Shiloh Hills Baptist

Shiloh Hills Baptist Church had its beginnings as the First Swedish Baptist Church of Spokane, which was organized by seven church pioneers in 1894. With the aid and encouragement of F.R. Goranson and missionary Mathilda Malmberg, these seven founding members began the work of First Swedish Baptist at its first formal meeting on April 7 of that year. The charter members included Mrs. Greta Backlund, Gina Erickson, Kristine Peterson, Axel Norin, Erick Swedlund, Andrew Swedlund, Gust and Mrs. Hanna Peterson. Until the call of its first pastor, leadership was provided by Reverend A.G. Hall from Tacoma, and Mathilda Malmberg. All historical records indicate that Miss Malmberg played a significant role in the founding and function of the early church.

Reverend August Olson, pastor of Swedish Baptist in Seattle, accepted the call to be the first pastor of the Spokane church and began his work on December 2, 1894. Prior to this, the church had been meeting at a mission station of First American Baptist on the corner of Pine and 4th streets. After Pastor Olson came, the church rented a storeroom in the Norden Hotel on Riverside and took the name Swedish Tabernacle. The church grew quickly and soon moved to the Cottage Hotel (later renamed the Arlington Hotel). A branch Sunday School was soon organized in the Union Park area and enrollment at the two locations was 225.

One of the leading lights of the young church was Brother Z.P. Dethlof, father of Mrs. Grace White, Mrs. Evangeline Edwards and Mrs. Gale Beals, longtime Broadway/Shiloh Hills members. Mr. Dethlof and his future wife, Mathilda Marberg, were instrumental in the building project of the church that would later become Broadway Baptist Church.

Pastor C.A. Boberg became the second pastor of First Swedish in December of 1898. It was during his ministry that property was purchased near downtown Spokane at the corner of Adams and Broadway, and plans were drawn up for a church building not to exceed the finished cost of $3,500. The building was completed and ready for dedication on November 2, 1902. The church at this time was supported by the American Baptist Home Missions Society and this organization aided in the funding of the building project. The actual final cost of the project was $5,607. The body of First Swedish was thrilled and thankful for its new church home. Attendance continued to grow and it wasn't long until the church had a vision to begin a new work in another part of Spokane. After serving as pastor for four years, Reverend Boberg left the church along with 17 members of First Swedish to plant a new church at Union Park.

Reverend Karl Lundin arrived in Spokane in February 1904, and became the third pastor of the church. While Reverend Lundin was shepherd of the First Swedish family, the church became self-supporting, no longer needing the aid of the Home Mission Society. It was also around that time that the Eastern Washington Missionary Society was formed by the church, with E.O. Nelson and J. Paul Erickson serving as missionaries.

During the pastorship of Reverend Charles Asplund, which began on January 12, 1910, the church grew in numbers such that it was necessary to expand the east wall of the church building by several feet to accommodate the ever-growing congregation. Pastor Asplund served for five years after which Reverend Andrew Schwartz was called to lead First Swedish. The attendance and financial support of the church began to dwindle due to the country being plunged into World War I and many members moving to the coast where wages were higher. Throughout these years of struggle, the remaining faithful attenders of First Swedish prayed for God's guidance and growth for the church.

In February 1919, Reverend George Erickson, a soon-to-be graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary, came to serve as pastor. Reverend Erickson was a progressive pastor and recognized the need for change if the church were to survive. One of the major changes that he instituted was that English slowly began to replace Swedish as the primary language used in worship services. This allowed the church to progress from strictly a Swedish church to one that a greater variety of people could attend. The church once again began to flourish.

On January 1, 1921, the first mortgage was burned. Pastor Erickson soon went on to become associate editor of the "Swedish Standard," the denominational magazine of the Baptist General Conference today called "The Standard."

Reverend D.M. Anderson became the seventh pastor of the church in June 1923. He took a vital interest in the children of the church, and under his efforts and enthusiasm, the Sunday School grew considerably. After the Andersons moved to San Francisco, the call was extended and accepted by Reverend C.G. Emanuel in May, 1928. The church continued to thrive and it soon became evident that expansion was again necessary. A new Sunday School wing and pastor's study were added in the spring of 1929 for $2,500.

In March 1931, Reverend Don Shogren came to be pastor. Since the church no longer used Swedish and had a more diversified following, the name was changed to Broadway Baptist Church in 1932. Around this time, the church began a radio ministry at KFIO Radio with a program called "The Voice of Broadway Baptist Church." The program included a message by Pastor Shogren as well as music provided by members of Broadway.

Under the leadership of Revered J.J. Oberg, which began in July 1935, the church purchased a bus to transport young people to and from Sunday School. Christian Education was a focus for the church and several of Broadway's young people dedicated themselves to full-time ministry as a result of this emphasis.

