THE HISTORY
OF
CALVIN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Part VI:
The Turbulent Two Thousands
“RING THEM BELLS!”
Rev.
Bernard & Calvin Bell Choir
Ringing in the New Year as
the calendar moved from 1999 to 2000 took on a special
importance on December 31, 1999. Would the planes fly?
Would the computers work? Would civilization as we knew
it grind to a screeching halt? Grocery and hardware
stores did a land office business as folks around the
country stocked up on food and bottled water and
generators and wood stoves. The year 2000 slipped in
with no calamities, and Calvin Church faced the new era
with hope. The New Year wasn’t the only thing that rang
in 2000. Thanks to Chris Goetz, we learned that a
magnificent set of bells would become available with the
merger of the Madeira and Silverwood Presbyterian
churches. They were purchased by Calvin for $4,000. We
formed a bell choir with Kay Horning volunteering to be
the interim bell choir director, and a new dimension was
added to our already excellent music program. Worship
was also enhanced with a new sound system for the
sanctuary.
Our magnificent set of bells
In other 2000 church happenings, membership rose from
190 to 197, Matthew Long conducted an evening summer
Bible study, Greg Moore supervised the reorganization of
the church library, Tami and Andy Williams and Amanda
and Dave Davenport were the Jr. And Sr. Hi youth
leaders, and the children of the Sunday school
participated in Souper Bowl Sunday and Operation
Christmas Child. Sadly we lost charter member Ida
Horvath to the Church Triumphant. Facility improvements
included an eagle scout project by David Brentlinger to
repaint and renovate the restrooms, a new sound system
for the sanctuary, and the purchase of two new furnaces
for $10,997.
THE CONFESSING CHURCH MOVEMENT
2001 brought with it a new
intensity to the conflict in the national denomination
regarding the ordination of homosexuals, one that
influenced the local church. The 2001 General Assembly
approved an overture that would delete the fidelity and
chastity requirement from the Book of Order, and sent it
out to the Presbyteries for their approval or
disapproval. That action prompted protests from a large
segment of the church, one of which was to form a pro
fidelity and chastity group called the Confessing Church
Movement. Churches joining that movement said they
believed (1) that Jesus Christ is Lord of all and the
only way of salvation; (2) Holy Scripture is our only
infallible rule of faith and life, (our Book of
Confessions is a reliable expositions of Holy Scripture,
and (3) that Christians should live a life of purity,
and that marriage between a man and woman is the only
relationship in which sexual activity is appropriate.
Session, on July 2, 2001, informed the Presbytery of
Cincinnati that we have committed ourselves to the
Confessing Church Movement. For some of our membership,
it was not enough. It was reported that we lost nine
members because of the national church’s actions, and
our membership was back to 190.
On the brighter side, we received the gift of a
magnificent baby grand piano for the sanctuary, we spent
a hefty 22% of our church budget on others through our
mission activities (including funds to Habitat for
Humanity for a bobcat trailer and the Red Cross to aid
the 9-11 victims.) Nancy Kranzley created the first of
the Old Testament stained glass windows, the Creation.
Ruth-Rebecca Circle studied the Book of Esther, and the
Circle continued their September birthday party
celebration for the residents of the SEM Manor in
Forestville. We mourned the loss of Glen Stoup, Dorothy
Anthe and Joan Langefeld to the Church Triumphant.
Building improvements included a new PA system for the
fellowship hall, purchase of a Canon copier for the
office, basement waterproofing, and remodeling of the
nursery.
MISSION APLENTY
Click on these links
for
more
pictures from
Northwest Haiti Christian Mission
or for information
about our
2010 mission
to Haiti
2002 brought with it the Billy Graham
Crusade and a number of Calvin people supported and
attended the summer event. Kay Horning and Marty
Nordsieck made their first mission trip to the Northwest
Haiti Christian Mission. Our membership declined to 185,
a loss of five. We lost Jean Conley to the Church
Triumphant. The congregation participated in an advent
devotional program that produced some noteworthy written
expressions of what Advent meant to them.
