By MATT PATNEAUDE

In 1889, A.G. Wooster and his wife Kate came to Seattle and united with the First Baptist Church. Several months later, the Woosters moved to Fremont and were forced to travel to church across Lake Union on a little steamer called "The Maud Foster."

The effort and expense of attending First Baptist proved to be great, and when A.G. Wooster met another Baptist family in the Fremont area, he began to think that they could start their own church.

With the help of Rev. G.J. Burchett of First Baptist, A.G. Wooster went hunting for Baptists in the Fremont area. They found eight families and it was decided that Burchett would send for the Chapel Car called the "Evangel."

The "Evangel" was a railroad car operated by Rev. Wheeler, a missionary sponsored by the Baptist Publication Society. It traveled the railways providing missionary service throughout the Pacific Coast.

On March 20, 1892, Rev. Wheeler conducted a service in the "Evangel" for the Fremont Baptists. After the service, a motion to organize a permanent congregation was unanimously approved.

Having done its duty, the "Evangel" was back on the railways a week later. Baptists from the "villages" of Latona, Ross, Green Lake, and Fremont now had a church of their own. Some of the first Fremont Baptist meetings took place in the Gillis and Grow buildings located on 34th Street, just west of Fremont Avenue.

Rev. James Cairns of Snohomish, then 75 years old, took over as Pastor of Fremont Baptist in 1899. Cairns led the church through the purchase of their own property and construction of their first permanent home.

Two lots were purchased for $450 and the original church building was constructed for just over $3,000. From 1899 until 1909, when Rev. Cairns retired at age 85, church membership grew from 61 to 145.

One of the early churchgoers was Ted Howard who came to Fremont in 1910. Howard was appalled at how uncivilized Fremont was compared to his native England, as the streets were mud and planks, not the cobblestone with which he was familiar.

Howard recalls a silent movie house in Fremont that charged 5 cents for admission. Accompanying the pictures was a lady playing the piano. Also at this time, a waterfall came out of Lake Union and turned into a stream that went out to Puget Sound. Near the waterfall, people stood on either bank to spear fish.

Harley Kirk came to Fremont Baptist in 1917 and met his future wife. During his wedding in 1920, a big crack was heard as the Maid of Honor was coming up the altar steps. Kirk was afraid that she would end up in the basement of the church.

Increasing membership and the rickety conditions of the original building led to the need for larger accommodations. Between 1919 and 1924, three additional lots adjacent to Fremont Baptist were purchased for just over $2,000.

The church members, generous and enthusiastic, soon had raised $42,000 towards construction of a new building. Dedicated in December of 1924, the new brick building had a seating capacity of 550 as well as Sunday School rooms, departments for school-age children, offices, a parlor, a social hall, and a kitchen. The new facility occupied the same site as the original church building on North 36th Street between Fremont and Linden Avenues.

Coming up to present day, Fremont Baptist has operated with a series of interim pastors for the past two years. Jay Caremba, set to begin his ministry on Aug. 20, will be the new permanent pastor. He is the latest in a long line of clergymen that have served the Fremont Baptist community for over a century.

Article includes information from the Fremont Baptist 90th Anniversary Celebration book published in 1982.