60th Wedding Anniversary Celebrated at Bible Church
Stan & Virginia Poeschel 60th Anniversary
Sunday was a celebration at the Happy Camp Bible Church. The church congregation, friends and family from here and far (even Washington State) gathered for a potluck dinner for the celebration of 60th Wedding Anniversary!
Stan and Virginia Poeschel have been a part of the Happy Camp community 39 years. It was that long ago, in 1982 Stan Poeschel became pastor of the Bible Church.
Stan and Virginia met at church. After high school Virginia left for a year at Prairie Bible Institute in Canada. She returned to marry Stan. Then the Lord led Stan to enroll in Prairie Bible Institute as well. They both continued their education there.
The log church building housing the Bible Church on Second Avenue was built by members of the community nearing a hundred years ago. Rev. Dr. Leon L. Loofbourow came to Happy Camp as soon as the road came through this far. Previous to that , Happy Camp was reached by pack train and horseback and it took more than one day to make the trip to Yreka. A stopover in Hamburg was usually part of the trip.
Rev. Loofbourow was a Circuit Riding Preacher, like John Wesley who began the Methodist denomination, but was also an outdoorsman,. He left accounts in his records going bear hunting with the Southard Family.
Rev Knutson mentioned the building in a letter. He grew up in the Scott Valley parsonage, and later served as pastor in Horse Creek. Knutson recalls playing with a bunch of PK’s (Pastor’s kids) when their families came to help with the log church building, camping along Indian Creek.. As with many of our Happy Camp buildings, land was donated, Logs from the airport area were cut and prepared, and the community members contributed time and labor to make the church rise.
But back to the present day, dinner, with everyone bringing something to add to the menu and great fellowship ensued. Stan hast been Pastor of the Bible Church for 39 years as pastor, faithfully teaching and preaching the Word of God for the longest times any pastor has served the Happy Camp Church.