2003 was a year of accomplishment, with the possible
exception of our continuing water problem in the
fellowship hall. Pastor Bernard reported that
approximately 70% of our membership worships regularly,
almost double the average attendance in the
denomination. We gladly sent six people to the Northwest
Haiti Christian Mission for a week in July, and
approximately 2,600 pounds of used clothing was donated
to the IPM Thrift Shop during the year. Vacation Bible
School attendance averaged 35-40 children, and Ruth
Rebecca Circle sponsored a Brazilian boy. We gave 68
gifts to underprivileged children through our Christmas
Giving Tree. We supported Alex and his family in their
mission to the Muslims of London, and Alex visited and
spoke to the adult Sunday school class. John Pierce
continued to change the banners in the church on a
regular basis, an unsung chore that adds a lot to our
worship services. Sadly we lost Jeanette Farquer to the
Church Triumphant.
WAY TOO MUCH WATER!
2004 brought with it the
cloudburst and the flood of the century in July to the
fellowship hall and Sunday school room in the church
basement. The fellowship hall lost our tables and other
furniture, and the kitchen was ruined. The shock was
almost too much for our “angels of the kitchen”,
including Betty Higgenbotham and Helen Lang, whose
selfless labors over the years have fed most of Calvin’s
membership. The family quilt was damaged. We even lost a
number of books and pamphlets in the adult Sunday school
room. The Building and Grounds Committee labored
mightily to thwart the problems by correcting water
drainage off the roof, sealing the basement windows, and
installing new drainage lines. Then, on Christmas Eve,
the weather added insult to injury with copious amounts
of snow and ice that made us cancel our services because
the building had no electricity or heat for three days.
Pastor Bernard could not recall that ever happening to
him in his long years of ministry.
On the plus side, the M&E Committee sponsored the first
Western Night at Stonelick, which was well-attended and
a great success. Our membership increased to 195, and
the NIVLACS, a Calvin Youth Group, was formed. The Men’s
Prayer Breakfast continued to be a popular event in the
lives of many. To promote outreach, the Youth Group
sponsored a car wash for the community in September. D.
Marie Campbell was selected to be the Bell Choir
Director. Our superb (thirty-year) organist, Kay
Horning, announced that she would retire at the end of
the year, and a search committee was formed to replace
the irreplaceable. Sadly, we lost Carl Brockschmidt to
the Church Triumphant. In February, Jim and Pam Bernard
invited the membership to be their guests at the
“Passion of the Christ” movie, and later in the year
they presented the church with another beautiful gift -
new collection plates. We supported Mike Gibson as he
journeyed to Princeton for advanced ministry schooling,
we sent three people to the Northwest Haiti Christian
Mission, and continued our support for building churches
and schools in Africa by supporting Servants of the
King.
WHEN THE ROLL IS CALLED
We are a small church and a
family of believers. The years 2005 and 2006 were years
of such personal loss with our membership. Losses to the
Church Triumphant in 2005 included elders Ed Smith, John
Wiseman, John Huff, Jim Williams, and Maynard Stapp. Jim
Williams was a charter member, and we also lost charter
member Helen Brown. Sue Felton also passed away in 2005.
In 2006, we lost Rae Rogers and Ralph Lang. They were
fine friends, devoted members, and contributing
Christians, and we miss them greatly.
MUSICALLY SPEAKING
2005 saw Char
(her real name is Charlotte) Bledsoe become our new
organist, and a new sound system was installed in the
sanctuary.
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Calvin's Vocal Choir
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Calvin's Bell Choir
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OTHER
NEWS AROUND THE CHURCH
Todd Houston and Eileen
Thomas led several adult Bible studies. We conducted our
first annual yard sale, the proceeds of which were to
benefit the community. We responded generously to a
crippling Asian tsunami at the very end of 2004 and the
horrific Hurricane Katrina by contributing to the
Presbyterian Disaster Association and Matthew 25
Ministries. On the international front, we supported
local people Courtney and Lucas Steever in Calcutta,
India, and locally we supported Saul’s Homeless Shelter.
Kay Horning and Marty Nordsieck wrote a grant to the
national denomination and won a surprising $13,450 for
the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission.
PARTING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW!
