Church History

FTC Church History

Minister Nathaniel and Sister Jessie Kinlow, with eight children age 19 to 7 years old, move to Tacoma, Washington from small town Dumas, Arkansas in May 1956.  In Tacoma, they squeezed into a one-bedroom unit of their newly purchased four-plex. The family had left a new four-bedroom home and a successful cotton farm and a bountiful family vegetable farm—in pursuit of an urban dream.

In  July 1958, oldest daughter Cametta was wed to Min. Eugene Hoskins of Oregon.  That same summer Minister Kinlow looked up members of the former church missions and started the ministry We now know of as Faith Temple. After a few years as a laborer, Pastor Kinlow made a new career as an commercial skilled painter.  Minister Hoskins commuted weekly from his job in Eugene, Oregon.  Well over a half million miles were logged by each  Pastor Kinlow and Minister in Hoskins first 40 years alone, and thousands of dollars were spent on Narrows Bridge tolls, 50 cents a car plus 10 cents for each passenger in both directions.

 In 1983, Pastor Kinlow was appointed Superintendent of new COGIC District 10, consisting of Faith Temple, Outreach Church in Bremerton, Pastor John Penton; and New Jerusalem, Bishop T.L. Westbrook, pastor. 

Faith Temple COGIC:  Historical Milestones

1958  Minister Nathaniel Kinlow Sr. came to Bremerton, looking for members of two former Church of God in Christ missions.  Initial services were held intermittently in various facilities and homes.

1959  Among the families the Kinlows met were the Boyce family:  Deacon Fred Boyce, wife Veola, and children, Fred and Veola; and the Holland family: Mr. and Ulysses Holland.   In March 1959, a house was secured at 4313 D Street, in Navy Yard City (Parr auto dealerhip occupies that site). Minister purchased the property with his own money, $700, and deeded it to the church.  He and his family cleaned the building and premises of debris and years of overgrowth.  In the months later, Pastor Kinlow renovated the entire building for auditorium use.  He would come over on weekdays after eight hours on the job and work until dark.  He was so exhausted that he would see stars. He created one restroom, approximately 5’x5’ in a back corner—bumped out from the building’s exterior.

1960  Teenager, Robert Edwards was drawn to the family, especially to play the drums. In the fall, Minister Frank Lee, wife, Bessie and daughters, Carol, Ruth and Naomi began attending.  Min. Lee eventually became Sunday School superintendent.

1961  In high school woodshop, Robert Edwards constructed a beautiful pulpit and an offering table which remains here. He later brought his grandmother, Mother Shorter, and Sister Susie Smith.  Mother Smith faithfully took care of church transactions in the city.  Mother Shorter treated the family to the best bareque (never equaled) in the northwest. Dorothy and Orestes Kinlow began attending Olympic College.  Ronelle McGraw from Seattle also attended college and worshiped with us.

1963 (circa)  A plot of land located off Arsenal near the drivers license agency, was purchased for several thousand dollars, for the purpose of  building an edifice.

1964 Enhancements and furnishings were ever continuous with the energetic Pastor and Sister Kinlow.  Wall paneling was installed with the help of several faithful sailors who worshipped there.

1965 (circa)  The land for church building was brought out by the state to build a highway patrol office.  We received a profit of three thousand dollars.

1968   Faith Temple purchased 4.7 acres in East Bremerton, the present site of 2814 Trenton Ave. NE.  Mother Susie discovered the listing.  Pastor had the land excavated—filling a crater-like depression big enough to bury a house.

1969  In the summer, district revival was held on the site in tent erected by Elder Otis Byrd of Seattle, whose congregation along with Faith Temple formed the district of Superintendent T.L. Westbrook, pastor of  New Jerusalem COGIC.

[As the land lay fallow for 30 years, Washington COGIC Bishops T.J. Kinlow, R.E. Altheimer, and T.L. Westbrook (in their respective administrations), Pastor’s brother, Superintendent E.D. Kinlow, and many visiting preachers and officials viewed the site and invoked God’s blessings.]

1970  September 3, Faith Temple was granted non-profit  corporate status, registered in the state of Washington.

1971 (circa) Pastor Kinlow performed another major remodeling project, with his own hands.  He anchored the ceiling to the rafters, enabling the removal of all the interior posts from the sanctuary.  A concrete partial basement was constructed to house an electrical furnace that replaced an oil-burning heater that sat amidst the auditorium seating.  A concrete walk way was added.  Assistant Pastor, Eugene Hoskins did all the concrete work.  The pastor built an extension of 12 feet across the entire rear of the building to accommodate a ladies room and lounge and a men’s room and pastor’s office.  New aluminum windows replaced the wooden sash ones.   Mr. Peter Myers (who joined in 1987) installed the water heater.  Facebowls and toilets were installed by Bro. Bud McIlhenny who became a dear friend of the family.  Pastor created a expanded pulpit and, of course, did all the finish work and painting.  The carpet was installed by members of the Seattle-Tacoma inter-city COGIC choir (the pastor’s children included) under the direction of Bro. Ronelle McGraw and wife, Sis. Jean McGraw. 

