White Lake, N.Y., RPC

David Coon, pastor

Preparation began in September for a surprise celebration for Pastor David Coon. November marked the 40th year that he has been shepherding his flock in White Lake, N.Y. Invitations were passed out secretly to the congregation, as well as mailed to family and friends near and far. We were even able to make contact with fellow club members from both David and his wife, Cathy’s, various interest groups. This included friends from David’s choral group and teachers from Monticello Central School District and Cathy’s art class. A friend of David’s from his internship days was able to attend.

Our first Sabbath of the month luncheon on Nov. 4 was the setting for the celebration. Decorations were completed that morning, including a hand-painted backdrop. It was a scene of a backyard with a bird feeder (David and Cathy adore birds) and a bear confiscating it (a common problem in their backyard). Some of the members had the job of stalling the pastor and his wife after church so the majority would be in Faith Hall, ready to yell “Surprise!” We succeeded in surprising them both.

Everyone brought a special dish to share, being sure we would have the Coons’ favorites. This resulted in enough food for twice the amount of people that attended, with a special cake and many other desserts. We were able to accommodate the 100 guests.

Elder Mike Klussman was our MC. He shared some great memories, including the time the pastor wanted to cut down all of the pine trees that blocked the view of the church from the main road. On a Saturday, several helped with the task. This resulted in what Mike described as a scene from Jurassic Park where the dinosaurs were at war. This was not accepted warmly by some at worship service the next day, but in the long run it exposed us to many more passersby.

Another milestone in our history, thanks to Pastor David, was the building of our Faith Hall. It started with his dream and an anonymous donor who would match $10,000. Many could not see this as a reality, but with the pastor’s persistence and God’s providence, Faith Hall was born. It serves our community in so many ways: food pantry, Adventure Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars meetings, Boy Scout meetings, wedding receptions, birthday parties, community outreach, fundraisers, and various church functions.

Many heartfelt stories were told and serious poems were read. A comical poem was created to describe the love we have for the Coons as well as David’s zaniness that keeps us all smiling. Our oldest and most dear sister in Christ, Mabel Brucher, wasn’t able to be there as she was celebrating her 97th birthday with family. But, with today’s technology, she was able to remotely say a few words to David, Cathy, and the whole crowd. Another added treat was Daniel Huebner being able to Skype with the pastor from his home in Albany.

It was a well-deserved celebration where everyone used their God-given gifts and came together as a blessed family of God.

—Kim Phillips, correspondent

Columbus, Ind., RPC

Andy McCracken, pastor

The college and career group of Columbus, Ind., RPC, along with the youth group, held their first dinner at the church. This formal dinner was celebrated with a mystery menu and entertainment by several members of the group who shared their talents. A mystery menu means you order your meal from a choice of, in this case 14, items that appear on the menu in disguise. In other words, you may be eating your ice cream or Jell-O with a toothpick or a carrot stick. For example, “Julius’s tossup” turned out to be Caesar salad, “vampire’s last meal” was garlic bread, and “old-fashioned floss” was the toothpick.

The entertainment that followed included a video of the same members performing 10 years ago at a church talent night. Waiters were ages 10 to 50 and played their parts worthy of good tips but only received grand applause. It was an evening of great fun, and the group prays that it will be an outreach to other high school and college/career folks looking for a Christian peer group for fellowship.

—Lynn McCracken, correspondent