Tribbles mark first year at Endicott Bible Church

Pastor Fred Tribble, standing on the left, along with his wife, Cinda, serve to a couple of members of the congregation of the Endicott Bible Church on Valentine’s Day. This is one of the activities the Tribbles have done to attract more members to the small church. Since the Tribbles’ arrival, membership has grown from eight to about 20. The couple said they love the small town.

Pastor Fred and Cinda Tribble have been in Endicott for a little more than a year and love life in a small town.

They also have seen their congregation at Endicott Bible Church more than double since their arrival.

“It was on Jan. 17 when we rolled in from southern California,” Fred Tribble said.

Neither one of the Tribbles had been in Endicott or even the Pacific Northwest before.

“We knew what the town looked like because we Googled it,” Cinda said. “We instantly loved the church.”

Through Village Missions, an organization which is dedicated to keeping rural churches alive, the Tribbles found the Endicott church. They had not worked as full-time ministers before.

The church closed at one time, but when Village Missions took over, a pastor was found.

Village Missions will take care of the pastor’s salary and benefits as the church regains its strength. Eventually the church will take over the payments as it can afford it.

“The congregation is full of sweet, sweet people,” she added.

The congregation consisted of eight people when the Tribbles arrived, but now between 15 and 20 people attend regularly.

“We’ve learned one thing,” Fred said. “The best way to get to know people is to feed them.”

The Tribbles served a Valentine’s Day luncheon Friday, one of many meals they have served over the last year. Cinda said Fred is the cook and she serves.

When the Tribbles were settling in, Fred said he walked around town and introduced himself to people on the street. He started having morning coffee at the Endicott Food Center.

“I moved right into that crowd and got to know them,” Tribble said.

He also attends city council meetings and visits people within the community. He cooks meals and brings them to peoples’ homes to get acquainted.

“I meet people on their turf and find out who they are,” he said.

Last summer, the Tribbles started “Dogs in the Park,” cooking hot dogs for a minimal price for people to gather in Endicott’s park. They tried showing movies, but it wasn’t quite dark enough in the summer.

Tribble said they will have the hot dog feasts again this summer.

The Endicott Bible Church also participates in the community dinners, taking its turn on the third week of every month. During the winter months, they offer soup and bread and use the Trinity Lutheran Church kitchen for the meals.

Tribble also began a “Guys’ Bible Study” eight months ago. The women of the church were already meeting.

The Tribbles ran a Vacation Bible School and sponsored the Easter Egg Hunt and will do so again.

“This is starting to look like a real church, because people thought it had been dead for the last 20 years,” Tribble said.

“I enjoy working with people in a spiritual capacity,” Tribble said. “I want to create a sense of energy and synergy. I want the people to experience a revival.”

He’s also lead efforts to spruce up the church building. Newly painted front doors now greet church visitors and other renovations are planned.

Tribble has a vision of working with other small towns to support each other and keep money within each community.

He’d like to see a hometown cafe built in a small community, with the idea of bringing in construction work first. Instead of trying to own the small restaurant, a manager, who would be on a salary, would run the cafe which would be a corporate store, owned by local community members. He believes state or federal grants might be available for projects like this.

He also has other projects in mind, all hoping to revive the small communities in Whitman County.

The little church is his main priority.

“It’s coming back,” Tribble said. “It’s starting to show some real signs of life.”

“I anticipate being here for a while,” he said. “I would like to stay here until I drop.”