1975  Faith Temple hosted (offsite) the annual Washington COGIC Youth Congress convention.

1980  In late winter, Pastor Kinlow retired from his career.  The church purchased more property,  lot beside the church building (to serve as parking lot) and a rental house to the rear on C Street.

1984  Another remodel was accomplished with the addition of a 14’ x 22’ multipurpose room and rear porch.  Side and rear walkways and concrete steps to the parking lot were installed.

1985 Plans were drawn up and approved for an expansive metal-framed church edifice to be built on Trenton Ave. NE.  Faith Temple had to wait until God provided the means to build.

1989  The pastor—already contributing much money to the ministry, exceeding any pastoral income—vowed to not require personal wages from the offerings and tithes. There would no more pastoral days.  He directed all church revenues to accumulated for the church building future.  The pastor humbly has not ever accepted an anniversary appreciation.

1990-1994  After decades of being a small congregation with the ever arriving and departing military and contract personnel numbers into the hundreds, membership finally began to grow.  Administrative restructuring and reorganizing was taking shape.  The pastor appointed a board of trustees.  More auxiliaries were formed.  The men, women and youth were designated respective Sunday services in the month which they planned and conducted.  The choir grew prominent in the church ministry inside and outside the church.  The church expanded its office systems.

1995  The church operations were computerized by Bro. Jack Holley.  Litigation and community issues were astir due to a hazardous environmental condition in the neighborhood.  Faith took actions to work solutions for its future and well-being.

1996  Faith Temple resumed formal planning for its building project.  A plan was accepted for a wood frame structure, smaller than the original metal-frame design.  In November, the building’s foundation was laid.

1997  In May, the Navy Yard City property was sold to the city of Bremerton.  On October 26, 1997, the congregation moved to 13^th and LaFayette Streets.  The edifice there was rented from Emmanuel Apostolic Church.  Faith Temple is grateful for the extreme kindness and love exhibited by pastor, Bishop Larry Robertson in the accommodations extended.

1998  Construction began after groundbreaking services in November.  The exterior structure was erected before year’s end.

1999  In January, our dear first lady, Mother Jessie Kinlow, visited the site of the erected building that was painted and appeared to be complete.  She saw the reality of 41 years of working toward a dream that Pastor Kinlow and she so passionately pursued.  It was the last stop she made in Bremerton.  Mother Jessie departed to be with the Lord on March 2, 1999.

August 22, 1999  We began that day with an Exodus service at the barren site of 4313 D Street, Navy Yard City, journeyed by car procession to 2814 Trenton Avenue NE for our opening service—with joyful anticipation and with great appreciation in precious memories.

2000  The church installed an audio and video station with fixed digital video cameras designed to record weekly and special worship services and events.

2005  Faith Temple opened the doors to the Jessie Kinlow Early Childhood Learning Center.  Sister Linda King performed business planning and development for the establishment of the center, and serves as the center’s director.

2007  Feburary  Elder Nathaniel Kinlow Jr. was impressed to mount a drive to pay off the church mortgage by Pastor’s birthday, May 8, 2007.

2007  April 15, 2007, Pastor Kinlow ceased this life and went home to be with the Lord.  Though in diminished health, he preached a powerful stirring sermon on March 30, 2007 in his official as superintendent of District 10, in the pulpit of Faith Temple.  Superintendent Kinlow remained active, focused and vigilant  in local, district and state ministries until the very end.  He attended a pastors and elders breakfast at the Washington COGIC headquarters on the morning preceding his death.  He served for the better part of 49 years.  In the midst of his 49^th year he has gone to rest in his jubilee of his ministry. Pastor Kinlow's successor was Elder Eugene Hoskins. Pastor Hoskins has served faithfully with Pastor Kinlow as his Assistant Pastor for 48 years. During that time Pastor Hoskins has shown himself to be steadfast, faithful, completely committed to the ministry of Pastor Kinlow and the Faith Temple Church.

To mention Church history is to mention Mother Jessie Kinlow—for she is inextricably a part of this church…forever.  It stands as a memorial to her tireless efforts and boundless love.  We now join the memories of recent days with Pastor Nathaniel Kinlow Sr. with the memories of more distant days with  Mother Jessie Kinlow.  Their books are complete. 

May 8, 2007  There was sufficient funding in the treasury to pay off the mortgage.

May 17 2007  The church mortgage was paid in full.

Presently The Faith Temple Church now abides under the leadership of Pastor Eugene Hoskins 2007-Present. The Church remains vigilint in continued efforts to be free of debt and marked the Jessie Kinlow Learning Center to be paid of next with an expected success date in the year of 2012.