On July 26, 1942, revered Everett Backlin preached his first sermon as pastor of Broadway. While Reverend Backlin was pastor, the church celebrated its 50th Golden Jubilee on April 12-16, 1944. Attendance had risen to over 200 and once again, an expansion project was undertaken and a large multipurpose basement room was added. This was a major project for the church that required the excavation of the "solid rock" upon which the church had been built.

Reverend Gordon Johnson came to serve as the twelfth pastor in June 1951 when the church was "overflowing." The decision was made to plant a "sister church" on Spokane's north side and in July 1953, a new Sunday School was started at Loma Vista Grade School. This was the beginning of Loma Vista Baptist Church.

Reverend Johnson served for five years after which Reverend Floyd Bergfalk accepted the call to oversee the flock. In 1959, the sanctuary was completely remodeled and delegates who attended the Conference Annual Meeting at Broadway in 1960 found an entirely new and updated church building.

Reverend Weldon Plett followed Pastor Erickson and served for three years. The church then called Reverend Lowell Wood. In 1969 the church celebrated its 75th anniversary, and trustees of Broadway led a second mortgage burning.

Reverend William Larson was called to Broadway in 1972. Pastor Larson and his family served for more than ten years during which time the church found it necessary to make decisions regarding location. The now 80-year-old Broadway building was becoming difficult to maintain and surrounding property was being taken over by county buildings as the local neighborhood moved to outlying areas. In 1982 a new site was purchased in the Shiloh Hills area of North Spokane. The church changed its name to Shiloh Baptist in anticipation of its new location. The final service was held at Broadway on May 16, 1982. The building was sold and funds set aside for a new building proposal. As building plans were made and begun, Sunday Services were held at Lilac Plaza Retirement Center and then at Linwood Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Bill and Shirley Larsen were called to Des Moines, Iowa in 1983, and Reverend David Stewart came to the Shiloh pastorate. During Pastor Stewart's ministry, the church began building its new home on Lincoln road. With great anticipation, the congregation watched and participated in the project. Mobile Missionary (MMAP) teams of retired folks came to assist and the new building was soon dedicated. The Shiloh congregation celebrated their first "service" in the building on Christmas Eve, 1985, without the aid of chairs, lights, or heat. The seating consisted of construction planks and boxes, but the congregation rejoiced in God's provision. In August of 1988, the Stewarts moved to Greeley, Colorado, and the church pulpit was filled by Reverend Dick Staub as interim. Pastor Staub was a former pastor of Garland Avenue Alliance Church in Spokane.

On September 3, 1989, Pastor Earl Appleby preached his first sermon at Shiloh Baptist Church as the 18th pastor. In 1994, Shiloh Baptist Church celebrated its Centennial with a large gathering of past and present pastors and friends of the church. This was a time, not only of celebration, but also of reflecting on the past as well as the future of Shiloh Baptist Church. It was a time of thankfulness and a time of expectation. The founders of First Swedish Baptist had been visionaries, trusting God to build His church. The church leadership over the years were people who were willing to step out in faith to expand God's Kingdom in Spokane. They were willing to make changes when needed to further the ministry. They were willing to recognize when God was leading them to "new frontiers." This striving to follow God's will and guidance led them to the present location. The body of Shiloh Baptist Church prayed to be faithful to these visions of the early church and to continue to grow God's church at 207 E. Lincoln Road.

The name of the church was changed to Shiloh Hills Baptist Church in 1997 to better identify the location of the property. Pastor Appleby encouraged the congregation to set some new goals for ministry and for reaching the neighborhood surrounding the church. Different styles of worship were tried, AWANA Children's Clubs were started, Precept Bible Studies became an important part of adult ministry, and youth workers dedicated themselves to ministering to young people in creative ways. As Pastor Appleby announced his retirement to take place in December of 2001 after twelve years of faithful service, the remaining church members and attenders sought God's will in calling a new pastor. While the future remained unclear and attendance was slipping, the body stepped out in faith, making improvements to the interior and exterior of the building with the anticipation of a new beginning and revitalization.

God had big plans for Shiloh Hills Baptist Church. The faithfulness of His people throughout the generations was not to be lost or discounted. As the Pulpit Committee was selected and became busy filtering through potential pastoral candidates, the people faithfully prayed for God to work in a mighty way. At the same time, a body of believers with a pastoral staff in place was meeting in a borrowed building in north Spokane. They too were praying for God's leading. The prayers of faithful believers from both congregations led to discussions about uniting together as one body. One church needed a shepherd; the other needed a home. God provided both as Shiloh Hills Baptist Church and Cornerstone Fellowship blended on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2002 to form a new church, Shiloh Hills Fellowship.