:: A BRIEF HISTORIC SUMMARY OF BETHEL TEMPLE MINISTRIES ::
A special thanks to brother Jim Cahill for supplying the bulk of this historic account. Jim is affectionately known as our “walking historian” and has been very helpful in piecing together sketches of our past. It is our desire to compile as much information as possible so as to document in book/web form what God has done and continues to do through the ministry of Bethel.
This document is only a brief overview. Please contact R. Powers (powersrs@fastq.com) if you have any contributions to this effort.
Bethel Temple, known today as Bethel Christian Ministries, started out as Pine Street Pentecostal Mission at Second and Pine in downtown Seattle, in the early days of the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, perhaps as early as 1910.
It’s history if full of miraculous accounts of God’s provision, revelation and a passion to spread the gospel around the world. Herein many lives have had eternal impact.
Our Founder There was a young Englishman by the name of William Henry Offiler who migrated to Canada briefly in the early 1890‘s, and then shortly thereafter to Spokane, Washington. While in Spokane, he came in contact with the Salvation Army, and it was with this group he gave his heart and life completely to the Lord Jesus. He also met his first wife, Gertrude Riley, who was a Salvation Army lass, playing the pump organ for their street meetings.
Shortly after his conversion Brother Offiler received the mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost, and felt the Lord calling him into full time ministry. After pastoring briefly in a small church in Spokane, he and his family moved to Glacier National Park in Montana, where he was employed as superintendent of pluming and heating. In the early summer of 1914 God called him to lay down his tools and move with his family to Seattle, where he began attending the Pine Street Mission. Bro. Offiler was invited to be the evangelist during their tent meeting near Fort Lawton that summer. When the camp meeting concluded, the Pastor, Rev. Tatman, resigned, and the congregation accepted Pastor Offiler as their new Shepherd, which he definitely felt was God’s will for his life. The Lord richly blessed the Offilers during the war years, many were saved, healed, and baptized with the Holy Spirit.
After the war the church would make two brief moves in the inner city, and finally settled in a newly remodeled building on Third Avenue near Bell Street. This was the fall of 1920. They placed the name Bethel Temple on their new church and it would become the Gospel center of the Northwest where many would come to experience revival, transformation and healing physically as well as spiritually. Scores of workers, ministers and missionaries came out of this work, and through these, the ministry of Pastor Offiler had a far reaching effect through the Northwest and around the world.
Accounts of Revival Fires. Accounts of Revival Fires During the teen years, 1920’s and 1930’s in particular there was a mighty spirit of revival attending all the services, and literally hundreds were gloriously saved, healed and baptized with the blessed Holy Ghost. Both at the Bell Street location and the “Crystal Pool” sanctuary, Bethel Temple experienced tremendous revival meetings. Well known evangelists from across the country ministered regularly at the church. Among others, healing evangelist W. V. Grant, Paul Cain, Jerry Owen, J. Herman Alexander, Kelso R. Grover, Rev. J. S. Eaton and Leonard W. Heroo, delivered stirring messages under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It was testified that during the W. V. Grant meetings, this little timid evangelist from Malvern, Arkansas would flow under a power flow of anointing for healing. Around him would be cots, weelchairs and stretchers bearing the burdens of crippled humanity. Rest Homes around Seattle would send their ambulances to transport the shut-ins to church.
The very atmosphere of the church was surcharged with an electrical tension that caused the packed crowds to sit hushed and reverent. Miraculous healings of every kind known to man were occurring regularly. Not all in the endless lines received their healing but many of them did! Foreign Missions The first missionary families, Bro. Dick and Christene Van Klaveran, and Bro. and Sister Groesbeek and their two daughters, Jenny (12 1/2 yrs.) and Corrie (6 yrs.) set sail from Bethel Temple for the Netherlands East Indies (now the Republic of Indonesia), on March 4th, 1921. These were the first Pentecostal missionaries to spread the gospel in that vast island republic, at least during the 20th century.
The first Gereja Pantekosta Bible School was opened by Missionary W. W. Patterson in 1935 at Surabaya, Java. Many other Bethel pioneers, and at least 15 additional Bible Schools sprang up, and are being operated now under Indonesian supervision and teachers.
The Groesbeek family returned home in 1926 for a much needed furlough, and returned to Java for their second tour of duty in 1931. In 1934 Mother Groesbeek’s health failed and she went home to be with her Saviour.
