Free Evangelical Brethren Church 1900-1922
Free Evangelical Brethren Church Confirmation Class of 1914. Elder Peter Yost is standing in the center of the second row.
The Free Evangelical Brethren Church (known as the "Brethren Church") dates it’s beginning to December 3, 1900. Elder Peter Yost led the church from its beginning until his death. Peter Yost was chosen to lead the congregation by lot and the laying on of hands. For the first three months, the prayer meetings were held in private homes. The members then built a church 20 feet wide and 30 feet long on a lot owned by Peter Bauer with an agreement that after five years the building would revert to the owner of the lot. By 1905, more space was needed and on March 27th the church purchased the house and additional land (the parcel was 30 feet wide by 60 feet long) for $325. In 1907, the congregation purchased the remaining land needed to obtain a full 50-foot wide by 100-foot long lot.
Photographs of the former Free Evangelical Brethren Church taken in 1999. The church is located at 3605 NE Mallory
A new church was built in 1907 to accommodate the growth in membership from 26 (original members in 1900) to 96. The new church measured 34 feet wide and 52 feet long and cost about $3,000. The builder was Henry Plicker. There were three services on July 28th, 1907, to dedicate the new church. The first service was held at 10:00 a.m. and Brother Peter Yost read Psalm 84 and then Brother Heinrich Hagelganz gave a sermon from Revelations - Chapter 2, Verse 3. The second service was held at 3:00 p.m. and Brother Masa conducted the service his sermon on Psalm 84. After a prayer by Peter Yost, the house of worship was dedicated. At the third service at 7:00 p.m. Brother Hiebert preached on Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verse 5. It is reported in the church records that Brother Heinrich Hagelganz and Miss Catharina Yost provided excellent songs to hear at the evening service.
A second Elder, Brother Heinrich Hagelganz, was elected and joined Brother Yost in a co-pastorship in 1907.
Henry Hagelganz was a gospel preacher and evangelist who possessed a fine singing voice. After his ordination, he left the Free Evangelical Brethren Church with 29 members and organized the Second German Congregational Church at NE 8th and Skidmore on June 22, 1913.
The church was known as the Free Evangelical Brethren Church from 1900 to 1922 and was located at 3605 NE Mallory (the structure built in 1907 is standing on the site today).
Reverend Wagner, who was ministering in Endicott, Washington, became the first ordained minister in the fall of 1922 and the church was reorganized and incorporated as the German Congregational Evangelical Brethren Church on September 13, 1922.
In 1927 the church relocated to a newly built structure at NE Mason and Garfield in 1927. The structure on NE Mallory was sold to St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church who remained in this building until 1980 when they moved to 2210 SW Dolph Court.
Sources:
Free Evangelical Brethren Church Records 1900-1922, (Portland, Oregon:), pp. 341-342.
Churches Along The Oregon Trail, (Portland, Oregon: Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ, 1976), p. 68
The Oregonian, December 3, 1987, p. unknown.
How the Dome Came To Be – A German-Russian Effort
The Russian “Onion Dome”
A Russian Orthodox priest and his family lived in a large home on NE 9th and Beech. The living room in this home served as a chapel. When the Brethren church began building a new structure at NE Mason and Garfield in 1926, the Russian Orthodox Church purchased the church building on NE Mallory from the German Brethren congregation. The church was adjacent to the backyard of Conrad and Christina Weber, a Volga German family from Norka. Conrad Weber became a friend of the Russian priest, George Leberdev. Mr. Leberdev knew that Conrad Weber was a carpenter and asked him to construct a Russian style dome for the steeple of the church. The belfry was originally roofed by a four-sided pyramidal peak, which is the economy form of a spire. Conrad was a real "go-getter" so he put up scaffolding and started to build. The dome was built in Conrad Weber’s garage. Conrad used to climb up and periodically paint the dome for the church. The dome is currently painted blue, but years ago it was painted a brilliant gold.
Sources:
Kris Zelinka, electronic mail on May 26, 1999.
The Oregonian, January, 1961, article by Mervin Shoemaker titled “Bulbous Russian Dome Tops Church Where Old World Rites Hold Sway”, p. unknown.