 Nothing is
forever, and all good things must come to an end. In
September, 2006, Pastor Jim announced to session that he
would be retiring in one year. He was ordained to the
ministry in 1970, and will have 37 years of service to
the church, nineteen of which will have been with
Calvin. In addition to personal reasons, Pastor Bernard
cited the adverse influence of the denomination’s Peace,
Unity and Purity (PUP) Report upon the connectionalism
of the church, and other denominational actions as
contributing to his decision. His early announcement
permitted the church to take action to make the
transition as smoothly as possible.
Pastor Jim Bernard
Pastor Bernard’s
announcement came in the midst of a very busy year.
Using funds from the first annual yard sale, Calvin
Church joined the Village of Amelia in sponsoring an
Easter egg hunt for the community with a $500
contribution. The remainder of the funds was contributed
to Saul’s Homeless Shelter. Sid Martin designed and Mary
Smith published a new brochure to pass out to welcome
visitors to the church. We committed funds to support
the new chapel at Clermont Mercy Hospital. Building
improvements included a gift from Janett Stamler to
purchase and install a lift chair between the sanctuary
and the fellowship hall, and a gift from John and Fran
Houston to purchase cushions for sanctuary pews and
tables and pads for the bell choir. At the end of 2006
our membership was 177.
To our
readers: You will recall that a history of Calvin
Presbyterian Church 1957-2007 was published in the
summer of 2007 to commemorate our 50th anniversary. This
is an addition to that history.
2007 - A YEAR OF TRANSITION AND REFLECTION
Sometime in early 2007, the session was informed by the
estate of Rae Rogers that she had bequeathed
approximately $160,000 to the church. Session decided to
use the funds for long-term and special needs rather
than as a supplement to the operating budget. In the
area of Mission, the Stewardship and Mission Committee
ran a special campaign to help the children of the House
of Peace (Clermont County Battered Women’s Shelter), and
urged greater participation at our monthly First Fruits
collection to help the children who pass though that
facility.
The second half of 2007 was dominated by two important
activities. The Interim Pastor Search Committee began
the process of finding an interim Pastor for Calvin
Church to replace Jim Bernard, whose last day was
September 30. His retirement from the ministry was
celebrated with a wonderful retirement dinner at the
Legendary Run Golf clubhouse on September 30. The
facility was filled to the brim with Calvin parishioners
and other friends of Jim and Pam as we bid goodbye and
Godspeed to our Pastor and friend in word and song.
September was really the month to remember. Just a week
earlier the congregation celebrated Calvin’s fiftieth
birthday with a special worship service and a
congregational luncheon, which was held in the church
fellowship hall.
Of course, we had to come back down to earth after all
of the partying, and face the last quarter of the year
with no pastor. Session went to work to make sure we had
an adequate pulpit supply, conducted a successful annual
stewardship campaign, and celebrated the birth of our
Lord with an inspiring Advent program and Christmas
cantata. The Rev. Gary Brose, Pastor of Christ
Presbyterian Church in Milford, was our Session
moderator, and Pastor Harvey Koch, Chaplain of Mercy
Hospital was our pulpit supply.
As we entered the year 2008, the Interim Pastor Search
Committee was working hard to find a candidate to fill
our vacant pulpit. We were blessed by the presence of
the Reverend Tom Hoffman, a retired Methodist minister,
who had been worshiping with us. He preached a fine
Lenten series on “What’s Exciting about the Faith”, and
our choir presented an Easter cantata, “When Silent
Voices Sing”. Session’s strong leadership and the
commitment of the congregation enabled the church to
maintain a strong attendance and programs during the
absence of a pastor.
PASTOR JIM STEINER -
CALLED TO CALVIN
In March, 2008, the Interim Pastor
Search Committee had good news for Session and the
congregation. They reported that they had found a great
fit for the Calvin pulpit. His name was Jim Steiner, and
he had been an associate pastor at the Maderia-Silverwood church for the past 3 ½ years. His
marketing and sales background and MBA only enhanced his
Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological
Seminary.
Rev.
Jim Steiner
Jim began his interim pastorate with Calvin on
April 1, 2008, and the congregation enjoyed his
enthusiasm in the pulpit and commitment to scripture.