Also in 1931 Louis Johnson and Arland Wasell sailed from Bethel Temple and ministered in Borneo, traversing those large rivers farther into the interior of that large island than any previous missionaries.
In 1932 or 1933 Brother and Sister Jim and Faye Patterson followed their Saviour’s call to minister the Word of Life in Sukabumi, West Java. Jim, reportedly had a teaching ministry akin to his older brother, W. W. Patterson, and aquired a working knowledge of the Malay language readily. In the spring of 1935 Jim Patterson became terminally ill with tuberculosis, and Pastor Offiler wanted to bring them home, but Jim declined, saying that he was closer to heaven from the mission field than from Seattle.
In the early 1930’s three single ladies answered God’s call to become missionaries in Java and also in Borneo. These young women were Inice Presho, Iris Bowe, and Eileen English. In 1933 Louis Johnson and Eileen English exchanged vows, and Corrie Groesbeek played the piano for the happy occasion.
The largest contingent of missionaries to sail at one time from Bethel Temple took place in May of 1936. This consecrated group of soldiers of the cross consisted of Brother and Sister Louis Johnson and their two small children, Luke and Virginia, Arland and Margaret Wasell, Margaret Bahr, Curly Cochran, John Banks and Floyd Brown. Curly Cochran and margaret Bahr married during this missionary term, as did John Banks and Iris Bowe. There were at least five children born of missionary parents in Indonesia. These youngsters were Richard Patterson, Sharon Cochran, Donna Peterson, Sam Brodland and Jill Patterson. John Peterson was born in Singapore.
In the late 1930′s and 1940’s several other missionaries left Bethel Temple for Indonesia, among them were the Ralph Devin family who went to Ambon, Ray and Beryle Busby, Ray and Ruth Jackson, Bob and Mary Edmondson and daughter Roberta, Al and Hazel Edmondson, Inice Presho, Dad Groesbeek and daughter Corrie, Brother and Sister Van Klaveran, W. W. Patterson and family and Joe and Jean McKnight. All of the above, except the Van Klaverans, had to flee from Surabaya harbor literally under Japanese aerial attack in January of 1942, finally arriving home through God’s divine protection at New Orleans, Louisiana.
During the 5 year Japanese occupation of Indonesia our missionaries blessed several congregations here at home with their consecrated ministry. In March of 1947 Joe and Jean McKnight with daughter JoAnn, Evelyn Thiederman, Bro. W. W. Patterson and family, along with Carol Jessup, sailed again to Indonesia.
Since Pastor Offiler was crowding 73 years, and feeling his vitality decreasing somewhat, he called the Patterson family home from Surabaya in September, 1948 and turned the pastorate of Bethel Temple over to Bro. W. W. Patterson. They also brought Carol Jessup home with them, she saw fit to marry Don Peterson the following summer.
In 1947 Al and Wilda Bade went to Kawloon, near Hong Kong to assist June Tauber with children’s orphanage work. When the communist regime took over China, the Bades went to Indonesia and assisted in the Bible School at Bedji. Lest we forget, Clare and Margaret Soper, with daughters Geraldine and Ruth, ministered the Word to the nomadic tribes of Mongolia for a spell in the late 1930’s until the Chinese Communist closed the door.
In the late 1940’s Brother and Sister Soper ministered briefly in Taipei, Taiwan. In 1947 or ’48 Brother and Sister Howard Gering left Monroe, Washington and went to China. After the Communist regime closed China’s missionary door, the Gerings came home for a few years. They sailed to Indonesia with their little daughter, Margaret Ann, eventually ministering in North Sumatra.
After World War II the Ray Jackson family went to Australia where he opened a Bible School at Melbourne. Shortly afterward Ray’s younger brother, Dale and family joined in the Bible School ministry activities for a time, and then concluded their missionary activities in Hawaii.
After World War II, Bob and Mary Edmondson helped supervise Bethel Bible School at Lawang. When Edmondsons moved over to Sorong in Northwestern New Guinea (now Irian Jaya), Al and Wilda Bade took care of the school. The next school principals were Joe and Jean McKnight, after they had ministered in the Timorese Islands of Roti and Flores. Toward the end of their leadership the Bible School was moved to Bedji. When the McKnights turned the Bible School over to Bob and Marian Brodland in 1956 there were 45 students enrolled. During the Brodland’s 30 years they were directors of the Bible school there have been thousand of graduates who entered God’s choice harvest fields throughout the vast Island Republic of Indonesia.
