A 76-year-old Richland church has come to the end of its life, but its generous congregation’s final act is continuing to help the community.

Members are donating the proceeds from the sale of their church to several of their favorite nonprofits.

Northwest United Protestant Church (Disciples of Christ) is among the oldest churches in Richland as it was among several denominations called to serve those who came from all over the country to work at the Hanford site in the 1940s. 

The church is as old as the lifetime of some of its members, and as its population has gradually aged and thinned out, the core group has been too small to maintain the church’s large property at 1312 Sacramento Blvd., said the Rev. Miriam Gentle, the congregation’s pastor.

The 11,000-square-foot church sits on 3.3 acres, and Gentle said there’s a lot of lawn to mow and general upkeep. It was difficult to maintain with the small group and few tithes and offerings coming in. 

The group decided to sell the property and disband earlier this year.

There were just under 75 church members when Gentle moved to the Tri-Cities from Washington, D.C., five years ago to join the congregation on the cusp of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her first Sunday meeting was held online amid state shutdown mandates, but in spite of a rocky start, the congregation adapted.

After the pandemic, Northwest Church, as their members refer to it, continued streaming services via Facebook and members who had moved away or who were homebound participated online. 

The church held activities ranging from Sunday morning worship and Easter Holy Week Services to potlucks and, at one time, a handbell choir.

Gentle characterized the congregation as flexible, caring and generous.

Caring congregation

John Lawson, 82, and Carolyn Lawson, 77, of Kennewick, joined the church 10 years ago. Their friends were members, and John Lawson said he liked the church’s small size so he could get to know everyone. His wife appreciated that the church had a high respect for other denominations and cared about community support. 

The church operated a ministry called Food 4 Friends, where volunteers cooked and shared meals with members who were sick or had a baby. Sometimes meals were shared outside of the congregation as well. Food 4 Friends operated for more than eight years, between 2017-25, and 1,182 people received assistance.

“That was a beautiful ministry that kind of really epitomized who they were at heart, you know – really caring,” Gentle said. 

The church also provided space for Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous groups to meet. Gentle said the groups had struggled to find meeting space because of perceived prejudice against those with addiction issues. 

Dissolving the church

As the congregation continued to diminish, they began to have conversations over the past few years about the church’s future.  

“We voted on it, so people were able to voice their opinions,” Gentle said. “… It wasn’t a decision made hastily.”

It’s not the only church to go through this process. Carolyn Lawson said, “many churches are having to fold now,” but she’s also seen new churches starting up. 

Northwest Church sold its property in June for $1.55 million to New Heights Church. 

Everything in the building was first made available to the congregation, whether members wanted pots and pans or silverware. The congregation’s piano was sold to Adrienne Fletcher, director of the Mid-Columbia Youth Orchestra and interim director for the Mid-Columbia Symphony. 

Other church items, like communion sets, were made available to the church that bought the property, Gentle said. 

Since the decision to disband, Gentle has met with some members to help them check out other churches to attend. 

She herself will be officially retired by the end of this year and plans to travel with her husband, a pastor who retired in June. 

“It’s been an honor for me to be the pastor at the Northwest Church. And it’s been a pleasure to serve there with the congregation,” she said. 

The Lawsons don’t yet know where they will go next. They plan to find a church where they feel happy with the people, John Lawson said. The couple will continue meeting up with their old church friends for breakfasts twice a month. 

As for what to do with the money from the property sale, “that was the easy part,” Gentle said. 

Legacy of generosity

The church decided to divvy up funds among nine nonprofits, along with the Disciples Seminary Foundation, Northern Lights Region of Disciples of Christ, and Jefferson Elementary School, one of the elementary schools closest to the church. 

The 3 Rivers Community Foundation will administer the $100,000 endowment fund for the Richland school, with $4,000 set to be used this school year.

“(The church’s) ongoing support will make a meaningful difference in the lives of Jefferson students year after year,” said Amy Salinas, principal of Jefferson Elementary School, in a statement.

In a series of check presentations throughout September, each of the nonprofits received $100,000, with some getting slightly more. 

Funds also were distributed to Tri-Cities Chaplaincy for its Hospice House renovation, the B5 Learning Center, The Arc of Tri-Cities, Grace Clinic, Grace Collective, World Relief, Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels, Tri-Cities Food Bank and My Friends Place. 

The Lawsons were involved with World Relief off and on for a while, as well as other nonprofits.

Carolyn Lawson, who had been chair of the church’s social concerns committee, said members often asked her about worthy local organizations to support. Through the couple’s membership in the Kiwanis Club of Horse Heaven Hills, they knew about many nonprofits.

The couple mentored refugee families in partnership with World Relief, helping them to get apartments set up, learn how to use public transit, go through employment training and get kids signed up for school.

During the Christmas season, Carolyn Lawson said the church would do a drive for toys and other items to take to refugee families. She and her husband were the only ones who could deliver the gifts since they had been vetted by World Relief.

Now, despite the sadness over the church’s end, taking a check to organizations like World Relief “frankly feels good,” said John Lawson. He described it as carrying the legacy of the church forward. 

For Gentle, it’s something theological: In death there is life, and from the sadness of the church closing, comes joy in helping nonprofits thrive.