SANDERS HISTORICAL SKETCH

A dense forest of stately pines, graceful tamaracks, and lacy cedars completely covered the hills and valleys when Mr. Frank L. Blomquist followed an Indian trail into the mountains and set up a shingle mill in 1883. Soon homesteaders arrived, established homes, and named the town Chipmunk. The name was later changed to Sanders, after a prominent local merchant, Jacob Sanders. By the year 1900 there were about 30 children wandering the deer trails of Sanders, so a local schoolhouse was built. Mrs. Blomquist gathered these children in it on Sundays for a Sunday School class.

In 1903, Mr. William Magers persuaded the Rev. Mackie Norris, pastor of the Tekoa, WA Free Methodist Church, to come to Sanders to hold revival meetings. These meetings resulted in the organization of the Sanders Free Methodist Church in 1904 with nine families. Rev. Johnnie Bradley was appointed the first pastor, serving a circuit that included Tekoa, Summer Vale*, and Emida. He lived at Sanders and rode a horse or drove a team of ponies hitched to either a buggy or a sleigh to cover the circuit. Going over to Emida often meant skimming over snow from three to five feet deep, sometimes overturning his sleigh.

The Rev. Robert Warren brought his family from New York to pastor at Sanders in 1906. The adjustment to rural living was too great for the Warren family, and they did not stay out the year. However, after being elected Bishop of the Free Methodist Church, he returned to Sanders in 1922 to dedicate the new church building (which is still in use).  His dedicatory sermon was based on Hebrews 12:28 – “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”

In, 1908-09, the Rev. J.W. Goode was appointed to the Sanders circuit. He had previously traveled with his wife and children from Denver to Boise by horse and wagon, a three-month trip. His salary at the Denver City Mission was 35 cents and 8 lbs. of cheese. Rev. Goode was a zealous witness for Christ. The Rev. Royal Nelson, fresh out of Seattle Pacific College, was appointed to Sanders in 1933. He, along with the Rev. Robert Hayes of Tekoa, with vision and grit, spearheaded the founding of Camp Sanders as a permanent camp in the Columbia River Conference. The conference agreed and raised the funds to purchase the initial 40 acres. The tabernacle and a dining hall were constructed in 1935, largely from lumber milled from the property by Mr. Alfred Beckwith, who owned a local sawmill.

The longest serving pastor to date was the Rev. Kenneth Bertholf.  An effective preacher, evangelist, musician, carpenter, and church planter, he was the Sanders pastor from 1964 through 1982, a total of 18 years. He also worked as the caretaker of the campground.  Lakeside Chapel was built during his time at Sanders. It was remodeled in 2017-19, and re-dedicated as the Bertholf Memorial Lakeside Chapel in July of 2019. The Rev. James Meyers was appointed in 1982 – 1986.  Under his leadership and dedicated door-to-door witnessing, the church grew in numbers and faith.  The congregation added the fellowship hall and kitchen during Rev. Meyers time at Sanders. A preaching point was also re-established in Emida.

Local farmer and life-long area resident, Vern Larson, became the pastor in 1988 through 1996 and also served as interim pastor at various times while the church was between pastors. Rev. Daniel Willms pastored the church from 2015 to 2023, while serving as executive director of Camp Sanders during much of that time. Pastor Dan is a native son of the Sanders area, saved in high school, and mentored by Rev. Bertholf since August 2023.

Dr. Bill Payne currently serves as pastor. He has had over 30 years of pastoral experience as well as work as a professor in Christian universities. In addition to many years serving churches in pastoral ministries, Dr. Payne also served several years as the executive director of a Gospel Rescue Mission in Missoula, Montana.

The church, over 120 years old, continues as a gospel lighthouse in southwestern Benewah County.

*Summer Vale was located northeast of Tekoa near the Idaho-Washington border on what is now known as the Tekoa-Idaho Road.

You can see a complete historical list of Sanders Community Church Past