Congregations Gather to Celebrate Second Indianapolis RPC’s 50th

On Oct. 16, 1964, the Illinois Presbytery gathered in Indianapolis, Ind., in the home of Roy and Margie Blackwood to form a new congregation. At the time, Bloomington RPC, with 120 members, was the only RPCNA congregation in the state. In Jesus’ name, the presbytery established the Second RPC with 8 communicant members.

Twenty-six people attended that service. Don Felker preached on 1 Corinthians 12:27. The following Monday, one person wrote in a letter to a friend, “Friday night was quite eventful…the meeting was most impressive.” It was one small but significant link in a chain of events Jesus has used to build His church.

Fifty years later, on Oct. 18-19, past members and friends gathered with current members to celebrate God’s faithfulness to Second RPC. Saturday, the congregation hosted an open house with many pictures and other documents on display in the fellowship hall. The afternoon was filled with games for children, food, and fellowship. The open house hummed warmly with the sound of brothers and sisters in Christ meeting, getting reacquainted, and telling one another stories of God’s goodness through the years.

The Lord has drawn many people to Himself through the ministry of the congregation and has changed the lives of hundreds of people as a result. Reflecting the sentiments of many expressed that day, Janelle Larsen wrote “The spiritual help I received at Second RP, the grounding in the Word, and disciplined lifestyle I was taught has proven its worth many times over and helped me to stay faithful in my walk with God.”

Pictures and stories also brought to mind a sobering sorrow over those who have died, over those who have moved on due to sin and hurt feelings, over those that have turned away from Christ, and over the sins and failings of the congregation through these 50 years. It was a powerful reminder that God’s people need repentance and forgiveness on a daily basis and that every bit of progress has been by the grace of God alone. The Lord reminded the congregation that whatever growth He gives in the future will also always and only be by His grace.

On the Lord’s Day, testimonies of grace in the lives of people filled the Bible school hour. Pastor Ken Smith preached powerfully and poignantly from Leviticus 25 on the Year of Jubilee and its original purpose of restoring relationships among the people of God and refocusing their national vision on their Savior.

On the Lord’s Day evening, the celebration moved to the nearby North United Methodist Church so that 600 voices from Second RP and the other 10 RPCNA congregations in the state could join together for a psalm sing. The assembly also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Sycamore RPC in Kokomo, Ind.

The Lord, in His mercy and grace, has granted a tenfold increase in both the number of RP congregations and the number of RP church members in Indiana over the last 50 years. Brief histories were read. Rich Holdeman, pastor of the Bloomington RPC, preached from Acts 20:1-12 on the extraordinary nature of the ordinary church. The robust singing of praise to God filled the auditorium. Christopher Dean of the Elkhart congregation reflected on the evening and said “This was truly an outpouring of worship and praise in thankfulness to God for what He has done in His church.” Following the saints enjoyed rich fellowship over cake and punch.

Lonnie Theye, a member in the very early years of the congregation, wrote, “It was a joy to reconnect with so many of the Indianapolis ministry after nearly 50 years. It is good to see that God has provided health and His blessing to so many of them. I am encouraged to see that God continues to expand that visionary work. To think that 50 years ago it was just a few people meeting in someone’s living room. Now there are about as many churches as there were people at that time.”

Will the Lord be pleased to grant another tenfold increase in the RP Church in Indiana over the next 50 years? It seems almost impossible to envision 12,000 souls in the church in 2064, but such multiplication also probably seemed unlikely in 1964. Results are in God’s hands, and the congregation is thankful for what He has done in the last 50 years. Pray that God would give Second RPC grace to be faithful in the years to come to love and worship him, to love people, and to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

—James Faris

Rose Point (New Castle, Pa.) RPC Charles Brown, Pastor

David and Maryann Reed celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on May 3 with a family dinner. David celebrated his 70th birthday at the end of June with a weiner roast and hayride. After being threatened not to organize a 70th birthday celebration, Nola Youngman’s daughters, Carisa and Erica, arranged a surprise 69th birthday party at the Shakespeare Restaurant on May 31, with 100 friends and relatives in attendance, including five of Nola’s nursing school classmates.

The American Heritage Girls officially ended their first year May 15 with an awards ceremony. Kelly Mershimer, Annie Brown, Elia McKnight, Dora Brown, and Samantha McKnight all earned several badges and service-hour stars.

Twenty-five men and boys attended the annual men’s cookout at the pastor’s home on June 13. Miriam Brown and four children visited her sister, Abigail Drost and family, while their husbands attended the RPCNA Synod.

The annual congregational picnic was held Aug. 1, on the John Mitchell farm, with 42 members and friends of the congregation in attendance.

Twenty-three persons, many of them Reformed Presbyterian, led by John Mitchell and including Ralph and Joday Joseph embarked on a cruise to Alaska and Denali in early September

Annie and Dora Brown and Elia and Samantha McKnight celebrated the American Heritage Girls National Day of Service helping at the Butler VA Hospital on Sept. 20.

Approximately 67 adults and children attended the 5th annual Reformation Day Psalm Sing on Oct. 26. The psalm sing was orchestrated by Pastor Charles Brown with Patricia Wilson, Dan Edmonds, and Ralph Joseph leading the singing.

— Ralph Joseph, correspondent

Sterling Elder on Honor Flight

Two members of the Sterling RPC recently went on an Honor Flight to visit the war memorials in Washington, D.C. The Honor Flight Network is a national organization that transports veterans to Washington to see their memorials. Former elder of both Sterling RPC and Topeka RPC, Maurice Reed is a World War II veteran who served in the Merchant Marine in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. Maurice made the trip at age 97 and had never seen the World War II memorial or several other sites they visited. Traveling as Maurice’s guardian was his son, Sterling elder Don Reed, himself a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War.  Don remarked, “It was a great one-on-one time with Dad, and I got to know more about his military experience. We had great talks about subjects like war, man’s sin and greed, world history and God’s relationship and involvement in His world, and how Christians can live a godly life in a sinful world. The conversations were as significant as the sites.” 

—Don Reed