The Brodlands returned to Seattle in order to take the pastorate of Bethel Temple on the Forth of July, 1986. On the 2nd day of January, 1951 Don and Carol Peterson with son Daniel(8 1/2 months), set sail for Indonesia. They began their ministry in North Celebes and spent 15 years of ministry there. They also established a Bible School in Purbasari, North Sumatra for 12 years. Shortly after their marriage, Dan and LaVonne Peterson traveled to Java where they assisted in the Bible School in Bedji for a year before joining Dan’s parents in North Sumatra.
Matt Lambert also followed God’s call to help the Petersons in Sumatra in 1973. In January, 1976 Matt and Su married and continued teaching with the Petersons for a few years. Dan and LaVonne Peterson returned home in 1983 and took the pastorate at Mountlake Terrace Bethel Chapel. Don and Carol Peterson returned home early in 1986 and assisted Brodlands at Bethel Temple until July, 1987, at which time they moved to Mountlake Terrace to assist Dan and LaVonne. Matt and Su Lambert have also been ministering at Bethel Chapel, Mountlake Terrace for the past several years. Bob and Marian Brodland resigned the pastorate at Bethel Temple on the first Sunday of August, 1992, and Bro. Gordon Adair from Auckland, New Zealand became the interim pastor for a few months until Dan and LaVonne Peterson took the church on Sunday, January 27th, 1993. Dan’s parents, Don and Carol Peterson, then became the Senior pastors at Mountlake Terrace.
During the mid and late 1950’s Morgan and Mabel Peterson joined with son Don, and Carol in large open air meetings in the Menado area. God graciously poured out His Spirit, and scores were saved and healed during these expansive outdoor gatherings. Mae Parish responded to God’s call on her life for missionary service in Indonesia, and in July 1957, set sail for Java where she continued her journey to North Celebes to work with the Petersons. Meanwhile Mike Hanas left Bethel in April 1958, and sailed to Sorong, New Guinea to assist Bob and Mary Edmondsons, as well as the native preacher there.
After three or four years apart, Mike and Mae resumed their romance by correspondence, and Mae joined Mike in Sorong and were married by Bob Edmondsons. After a short stay in Sorong the Hanases relocated at Serui on the small island of Japen. After 2 or 3 years they moved to Biak where they opened a Bible School which has been training and graduating national pastors and teachers for more than 35 years. The Hanases returned home to retire in November 1997, however they are currently on a four month visit to Biak, where Mae is doing some teaching at the school.
After pastoring briefly at South Park, Richard and Loretta Patterson, with their 3 small children, went to the Biak Bible School to relieve the Hanases for a much needed furlough at home. Due to the explosive political upheaval at the time, the Pattersons returned home sooner than anticipated. Dick and Jeanette deQuilettes and children also taught at Biak Bible School for a spell during the mid 1960’s. The Bill Patterson Jr. family also dispensed the Word of God in Java during this time. Mexico, Central and South America as well as Japan have also been blessed by Bethel Temple’s consecrated missionaries. The Joe Rymes family preached the Word of Life in Mexico for a time before returning home to pioneer Bethel’s church at Bonney Lake.
Afterward the Rhymes family pastored a church at Chelsea Park in Burien. Frank Yeadon and family answered God’s call to Colombia, South America early in the 1940’s Frank and family had previously pastored in Ferndale. In 1948 and 1949 just before Fidel Castro came into power the Yeadon family were doing missionary work in Cuba. Suddenly Frank became critically ill with congestive heart failure, and peacefully slipped into heaven from his hospital bed in Miami, Florida.
Late in 1945 Brother J. C. Holden escorted a troop of missionaries to a remote mission station in the interior of Colombia. These new missionaries were Frank and Dorthy Hornung and son Frank Jr., Helen Thompson, Betty Walmsley, Gordon and Bernice Weden and children, Margie MacGowan and Lois Staton. In 1959 or 1960 John and Donna Verbarendse with children ministered for a few years in Surinam, which is one of those Dutch speaking island off the northern coast of South America. They later spent several years as missionaries to Spain.
About this same time Chuck and Iva Eason went to Costa Rica where they were heavily involved in radio gospel ministry, and possibly also in television ministry. An outstanding convert from the Colombian missionary enterprise is Ignacio Guevara, who with his American wife, Harriet, have founded the Pan American Missions which has sponsored scores of churches in both Bogota and Medellin.
