Historic Langley

1939: Church of Christian Fellowship

The Island Church of Whidbey had it’s origin as the Christian Fellowship Church.

1939. Original Church of Christian Fellowship on Saratoga Road (Courtesy Ethel Simmons).

The church was started by its first pastor, Lyle Peterson, an evangelist, who came to Langley with his wife and 2 children in 1938. He was an interim pastor at the Methodist Church for a few months. Some in the Methodist Church wanted him to be their minister, but he was not ordained and refused to take the required course to become a Methodist minister.

The Methodist congregation split; some remained with the original congregation while others joined the Petersons to form the Church of Christian Fellowship. Land and a building were purchased for $1 from Etta DeBruyn on Saratoga Road in 1938, and church services began in 1939. A two-story building was built next door to the church in the 1940s to serve as a residence and Sunday School classes.

According to Lloyd Furman, “Sunday school was held before church and during nice weather we would go to Sunday school and occasionally if we could get away from it, would skip church and go down to the dock and fish….or go on DeBruyn’s trail to the beach.

In 1965, the Church had a new pastor, Russell Smith. He and his wife Marilyn were graduates of the C&MA Bible College in St. Paul, Minnesota. The church joined the Alliance and the name was changed to the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) Church.

1965. CMA Church (Courtesy Ethel Simmons)

The church purchased 5 acres at the corner of 5th (currently 6th) Street and Cascade Avenue in 1961, and construction of larger church began there in 1066. An adjacent chicken coop called "Leghorn Hall" served as classrooms. (Courtesy Ben Breedlove).

1966. CMA Church at 6th and Cascade under construction. “Leghorn Hall” (right) (Courtesy Ethel Simmons).

Circa. 1966. Norman Clyde at 5th Street and Cascade Avenue with new sanctuary behind (Courtesy Lorna Cherry)

1971. Aerial view of New sanctuary and "Leghorn Hall"(Courtesy Ben Breedlove)

Various construction phases continued until the church was completed with a new sanctuary in 1999.

1999. New sanctuary under construction (Courtesy Ethel Simmons).

2004. Aerial view of CMA Church (Courtesy John Scurlock).

The name was changed to the Church of Whidbey Island in 2009.

2020. Island Church of Whidbey (Courtesy Robert Waterman).