of the community, received support from the North Pacific District of the ALC. The District extended a call to Geiswinkler and on November 1, 1936, Faith was formally organized as a member of the ALC with 32 charter members. The first unit of the church was dedicated in 1939 and a new sanctuary designed by Rev. Oscar Reitz, was built in 1956-57. In 1940 a narthex area was added to the church. Through the years the congregation has worked closely with minorities, especially the Hispanic groups. The congregation has a co-op pre-school and also is the headquarters for the Hispanic Lutheran Ministry of the Yakima Valley. Spanish-speaking and bi-lingual services are held regularly. The Head Start program has used the church facilities for many years.