Pilgrim Congregational Church just marked a special milestone this fall—celebrating 115 years on the corner of South 36th Street and Fourth Avenue South in Billings.
It’s a church with a long and interesting history, and Leatha Rush has been a big part of it for many of those years.
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“Leatha, I think, is the official hugger of the church. She is at the back door, and she misses no one,” says Pastor Tim White.
Leatha has been a member of the church for nearly eight decades--- 78 years to be exact.
“It’s just a very different feeling when you come in here. You know you are welcome,” she says.
She’s not only the official hugger, but she also knows as much about the history of this church as anyone.
It was originally known as the German Congregational church, with services conducted in that language until the 1960s.
Leatha has been a member since 1947. She calls herself an adopted German.
“I had to join to marry my husband. He was of a German family and that’s what I did,” she says.
She says the neighborhood around the church used to also have a large German population.
“It seemed like the retired farmers, the older German people, they would come and wanted to be where their church was. So all these little homes were built, and they moved into this area,” Leatha remembers.
Leatha has left her mark in several different ways. She made the stained-glass windows that adorn one part of the church and helped lead the congregation’s music over her many years.
“The biggest joy in my life was being a singer, so I directed the senior choir, the youth choir, the junior choir—just keeping this church joyful and singing the Lord’s praises,” she says.
Leatha owned a dress shop in West Park Plaza for years before retiring. At the age of 93, she is still an avid oil painter and just stepped away from bowling this past year.
And you’ll always find her ready to give a hug at Pilgrim Congregation—and one of reasons this church has stood tall for 115 years.
“It’s an accomplishment that we are very proud because this heritage is carried on from generation until generation,” she says.
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