Part II of SDA’s community thrift shop building

Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent 
With Leonard Cash, 
historian
 
In this week’s installment of “History on Main,” Leonard Cash continues his series on the Seventh Day Adventist Church, which was once located where the SDA community thrift shop is today. Picking up where we left off last week in the 1950s, Cash begins with an article from the June 25, 1953, News Letter Journal, which reported the retirement of Rev. J.J. Beans, who was the first settled clergyman of the Newcastle church in the 1930s. 
He was the pastor of the Adventist church in Lander for eight years and had been in the ministry for 42 years, including in Colorado, Nebraska, California and serving as a missionary in Bolivia.
In the Nov. 26, 1953, paper, the Newcastle Adventist church announced the official opening of its Health and Welfare Center on Seneca and Main Street, which would assist needy families in Weston, Crook and Campbell counties. On Monday, Nov. 30, Mayor Thomas was cutting the ribbon at the center’s opening ceremony. The center was operated by the Seventh-Day Dorcas Society, which rented the space and furnished the personnel. Donations of clothes and food were distributed free of charge to needy families in the community. Pastor L.L. Smith said the welfare society had already assisted several cases of sickness and fires.  
“Health services are also a part of the program, and opportunity to enroll in a free correspondence course in principles of healthful living will be offered at all times,” the article says, adding that Boulder Sanitarium and Hospital offered a free course, which “meets the approval of medical
profession everywhere.” 
Three months later, the welfare center proved to be a success because it met with a lot of support from the community, according to the March 11, 1954, issue. Newcastle “has responded generously in helping unfortunate people in this area and expressed their appreciation for the many contributions of clothing, food and household articles.” These items were all donated when the community was notified of a family who lost a house due to a fire.
The Sept. 2, 1954, paper revealed that the church continued adding to its services by starting a school (fully funded by the church without government assistance) on Williard Street. Francis Chase was the teacher, and he had seven students ranging in age up to eighth grade. A report from the Seventh Day Adventist conference headquarters in Casper showed that it was expected to reach a high increase in church membership and
Adventist schools. 
By Jan. 26, 1961, members welcomed their new pastor, Harry E. Darby, to replace William Iverson, with Robert Potter assisting as associate pastor. He came from Worland with his wife and two daughters. Darby was also in charge of the Upton church, which was planning to erect a
new building. 
“The Darby family say that they appreciate the warm welcome extended by the wonderful people in Newcastle,” the article says. 
Over a year later, the Oct. 26, 1962, edition of the paper announced that Pastor J.W. Fisk with his wife and four children succeeded Darby’s position because he moved to
New Mexico. 
An article from Oct. 24, 1963, announced that the Welfare Workshop Federation of Dorcas Societies of Eastern Wyoming met in the local church. Helen Dexter of the Newcastle Welfare Center said that in the past six months, they had helped 246 people by distributing a total of 2,397 articles of clothing and 12 quilts. The workshop provided training on storing and distributing the goods in case of emergencies such as floods or tornados, and the individual packet plan (which contains items for one individual in a bag marked by size) was explained and adopted. A devotional was given by Elder H.H. Voss centering on the 1 Corinthians 13:3 passage in the Bible to remind his audience of the need for love behind the charitable deeds. 
The Jan. 28, 1965, issue announced that the welfare center was open every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It was located at 211 S. Seneca, which was between the church and the Newcastle clinic at the time. 
After five years of service, Pastor Fisk, who was also active in the United Fund and Red Cross, was moving to Missouri, according to a news report from July 13, 1967. On June 21, church members honored him with a carry-in dinner for his service in Newcastle. 
The Sept. 4 and 18, 1969, issues of the paper reported that Willis Adams succeeded Mike Burton, who was taking a two-year leave of absence. Adams served at SDA churches in Afton, Kemmerer, Evanston, Big Piney and Rock Springs before coming to Newcastle, and he had two young children. 
Five years later, Richard Holmes became the new pastor and moved to Newcastle with his family around Aug. 15, 1974. He oversaw the entire district, which included Upton, Newcastle and Sundance, and local church members hosted a picnic in his honor at
Dow park.
A new school was in the making because the Nov. 25, 1976, paper reported that the school on Williard Street was sold, so Holmes donated one acre of land near the Wyoming Beef Packers facilities east of Newcastle for a new building. In the meantime, the school’s contents were stored in the Holmes basement where school was held, with Mrs. Holmes as the teacher for the 12 students, until a proper building
was constructed. 
A few months later, the Feb. 17, 1977, issue announced the groundbreaking ceremonies for the school, which were conducted by Holmes, with Mayor Ralph Updike participating. The article gave a brief recapture of the SDA school’s history. The church had a school in Newcastle since 1933 (which originally started in a private house donated by the wife of Snowden Dixon). School was held at the Stenberg ranch west of Newcastle until George Bogue and his brother donated the land and lumber for the school on Willard Street, while church men built it. The school was a success because Holmes said many of the students went on to become nurses, teachers, secretaries and missionaries, some receiving further education at SDA colleges
and academies. 
According to an article from Feb. 15, 1979, the school, which was finally under construction, was to be named in honor of longtime church member Minnie Kirkpatrick. Although she attended a public school in Spearfish and taught grade school in Newcastle and served on the local school board, Kirkpatrick also served on SDA school board and was “very supportive of both the church and school throughout the years.” She was first of four generations of Seventh Day Adventist members, and her grandson Charles Paulien conducted the special tribute church service on Feb. 16 at 11 a.m. Her friends were invited to this event held in her honor, as well as a similar afternoon service at Episcopal church. A money tree was stationed at the afternoon open house, with proceeds going to the new school. 
Two years later, the Feb. 26, 1981, paper announced that after many delays, the four-year project was complete, and Kirkpatrick cut the yellow ribbon to officially open the school on Sunday afternoon. She broke her hip, so she wasn’t sure if she could attend, but after a “wonderful recovery,” the 92-year-old didn’t even need assistance. The Rev. Holmes, who himself was recovering from airplane accident injuries, recognized it as a special day and thanked God for it. He presented a brief history of the school, which was followed with refreshments provided by the church ladies. 
“What you see here is about $47,000 worth of building material converted to a finished structure appeased at $200,000,” Holmes said in the article. The building included two classrooms, a kitchen and lunchroom facility, teacher’s office and full basement. It had three gabled roof sections for three open ceilings, providing an open, airy atmosphere. The exterior was made of “lady princess brick.” 
“This was an especially high day for everyone in many ways. A sigh of relief was heard, and thanks given to those who worked and gave so generously toward the project,” the
article says. 
The formal open house was set for Feb. 22 from 2 to 5 p.m.
Later, the school and church combined and, today, the school is no longer in operation, but the church continues to meet at that same location every Saturday. The in-town building is still operated by the Seventh Day Adventists as a community thrift shop known as the Tuesday store. As of Sept. 1, 2019, the SDA church hired Lester Bentley as the new pastor, and he lives in Gillette, overseeing the churches in Newcastle, Upton, Gillette, Buffalo and Sheridan. Before coming to Newcastle, he had been an associate pastor in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, since 2014. 
That concludes the series on the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Next week, Cash will begin a series on the
Newcastle Clinic.