Tumalo Community Church, Tumalo, OR
Psalm 122:1 NLT
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Founded in 1904, the town of Tumalo, OR was first called Laidlaw by self-professed founder, A.W. Laidlaw. The industrious citizens began the first church in 1905 with a church building being dedicated in 1907. Unfortunately, Mr. Laidlaw was less than honest in his irrigation district investments, choosing to use the funds unsuccessfully in dam and railroad land speculations. He was run out of town, and the infuriated, swindled residents changed the town name to Tumalo. Despite a rocky start, that church remains an active beacon in the community. It has the honor of being the oldest continuously occupied church in Deschutes County. Yet, whether it was due to a lack of materials, money, or some other unknown reason, the church had no cross on the steeple! In April of 2014, the congregation set out to complete the steeple left unfinished for 108 years. Church member and welding visionary, John Small, created a cross that would withstand the Central Oregon climate, but would also accommodate the old construction. Other members, like Kip Walter, Lon Burkard, and Ron Close, led by Pastor Ken Wutzke coordinated the monumental feat of dual cranes lifting and placing the cross. While there was no denying the heart of the building was always a church, with the bright white cross gleaming on the steeple, there is no longer any question to the passerby that this is truly a house of the Lord.