Jim’s first months were spent learning about us, and we
learned about him and his lovely wife, Caroline. This
was Jim’s first solo pastorate, but he readily adapted
to the demands of the position. He and the session
assembled a Transition Team composed of Sharon Brummett,
Dave Ferguson, Chris Goetz, Mark Grippa, Kim Meyerenke,
John Middleton, Carla Moore, and Mark Williams to
examine where Calvin had been, where it presently is,
and what is God calling us to do in the future? There
was substantial congregational input to the process, and
several “town meetings” complemented the exercise.
We continued to emphasize local mission with strong
financial and personnel support to IPM, SEM and the
House of Peace. Other mission efforts included sending
missionaries to the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission,
and participating in the One Great Hour of Sharing and
the Peacemaking collection. As 2008 came to a close, a
Calvin institution, Clerk of Session Ralph Campbell,
announced his retirement after 20 years of dedicated
service in that position. His leadership and
institutional perspective will be sorely missed by
session.
2009 - BRICKS AND MORTAR AND ANOTHER GOODBYE:
With Ralph Campbell’s retirement, session began a new
era, and Cyndi Yunger became the first female Clerk of
Session in Calvin’s 51+ year history. Early in the year,
on February 22, a Pastor Nominating Committee was
elected by the congregation, composed of Sharon
Brummett, Ron Case, Mark Grippa, John Middleton, Marty
Nordsieck, Carla Moore, and Mark Williams. They began
the process of finding a new pastor with the assembly of
the church information form, a document that describes
what Calvin church is and has been in some detail. It is
provided to prospective candidates.
Perhaps the most visible signs of activity and progress
concerned the physical church plant. After years of
band-aid and duct tape repairs, Pastor Jim and the
Building/Grounds Ministry had the building inspected and
inventoried, and a list of health/safety and
construction issues was compiled. Session supported a
major renovation effort and a $265,000 repair and
renovation contract was signed with the Gordon
Construction Company. The company worked hard for four
months, replacing interior and exterior doors,
installing new roofing, brickwork and siding, and
various other repairs. The improvements were striking. A
portion of the cost was funded with the Rae Rogers
bequest, and the remainder will be funded with a capital
campaign to pay back the construction loan.
Bell Dedication
Reverend Steiner had
accomplished most of the goals he and session had set
for his interim pastorate, and Jim announced in July
that he would resign his position on August 9 to accept
another interim position at North Branch Presbyterian
Church near Monaca, Pennsylvania. (Near Pittsburgh and
his beloved Steelers). For sixteen months Jim had
successfully led the church in its journey from Jim
Bernard to a new pastor. He was able to keep us whole,
on course, and moving. We will miss him very much and
pray for his future success in his new position. In the
meantime, our Pastor Nominating Committee continued to
winnow the list of candidates and would soon present
“the one” to the congregation for its approval.
WHAT A FALL IT WAS
AT CALVIN!!!
A
worship highlight soon after Jim’s departure was the
worship service and concert conducted by
Dr. Calvin
Taylor
on Sunday, August 23, 2009. His message in music
was a blessing to the Calvin Congregation.
Dr. Calvin Taylor
A 2009 CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR CALVIN:
A NEW PASTOR!!
Finally, in November,
2009, the congregation
received the news from the PNC that had been
long-awaited. They had a candidate! A congregational
meeting was called for Sunday, November 22, immediately
following the worship service where the
Reverend
Kathleen Haines
preached her trial sermon.
Reverend
Haines was a campus minister at James Madison
University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. By a vote of 73 to
4, she was called to be our next pastor. She and her
three children moved to the area at the end of 2009. She
began her tenure at Calvin on January 3, 2010.
On to
2010: New Beginnings
Back to
The 90's: The End of a Century
Home Page:
A History of Calvin Church
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During 2007, Bob Bridges, our
church's resident historian, reminisced about
each decade of Calvin’s existence. Although he
wasn’t at the church in the ‘50s, he's spoken
with many who were. He has pieced together a
sketch of those earliest years. In 2010,
he updated the church's history.
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