The Outpost, a former church building at the heart of “E” Street in Washougal, has slowly morphed into a community resource center since its launch in 2017, hosting various events and local organizations, offering event hall space and meeting rooms for rent, and housing kids activities and a teen leadership camp led by Lone Wolf Jiu Jitsu owner Don Stoner.
“We hope to turn this space into a true community center one day,” Washougal resident and longtime community volunteer Pam Clark, The Outpost’s unofficial leader, said on The Outpost’s website. “With help and support, we can make a difference here.”
The help and support Clark was seeking never arrived.
The Camas Church of the Nazarene (CCN) and the Tumwater, Washington-based Washington Pacific District Church of the Nazarene (WPDCN), the building’s owners, have put the building up for sale and will close The Outpost as of Thursday, Oct. 31, according to Clark.
News of the decision came as a devastating blow to Clark, who had toiled diligently during the past several years to develop The Outpost into a “safe space” for people of all ages to gather, collaborate, and help east Clark County thrive.
“It hurt me a lot,” Clark said. “I was running a bazaar, and I got this telephone call, and it’s like, ‘How do you sell stuff to people when you’re so hurt?’”