In 1949 Mary Taylor went to Japan as a Bethel Temple missionary and ministered in Mizuho, Japan. One of her early converts was Tanabe San, who has been the pastor of this Mizuho church now for many years. Manfred and Hope Askew with their son and daughter pastored this church in the early 1950’s. In October, 1952, Ruth Kyllonen sailed from Bethel Temple to Japan expressly to help in the ministry at Mizuho with her sister Hope.
After a few months Ruth moved to Fussa which is near America’s largest Air Force base at Yacoda. There Ruth pioneered a church, ministering mostly to American Air Force personnel, but also to the Japanese women and children. Ruth later did missionary work briefly in Taipei, Taiwan, as well as Southern France, adjacent to a U. S. Air Force base. After a short furlough at home, Ruth promoted the gospel near a U. S. Air Force base in Northeastern Thailand during the Vietnam war. Ruth always opened a hospitality home were the soldier boys could visit when off duty, participating in Gospel services, enjoying tasty refreshments, etc.
John and Elsie Benton followed Ruth Kyllonen at Fussa. After their missionary term Clyde and Yvonne Bade with children Michael and Suzanne took over the church at Fussa shortly after New Years 1961. The church has been blessed with a very capable national pastor and family for the past several years. Brother Clyde Bade returns each year for a few weeks to supervise some of the outreach ministries. In the spring of 1967 George and Maribeth Frazier and their children left Mirror Lake Park and headed to Japan where they landed near Fukuoka on the southern island of Kyushu. The Fraziers taught and preached God’s Word and saw many precious Japanese saved and established in Christ during their 38 years of ministry there.
Now in their retirement the Fraziers are operating and assisted living home for senior ladies in Kenmore, WA. Lest we forget, the Askew’s son, Donald, with wife Jean and children assisted his parents for a while in their church at Mizuho. After pastoring at home for a few years, Mark and Kathy Benton experienced God’s missionary call to Japan, and so with their newly adopted baby son, Andrew, they flew to Kobe, Japan in August of 1991. They continue to minister in this area. Just last fall Mark and Kathy were finally successful in adopting Japanese twins, a boy and a girl who just turned 3 yrs. in December. The sun never sets on Bethel Temple’s vast missionary outreaches and each participant would proclaim, “To God alone belongs all the praise and glory for any and all spiritual accomplishments!”. Bethel Temple Camp Meetings.
In the spring of 1935 Pastor Offiler began praying and searching for a suitable location for a summer camp meeting. One day he and bro. Siegfried Johnson (Gladys Toombs’ father), were driving through what is now the Federal Way area and saw a large wooded area across the road from an attractive little lake named Mirror Lake. The Lord definitely impressed them that this was His approved location.
Pastor Offiler contracted to purchase 20 acres, and shortly afterward an adjoining 40 acre section to the east. Hugh Rounds and Harold Fitch were some of the faithful volunteers, among others who helped Pastor Offiler blow out the stumps with dynamite, and clear and level the land. A huge wooden tabernacle was erected in the spring of 1936 which measured 75 x 200 ft., supported by big pillars and exposed rafters, and for the first three years or so had a sawdust floor. Others that helped were Eric Benton, Arland Wassell, Floyd Brown and Ray Busby.
Mirror Lake Park has been blessed with many outstanding evangelists throughout its camp meeting history. These preachers have come from various denominational back grounds, such as Assemblies of God, Open Bible Standard, Foursquare, Pentecostal Church of God, etc. One of the outstanding and dramatic preachers was Jerry Owen in 1941, who had the gift of quoting scripture at will. He took a shine to young Jonathan Benton who was five at the time, dressed him up in a little black preacher’s suit, dubbing him “Peanuts”. He had him sit next to him on the platform. Later in life Jerry Owen must have learned that John and Elsie Benton have been involved with Teen Challenges’ toubled girls bringing salvation and restoration both in upstate New York and Pasadena California.
Rather than continuing the camp for several weeks, camp was shortened finally to one week. Age finally took its toll on the grand old wooden tabernacle which had to be demolished several years ago, and was replaced with a medium sized tent. The large prayer rooms underneath the taberbacle platform with the faithful praying saints is what has been responsible for whatever spiritual victories that have been won.
