Springwater Church

While selling real estate to earn his living, Pastor B.F. Wininger started the Gresham Nazarene Church by finding a vacant church for sale at Eighth and Mignonette Street in Gresham. The purchase was made and Dr. Leland Hess, superintendent of the Oregon-Pacific District appointed Pastor Wininger as pastor of the first Nazarene Church in Gresham. T... he church at this time consisted of the pastor, his family, and an empty, vacant building. Gresham Church of the Nazarene was organized December 9, 1951, one month after acquiring the building and property. Dr. W.D. McGraw, newly appointed district superintendent, organized the church with fifteen charter members. By 1953, Gresham Church of the Nazarene had thirty-three members, and the Winingers left to plant a church in California. In the early 1960's, the original church property was sold. A house and one acre at 21512 Stark Street was purchased and the home was used as a chapel. The main service took place in the living room with the piano in the kitchen. In 1963, the house was moved to the back of the lot at Stark Street, on a new basement. The new basement was used for worship until the new church building was completed on this property in 1968. The house on Stark Street, originally used as a chapel, was remodeled and used as a parsonage for the pastor and family. The basement was used for church fellowship activities. In 1975, the sixty foot strip of land east of the church grounds was purchased for extra parking and possible expansion. A day care, preschool, and kindergarten were started and the commercial building on the corner of 217th and Stark Street was purchased in 1977 to house the East Stark Community Child Center. In 1985 the commercial building was sold to Pioneer Northwest, a chainsaw distributor. In 1997, Gresham Church of the Nazarene sold it's Stark Street property and purchased it's current property (formerly Parks Elementary) at 3445 SE Hillyard Street and changed it's name to Springwater Church of the Nazarene. The Church of the Nazarene is ...Read More