Manito Presbyterian Church.

Manito Presbyterian Church was established on April 26,1908 in a small chapel at 29th Avenue and Latawah St. The back of the first church plate reads “1905 – First Record of Manito Park Sunday School.” An article in the Spokesman Review on April 27, 1908 read “Manito Presbyterian Church is at the corner of 29th Avenue and Latawah street. The building was but recently completed and the Rev. Mr. Parks made pastor.”

First mention of Manito in the minutes of the Presbytery of Spokane was on October 2, 1907, in a report by Pastor-at-Large George Hagemann, who duty was to canvass and preach in the outlying areas of the Presbytery. On April 23, 1908 a petition having 19 signatures pledging membership and 12 additional signatures pledging support was presented asking that a Presbyterian church be organized at Manito Park.

Bethel Presbyterian Church made the application for a grant mortgage of $600 for the lot and chapel of Manito Presbyterian Church since Manito was not yet incorporated. The church was formally organized on April 26, 1908.

There were lean years ahead. The pastor was paid just $12 per month plus any extra amount taken in each Sunday and left over after the bills were paid. In February 19110, the Reverend Albert McClain provided pastoral services at both Manito and Rosevale (now Bethany) at a salary of $50 from Manito and $125 from Roseville per month. However, in 1908 better times appeared and the Reverend Leo Toten provided leadership. In 1912 the membership approved construction of a new church and a pastoral salary of $600.

Manito dedicated its new building on January 10, 1914. In 1918 the Reverend B. Scott Bates, then president of Whitworth College, served Manito for one year. After WWI in 1919 membership reacher 162 with 55 in regular attendance.

In 1920 the church bought its first manse and paid off the mortgage in 1940.

Hard times again appeared with the Great Depression but the work of the church continued. In the minutes of the April 1933 Congregational meeting Pastor Merle Edwards stated that he would cancel $100 of his salary as his gift to the church, and recommended that his salary be only $1500 per month. In the same tight budget $13 was allotted for the “Anti-Saloon League”!

In the summer of 1933 Pastor Edwards resigned and left because there were not enough resources to support a young pastor with a wife and three children.

In September of 1933 Rev. Hugh T. Mitchelmore came and stayed for almost four years. The church, still facing hard times, called the Rev. William I. Livingston, a retired pastor. He served two years. In the fall of 1938 the Rev. Evert Top proved to be the right person to build the congregation. He served until July 1958.

The year 1939 marked the beginning of a new era for Manito. The membership increased ten-fold, the Church School enrollment soared and new organizations were formed and prospered. The cornerstone for a new sanctuary was laid in 1956 and the completed building was dedicated on May 4, 1956. A new wing was finished and dedicated in 1940. I provided Church School rooms, assembly hall and additional office space.

In 1947 the first unit of the permanent Church School was built with the men of Manito doing much of the labor. Church membership stood at 522 and the Sunday school enrollment had climbed to 416. Then in 1951, the membership gradually acquired the building east of the church to be used as the new manse, a custodian’s home on the corner across Latawah, and 13 lots for a proposed new sanctuary’ a second unit for the Church School, and a parking area. The second unit of the Church School was completed in May 1953. Again, enrollment increased and it was necessary to have two church services each Sunday and two Church School services.

The new sanctuary was dedicated May 4, 1958. In July 1958 Reverend Top passed away and the Rev. Raymond W. Moody was called on Feb. 1, 1959. Growth continued even through the social unrest of the 1960s. In June of 1975 Dr. Moody resigned . His successor, the Rev. Ervin G. Roorda began his ministry with the congregation.

In 1983 there were 144 children enrolled in the Church School, ages two through sixth grade, with 25 teachers.

All of this nearly was nearly lost during the ministry of the Rev. Dr. L. Douglas Waggoner who proceeded to lead 85% of the congregation away in the Fall of 2001 in a dispute with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.). However, the situation was saved by the prompt intervention of the Inland Empire Presbytery, which provided emergency pastoral leadership to the remaining members of Manito. The church retained its property and is slowing growing under the leadership of the Rev. Scott Starbuck. Starbuck, a graduate of Whitworth College, began his ministry in December of 2001.

From the guide to the Manito Presbyterian Church Records, 1908-2003, 1955-2001, (Whitworth University Archives)