History of Little Church on the Prairie

The beginning of extraordinary growth

The year was 1937. The place was an expanse of open prairie covered with Scotch broom and flowing quack grass. It was a small country store, a combination grocery and hardware store. It stood alone in the middle of several hundred acres of land that had been purchased by a man named Norton Clapp. The area was well known to many Tacomans because it was close to the nearby shores and beaches of Steilacoom, Gravelly and American Lakes that people came to get away from life in the “big city”. The little store on the prairie is where they purchased needed items for a weekend at the lake. Many people were in residence for the entire summer. The background was the spectacular Mt. Rainier with its snowcap of over 25 glaciers. Scattered across the prairie were stately Douglas firs and oak trees.

Where it all started.

The main purpose for Mr. Clapp’s purchase was to develop a shopping center, later named by the parent corporation of Lakewood Development Corporation as “Lakewood Community Center”. The little store was a part of that purchase, but it was not included in the original design of the center. 

At the urging of his wife, Mary, that little store would be transformed into the beginnings of what is now known as “The Little Church on the Prairie”. The Clapps (especially Mary, who was an architect) and a small group of area residents met in the basement of the Lakewood Theater and created the church’s initial design and decor with a strong preference to keep the building in conformity with the colonial appearance of the buildings in the shopping center. The single-story feature was retained, and the group’s thinking flowed into creation of a small, white building resembling what might be considered a New England-style country church. Can you picture the church’s nave originally being the hardware department of a small store and the choir room and vestibule being a grocery store? The building, the congregation, and God’s presence created a warm, comfortable atmosphere that attracted a large portion of the populace and marked the beginning of extraordinary growth.

The Church in 1938.

At 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 18, 1939, a church was created with seventy-one charter members. The pastor’s monthly salary was $100.00. On Saturday, members of the Jewish faith utilized the facility, and on Sundays a variety of Christian faiths (Roman Catholic, Evangelicals, etc.) could be found in worship.

The church, very early on, became an active participant in community affairs and was responsible for starting a Cub Scout Pack on September 1, 1939. That Cub Scout Pack is still active at The Little Church on the Prairie.

In 1943, Dr. William Perry McCormick accepted a call to serve as pastor and remained seventeen years. His initial salary of $3,000 per year and $75.00 moving expense (the total operating budget was $4,500).  During this time, the congregation witnessed a rapid increase in membership and a much-needed expansion of the facilities.  It was during Dr. McCormick’s tenure that the Session embarked on a plan seeking to purchase the building and the land from the Lakewood Development Corporation.  The church had been paying $20.00 per month for rent, but had fallen into arrears in the amount of $1,000 for rent and utility bills. Mr. and Mrs. Norton Clapp put forth 25% of the money needed to make the purchase.  With great enthusiasm, the ninety-two remaining members subscribed and raised the balance of $6,000!

The congregation almost doubled in size, and new demands for additional space were obvious. There was an urgent need for more Sunday School rooms and a place for a variety of fellowship gatherings, and work was started to meet those needs.  World War II caused a halt in the construction program, but the members of the congregation continued their fund-raising activities for the future additions.  In 1945, there were one hundred seventy-one members, and $32, 000 had been raised.

By war’s end, the cost of the Sunday School building had skyrocketed from the initial budget figure of $60,000 to $90,000.  To keep within the available fiscal resources, the Session eliminated one wing of the building plan and construction began immediately. In May of 1948, the new church school building was dedicated.  Its colonial style served two purposes: to harmonize with the community architecturally, and to be in keeping with the simplicity that was, and still is, characteristic of The Little Church on the Prairie. In January 1949, the church initiated sponsorship of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 53. 

Many changes were made during the years between 1949 and 1954. In 1949, Prairie Hall was erected and dedicated. In 1950, $5,000 was raised toward expansion of the sanctuary.  The dream of “Operation Bulge” was closer to becoming a reality when Hall Construction Company won the bid.  The seating capacity of the sanctuary was increased to four hundred-fourteen, the ceiling of the sanctuary was raised two and a half feet, and the narthex was almost doubled in size.  A choir room was added, and space for floral arranging and preparing for communion services was created. Shortly after the expansion project was completed two organs were installed.

From its beginning, The Little Church on the Prairie operated in accordance with Presbyterian polity and had Presbyterian ministers, but it did not become identified officially as a Presbyterian Church until January 11, 1957.

By 1964, the church membership roll was over nine hundred.Nursery facilities were provided for infants during services and a preschool program had been initiated.  Various programs and ministry groups existed, reaching out to the people of the church and to the community; and benevolence giving created a worldwide ministry.

By 1966, over-crowding in the church school forced consideration of expansion to provide additional space to accommodate the increase.  This ambitious expansion called for the church to add a library and reception room to the sanctuary building, enlarge Prairie Hall, build a new administration addition and remodel an existing education wing. The cost?  A whopping $225,000!

A unique plan was devised whereby church members would contribute $1.00 per week for each $1,000 per year of income for 156 weeks.  The congregation could reach its goal of $175,000, and a mortgage for the balance could be retired without putting a strain on the budget.  In one year, enough money had been accumulated to begin construction.  The new education wing was dedicated January 21,1968, and was named McCormick Hall.  The other revisions were made in 1969.

In the fall of 1968, The Little Church on the Prairie took on a new challenge by creating a cooperative nursery school. Small study groups were formed and seminars were conducted to nurture the parents of our nursery school children.  A strong youth program following the “Youth Club” model, was begun, with annual mission trips for the senior high youth being a highlight. The childcare center opened in 1979, becoming one of the first to care for children less than one-year of age. 

A gala event, consisting of an evening of fine food and entertainment, marked the 50th Anniversary of the Little Church on the Prairie in 1988.  Prior to that big event, problems with the organ were experienced and the church was finding it increasingly difficult getting materials to refurbish the bellows and also securing tradesmen, who were capable of doing the work.  About the same time, it was noted that some of the roof areas needed attention, so a major effort was born to correct the problems.

Many times down through the years the necessary maintenance of the buildings had to be performed at a less than desirable level, or not done at all because of fiscal constraints at the time.  In 1994, it was recognized that the need was far more real than most could visualize, and a revitalizing and modernization program was undertaken. 

Many members and friends of The Little Church on the Prairie, too numerous to mention, have played leadership roles in many of the civic, fraternal, and social activities of the area for sometime and because of their broad interest in the promotion of the values and ideals of these organizations have been identified as a valuable part of the community.

Credits: This article is excerpted from the original “A Brief History of The Little Church on the Prairie” that was prepared in 1961 and was reproduced by the church’s Senior High Youth Club in 1981. It has been revised several times over the years to reflect major facility improvements. Photos are provided by Little Church on the Prairie.