‘More than we ask or imagine’

OTHELLO — “The days of our years are threescore years and ten,” the Biblical poet wrote in Psalm 90, but the Othello Church of the Nazarene, which celebrated that milestone this year, shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. The church celebrated its 70th birthday with displays of photos and oral history in the gathering area outside the sanctuary.  

“There's a scripture that says God gives us more than we ask or imagine,” said Pastor Chris Davis, who has led the congregation at Othello Church of the Nazarene for three years. “So, we're dreaming big, that God is going to do more than we ask or imagine.” 

Today, the Nazarene Church in Othello meets in a 217,000-square-foot building at 10th Avenue and Scootney Street called The Gathering Place, but it started out as a couple of families meeting in a private home on Second Avenue, according to Larry Besherse, who has been a member since those early days. In April 1955, the Rev. Earl Browning was called to lead the fledgling congregation, and a small concrete block building went up the following year at Eighth Avenue and Ash Street. 

“At that time there were probably about 20 people, somewhere in that neighborhood,” said Larry’s wife, Stella Besherse, who moved to Othello in 1965 and has worshiped at Othello Church of the Nazarene since. “In the ’60s, there were about 60 in attendance.” 

Othello in the 1950s was a growing concern with the coming of the Columbia Basin Project. Between 1950 and 1960, the population more than quadrupled, according to U.S. Census records. 

In 1962, a proper chapel was built next to the little cinder block building, with a furnace, a nursery and something else that had been conspicuously missing. 

“Now they had restrooms,” said Stella Besherse. “They didn’t have restrooms in that first building. If the pastor got (long-winded), they were in trouble.” 

A preschool was also started during the 1960s.  

In 1967, the Church of the Nazarene expanded again, connecting the two buildings and adding two Sunday school rooms. Those buildings are part of Desert Oasis High School today, according to the church’s online history.  

The 1970s were a time of technological expansion, according to the wall of history, with the church seeing its first telephone, mimeograph machine and overhead projector. The church building also added a 200-seat sanctuary with a balcony and made upgrades to the preschool. 

In 1980, two important things happened: Mount St. Helens erupted, and Pastor Bob Luhn took over the pulpit at Othello Church of the Nazarene. 

Luhn was the sixth pastor the church had had since its founding, and he would be the longest-lasting, staying until 2014 and filling in as needed since then, as well. 

“Bob Luhn (was) a pillar of the community, really the pastor of the community,” Davis said. 

During Luhn’s tenure as pastor, he oversaw renovations to the building as well as a number of additions to the pastoral team and mission outreach. The church sent Work and Witness teams to serve in the wake of disasters like Hurricane Katrina.  

Luhn also brought the church into the community in other ways, members said. An acquaintance with Dr. Kwesi Osei-Bonsu, a minister from Ghana, resulted in the city of Othello forming a sister-city bond with Wulensi, Ghana, in 2006. A series of exchange trips in the 2000s and 2010s ensued, in which Othello leaders helped farmers in the town of Asaasefofoom, in southern Ghana, mechanize and improve their farming techniques, and in 2012 Luhn was actually named a chief of the village of Kwahu Praso. His ceremonial robe was on display at the church along with the history displays. 

One of the biggest effects of Luhn’s leadership was the Othello Church of the Nazarene’s move in 2013 from its location on Ash Street to the building it occupies today and, unusually for a small church, owns free and clear. 

“Bob was part of the group that got this paid off in 10 years, in fact, before I even got here,” Davis said. “When we were doing my interview, they were talking about how the payoff date was going to be before I got here, so I didn't have to worry about a mortgage payment at all.” 

The Othello Church of the Nazarene was growing fast and furious and needed the space, Davis said. 

“They were running two services, maybe three, I think at some point,” he said.

But the COVID-19 pandemic came along in 2020, and churches across the country haven’t been the same since. 

“It did really hit churches hard,” Davis said. “I think I read a stat one time that said 30% of people who left during COVID were not coming back … We might get half of those back on TV, on livestream, Facebook.” 

Today there are about 115 people at Sunday services, he added. 

Still, Davis said the building is far from going to waste. Othello Church of the Nazarene is very active in community outreach through its Helping Hands ministry, helping people struggling with addiction or financial emergencies. The facility isn’t just a Nazarene church, Davis said, it’s more of a community church. 

“We let people use the building all the time,” Davis said. “We rent it out for celebrations, quinceañeras and birthday parties and baby showers … We don't charge for funerals. You don't have to be (a member) here to do a funeral here. We do do meals for that (as) just a ministry. If you come here to do a funeral, we'll provide the meal.” 

The gathering area is as big as the sanctuary for a reason, Davis said.  

“(The designers) had vision that what would happen in terms of fellowship and welcoming and greeting, coffee and cookies every week, was as important as what happens in the sanctuary,” he said. “So what happens out here is, is as much worship and fellowship and church as what happens inside.” 

“That’s what we think church is,” he added. 

    A drawing of the original building that housed the Othello Church of the Nazarene in the 1950s. The concrete block building had neither a furnace nor restrooms.
  

    The Church of the Nazarene in the 1970s. The building was sold to the Othello School District in 2013 and is now part of Desert Oasis High School.
  

    Worshipers gather in the sanctuary of Othello Church of the Nazarene. The congregation has diminished in numbers somewhat since the COVID-19 pandemic, Pastor Chris Davis said, but about 115 people still attend Sunday services.
  

    The Othello Church of the Nazarene today. The building, which the church owns free and clear, holds more than just church services; it’s also a place where community members can mark their milestones.