St. Paul’s United Methodist Church at 1730 St. Clair Road in Idaho Falls is celebrating its 65th anniversary this Sunday. A longtime church member plays a song he wrote for the church’s choir in the video above. | Courtesy Elizabeth McVicker
IDAHO FALLS – For 65 years, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church at 1730 St. Clair Road in Idaho Falls has been a place of worship for generations of believers. Church members are celebrating that milestone with the community this Sunday at an outdoor worship service and barbecue.
It’s happening at 10 a.m. inside the church. Rev. Elizabeth McVicker, who became the church’s new pastor last March, will lead the service. She will provide an inspirational message and there will be uplifting music and prayers. All are invited to participate in holy communion, regardless of church affiliation.
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Hamburgers, hot dogs, Farr’s ice cream and other desserts will be served outside the church following the service. There will also be activities and live entertainment. It’s free and open to anyone who wants to attend.
This is the church’s second year hosting the outdoor worship service. About 150 people attended last year.
McVicker tells EastIdahoNews.com the main purpose of the annual event is to help people get to know the church and its members and highlight its long history of inclusivity for all walks of life.
“The Methodists have a real strong message of making sure that the people who are excluded know that they have a home. This community worship and barbecue is an expression of that, and it’s one of our big efforts to reach out to the community and let them know that we’re here,” McVicker says.
McVicker notes the denominations’ repeal last year of its longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy as one example of its efforts to be more inclusive.
RELATED | United Methodists repeal longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy
“Gay, lesbian and transgender people have been welcomed into the church,” she says.
McVicker also recalls the treatment of the Idaho Falls homeless population during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting the curfew that was placed on them to get off the streets by a certain time.
It was Trinity United Methodist Church, McVicker says, that opened its doors to them and housed people who needed a place to stay.
During the 1930s and ’40s, widespread hostility towards people of Japanese descent led to curfews and other restrictions being imposed on them. McVicker says Trinity United was “the one church that would welcome them in.”
This year, St. Paul’s 65th anniversary will be highlighted in the outdoor event.
Its history is deeply connected with Trinity United Methodist Church, which dates back to 1883, according to a brochure about the church. Rev. E.B. Elder organized the first Methodist Episcopal Church. The building at 237 North Water Avenue was built in 1916.
During a two-month period in 1960, McVicker says a second Methodist congregation grew from 17 to 121. A second church was needed to accommodate them and the site on St. Clair Road was selected as its location.
Trinity United bought the 3-acre parcel on St. Clair Road for $25,000, and local church members pitched in to help build the church.
“Charter members named the new church St. Paul’s United Methodist Church to reflect the missionary spirit of Paul the Apostle,” McVicker says in a news release.
McVicker says they’re doing something unique during Sunday’s worship service to commemorate this anniversary.
“We found the warranty deeds and original sales agreement (for St. Paul’s) in Trinity’s files. This Sunday, the Trinity trustees will officially hand over these papers to St. Paul’s,” says McVicker.
Locals share memories of church’s early history
Several of St. Paul’s original members are still around. EastIdahoNews.com met with them at the church this week as they shared their memories of the church’s beginnings in Idaho Falls.
Ninety-four-year-old Helen Schoonen recalls sitting in the pews at Trinity United when the pastor asked who would help start the new church.
She and her husband were among the seven couples who stood up and offered support.
“We spent three years visiting people all over Idaho Falls who were Methodist,” Schoonen says. “We went out and knocked on doors (to recruit others to help in the effort).”
Much like today, Idaho Falls was a growing community back then. The Idaho National Lab, known then as the National Reactor Testing Station, employed people across the nation. Hospitals in town were a large employer as well, drawing people in from Montana, Wyoming and other states.
Jerry and Ann Shively came to Idaho Falls in 1961 and helped lay tile in the chapel for St. Paul’s.
“We helped lay the tile we’re standing on,” Jerry says.
The church was eventually completed, and the first service was held at the new building in 1962.
Ann has served as the church’s organist since 1961 and is the accompanist for the choir. Jerry is the church’s choir director.
Ann recalls how they got started doing that 64 years ago.
“When we first came to town, they needed a choir director,” Ann says. “Jerry had decided to teach choral music, and he needed experience. I played the organ, and accompanying was my thing.”
A man named W.O. Cotton donated a Hammond organ to the church, according to Ann. It arrived just in time for their first service around Christmastime.
“We’ve had two organs since then, and we’ve had big fundraisers to raise the money for those organs,” says Ann.
Every Sunday, services at St. Paul’s and Trinity United end with a song Jerry wrote called “Thanks God.” He wrote it in 1977 based on a tune he had in his mind for about two years.
“I was driving to school to teach at Skyline, and the words just came to me,” he says. “It’s a simple song thanking God for this wonderful feeling, a beautiful day and his help along the way.”
Jerry played that song for us, along with his arrangement of “Amazing Grace.” Watch it in the video above.
As the church commemorates its 65th anniversary, Ann says she and her husband appreciate the influence of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in their lives.
“It’s the core of our lives, our relationships and our faith,” she says.
McVicker is the pastor at Trinity United and St. Paul’s. She’s grateful for the deep connection both churches have and looks forward to celebrating with the community.
“There are two different personalities in the two churches and it’s a good place for people to have the option of going where they’re most comfortable, where they feel the most spiritual and where they feel they can be of the best use,” 93-year-old church member Marilyn Taylor says.
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