History
The congregation of St. Nicholas began its corporate life in the fall of 1968 under the leadership of the Rev. Donald J. Maddux. The first service was held on September 8, 1968 in an unused one-room school house in Tahuya. The cupboards and blackboards were covered with curtains and the desks were replaced by pews from the Church of the Holy Spirit on Vashon Island. The pews are still in use today in the present church building.
The name was selected by Bishop Ivol Ira Curtis from a list of three names suggested by Fr. Maddux. St. Nicholas was picked because of his association with Advent and Christmas, a good tie-in with the Christmas trees harvested annually in the area. The first entry of the church register on September 8, 1968 noted, “On this date, the Tahuya church opened with ancient furnishings in the school building. The power failed, but we sang two hymns and the doxology without the organ. The sun shone, so we got along without electric lights.”
The school building was a start for the church, and quite a bargain at a rent of $25.00 per month, with the school district paying the utilities. To help the church find a permanent home, the building fund was started on May 27, 1969.
A new log building, built of native materials to harmonize with its wooded creek side site, was dedicated on Saturday, April 20, 1974 by Bishop Curtis.
For the initial building of the church, the Ladies Guild pledged $250 per month toward the full amount of the mortgage payment. This pledge was raised through the Salmon Bake, spaghetti feeds, bake sales, haggle sales, etc. and continued until the burning of the mortgage on Sunday, November 22, 1992.
In the summer of 1976, Randall McCarty installed the Emmons Howard pipe organ. This organ, obtained from the Organ Clearing House, was built in 1890 and used in several eastern churches before finding a home at St. Nicholas. Members of the Organ Historical Society occasionally come to Tahuya to hear this fine old instrument. A decorative gate, hand-forged by a local artisan, was installed to protect the organ.
St. Nicholas serves the community of Tahuya, a vacation and retirement community on the North Shore of the Hood Canal (across the water from St. Andrew’s House). Members of the congregation serve the area in many ways, supporting the local fire department, tutoring at local schools and assisting at the food bank, etc. The Salmon Bake, held each summer, features alder-smoked salmon and involves both church members and the wider community.
