The Founding of First Covenant, Gathering House 130 Years

By Rob Bryceson, Lead Pastor, The Gathering House

On Sunday morning, the 28th of October, 2018, in a little church called The Gathering House, on the corner of Post and Garland in Spokane, Washington, Pastor Rob Bryceson opened his sermon with these words from Colossians: “Set your hearts on things above; set your minds on things above.” This message resonates through time—one hundred thirty years’ worth—from a message on the back wall of the Swedish Tabernacle, from whence The Gathering House emerged. Back then, a similar message, from Amos 4:12, was in Swedish, but it translated to “Be prepared to meet thy God.” This week, The Gathering House celebrated its 130th anniversary, and its rich history of sacrifice and service.

In 1888, a group of Swedish immigrants, members of the Swedish International Mission Covenant of America (founded in 1885, in Chicago, IL) began a church in a house on Post Street in what is now downtown Spokane. The Church was then called The Swedish Christian Church of Spokane, Washington Territory. From a group of immigrants and an itinerant preacher, this vibrant church has evolved through thirty pastors and four names, to include the Swedish Tabernacle, First Covenant Church, and now, The Gathering House. The tiny building that serves as its home occludes the huge vision and ministry that radiates throughout this congregation of 100. With a heart for the homeless, and a soul for Social Justice and second chances, preaching is only a small part of the mission of this house of God.

At Sunday’s celebration service, board member Rhonda Fischer spoke with three congregants, Frances Pierce, Clive Anderson, and David Molene about the Swedish community and the church in which it invested its heart. Fischer asked the three about their favorite memories from their youth in the church, and Anderson spoke of his grandfather, Martin Freeborg, and his uncle, Andrew Freeborg who were included in the eight charter members of the church 130 years ago. He told of being the last of 8 children in his family, before television and movies, when the whole life of the Swedish community was church. He spoke of Sunday services and weekly meetings almost every night of the week, to include the “Wednesday Hellfire and Brimstone Sermon.” Molene and Pierce agreed that church was a major part of life for the community, whom Molene described with a laugh as “a bunch of Swedes.”  Asked about social activities, Pierce spoke of smorgasbords, wherein the church invited the community to come share a meal. Pierce praised the women of the community, saying, “Those Swedish ladies could cook one of the best meals!” She offered free copies of a Swedish cookbook from which she made the Swedish cookies for the anniversary celebration. Pierce also spoke of the Santa Lucia Bride, who wore a crown of candles and would carry a plate of cookies and other Swedish treats through the community. Anderson shared that, up until 1930, all sermons and confirmations were in the Swedish language.

Molene and Pierce regaled the congregation with a story of iron bars that were visible in the church roof; as children, they would sit in the balcony and look at those bars, wondering if they held the church together, and how long they would hold. While the building didn’t last forever, the ties that unite the congregation hold firm to this day. Pastor Bryceson, the thirtieth pastor of the church, in his sermon titled, “Seeking Things Above: Colossians 3:1-4,” related that “130 years ago, a group of people looked in the scriptures and believed, and set their minds on things above.” He spoke of the sacrifices they made to build their church, which hosted soldiers in both world wars, and thrived until, in 1968, the building of Interstate 90 destroyed their neighborhood. In 1971, talk of closing began, and would not stop for forty years. Bryceson said he tried to close it three times, but God would not let him. Now, he asserts, “we, in this building, are still living off the sacrifice that their generation made. In closing, Pastor Bryceson asked his flock, “As we set our minds on things above, what are we going to do now, for the next generation?”

The Gathering House strives to carry on the legacy of sacrificial love, passed down from that early Swedish community. The Street Wise Café, a separate, but related entity, run by Tonia Bryceson, stands as a catalyst for change in the lives of those who have served time in prison, or have otherwise experienced lives interrupted by often devastating hardships. It offers a chance to learn job skills and gain experience working with people, along with a dose of the love that Christ himself would show them. Every Sunday after service, the congregation packs lunches to deliver to the homeless people downtown. In a world that often pays lip service to Jesus’ command to care for the widows and orphans, The Gathering House practices living obedience to our Lord’s mandate, saturated with a real, palpable love for those who can sometimes seem unlovable, that stems from Pastor Bryceson’s first days as shepherd of a church, then situated in the heart of downtown Spokane, and built on the sacrifice and love of 130 years of past generations.