Youth Camps
The first youth camps were inaugurated at Mirror Lake Gospel Park in 1954 and for the first 35 years, Pastor Renus Cabe was the director. The first week was for the juniors, both boys and girls, and the second for the combined teenagers. These young people were in four or five groups each supervised by a willing volunteer counselor. Their activities consisted of devotional periods, craft work, sporting activities, swimming, etc. The campers all looked forward to the Friday evening service when all the sports trophies were given out, as well as the selected Gold Cup boy and girl of the week. Dan Peterson succeeded brother Cabe as Youth Camp Director and several years later Tom Patterson followed, carrying on the work until this day.
Bethel Temple Outreaches
At least 33 churches in the Northwest have sprung up through the years as a direct result of individuals or gospel teams sponsored from Bethel Temple. Among the list are locations such as; Blaine, Ferndale, Yakima, Ellensburg, Whidbey Island (both at Clinton & Oak Harbor), Granite Falls, Snohomish, Mountlake Terrace, Odessa, Bonney Lake, etc.
Other Bethel Temple Ministries
Our former Saturday night youth services were a spiritual drawing card for the whole city. The gospel teams were also heavily involved with open air street meetings, both at skidrow in the heart of the city, both on Saturday and Sunday nights. Bethel Temple was involved in a weekly jail ministry, hospital and convalescent services and visitation and ministering to other branch churches.
Pastor Offiler had also started a night bible School in 1933 and this school continued for many years. Having a burden to raise up his people to know God and His Word, Pastor Offiler was compelled to offer them systematic teaching. The classes were held on Thursday evenings, with enough homework given to keep the students busy until the next week. Fortified by this spiritual foundation in the Word of God, our missionaries, as well as the local pastors, teachers and Gospel workers have accomplished spiritual results which only eternity can reveal.. AMEN!
Among others who were saved at Bethel Temple and influenced by its leadership and teaching was Dick Benjamin who eventually, with his wife Carol, founded Abbott Loop Christian Center in Anchorage, Alaska. This tremendous church under Pastor Benjamin’s Apostolic mantle has not only had significant impact in Anchorage, but also through a network of ministers throughout the States who directly relate to his covering and leadership. Ernest B. Gentile, the founder and pastor of Christian Community Church in San Jose, California, received his diploma from Bethel Temple Bible School. In addition to preaching and teaching, Ernest has a special Prophetic ministry.
Just prior to World War II bro. W. W. Patterson began evening Bible School classes at Mirror Lake. Many pastors and teachers took part in this operation. In 1952 Pastor W. W. Patterson inaugurated the Day School from 9 to noon, at Bethel Temple. Again numerous pastors and teachers gave of their time to teach the next generation. Pastor James Apple was the director following Pastor Patterson. Later Pastor Renus Cabe would carry the leadership and burden of the school.
The radio Ministry was a great outreach at Bethel Temple. Pastor Offiler often conducted the broadcasts from the organ bench. “Nearer My God To Thee” rang out over the air waves morning after morning for many many years. He became one of the first radio preachers, beginning in 1925 a program called “God And His Bible”, a ministry that continued almost without interruption for thirty seven years “with astonishing results.” Shut-ins were blessed, many who had no other access to church found this their church family and were blessed, strengthened and healed through the prayer of faith prayed each morning. Letters were received from fishermen off the coast, and as far away as New Zealand telling of the blessing the broadcast was to them. As was the case in many meetings at Bethel Temple, people in radio land also received salvation, delivering and healing. This radio ministry was faithfully carried on by pastors of Bethel Temple through the ministry periods of Pastor Joe McKnight and associate Pastor Renus Cabe.
Pastor Offiler received, through Bible study and revelation, rich truth for the last days church which has proved Biblically sound. He preached a great last day revival and ingathering that inspired and encouraged many to run the race and be part of God’s great plan for the ages. The Lord also gave to Pastor Offiler great insights concerning the bride of Christ, the Godhead and in particular a revelation of the Name of God.
The inspiration, harmony and infallibility of the Scriptures were paramount to Pastor Offiler. He could not accept the notion that God presented conflicting views of His Word. So he absolutely believed that God is triune. But he also insisted that the Lord Jesus Christ is the name of the Tirune God. In many ways, he was before his time, experiencing significant opposition. Yet today, many of these truths are embraced by a large segment of the Body of Christ. Bethel Christian Ministries Today. To be continued …GPdIWORLDUS