You might know that the Board of Trustees reviews the investment portfolio of the church, oversees the building loans and general mortgages that the church grants, and encourages giving to RPM&M (Reformed Presbyterian Missions & Ministries). This vital fund supports all of the ministries of the church, including the ones that do not raise their own support. We believe that giving to this fund is part of being presbyterian and thinking beyond one’s local congregation. You might also contact deacon chairmen and congregational treasurers on a regular basis, to encourage or commend local churches in their giving to RPM&M.

But do you know the testimonies of board members? Each of us was elected by Synod to support and oversee the financial funds of the RPCNA, guiding their use for the growth and faithfulness of the church. Here are our stories, along with those of denominational treasurer Jim McFarland and controller Trevor York.

Nathan Anseth: Born and raised in North Dakota, I moved to Phoenix, Ariz., to complete my bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University. A part-time job through college became a 20+ year career at the historic Arizona Biltmore Resort. It was quite a change in environment from a rural community to working at a world-renowned resort, visited by nearly every president since Herbert Hoover. There, I worked in a variety of management positions and met my future wife, Jenifer Mazur. Jenifer and I married in 1995 and are blessed with two beautiful daughters, Madelyn (17) and Ameliya (15).

I was raised in a Christian home, and God’s providence brought me to this little band of saints in 1994. Through the encouragement and guidance of the members and session—Paul Martin, Phil Martin, and Hal Reyburn—I was convicted of the sound doctrine of the RPCNA and became a member in 1995. I was installed and ordained as elder for the First RPC of Phoenix in 2003. God has granted me the greatest spiritual growth through preparing psalm meditations that I present on a regular basis.

Joe Comanda: My wife and I became a part of the RPCNA in our mid-30s when we and our children joined Broomall, Pa., RPC in 1985. I first learned about the denomination when I was in college with brothers Bill and John Edgar. Imagine my surprise when we moved to the Philadelphia area from California, went to look up my old friend Bill, and discovered that he was now pastor of the church he attended in college.

I am semi-retired, but I still do computer programming as a consultant. I didn’t go to school for that, but I got my start by reading users’ manuals. I also serve as treasurer of our church and of our presbytery, plus I am a board member of a crisis pregnancy center in Philadelphia and another local organization that helps young single mothers learn job skills. 

Tom Fisher: I grew up in South Carolina and Georgia, eventually entering Furman University as a chemistry major. During college I came to faith in Christ, largely through contact with Christians I met on my freshman hall. In 1981 I moved to Cambridge, Mass., to enter graduate school in chemistry. In grad school I became acquainted with the RPCNA, joining the Cambridge congregation in 1984, and stayed there after grad school.

I’ve had two careers, first for 20 years as a chemist/engineer in the semiconductor materials industry, and now for the last decade as a self-employed financial advisor. I became a deacon in our congregation in 1986 and began serving as an elder in 1994. I married Martha Reynolds in 2003. After a complicated series of serious medical problems, she went to be with the Lord two days short of our ninth anniversary.

I’m now approaching the end of my fifth term as a member of Synod’s Board of Trustees, having first served on the board in 1989. Being a Synod trustee has been an enjoyable place of service for me. It has enabled me to work with and befriend people from all over the RPCNA. Also, I’ve always found that the members of the board have a genuine concern for the ministry of the whole denomination, and I always feel that we’re working toward the same goals, even when we have differences of opinion.

Cheryl Hemphill: I grew up in the RPCNA, and am thankful for the teaching and love from the church that have shaped me so much. My husband, Bob, and I have three adult children. I love to have people over for study, singing, talking, prayer, and hospitality.

Bob and I have been in Laramie, Wyo. for nearly 9 years, planting a church. Prior to moving here, Wyoming wasn’t on my radar. I believe I am more suited to the challenges of a new, struggling church than the challenges of an older, established congregation. I’ve done income taxes for people since the 1980s, starting with just a few hours a week when my children were small. Now I’m in my tenth year of doing specialty taxes for ministers and missionaries. I also give a few piano lessons and am the treasurer for the Wyoming Music Teachers Association. 

Marlin Klingensmith: I was born and raised in western Pennsylvania. My father was a pastor in the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), and until I joined the RPCNA about 15 years ago, the C&MA was my church home. I was raised in a home where the gospel was a regular part of life, and I cannot recall a time when I first repented of my sins and trusted in the work of Jesus Christ on my behalf.

 I went to college at Syracuse University and studied computer science. Upon graduation, I accepted a commission into the Air Force as a navigator and reported for duty in Sacramento, Calif. There I met Karen, who became my wife 30 years ago.

 After two years of training in California and four years of service in Maine, I took my California wife and twin sons to live just outside Pittsburgh, where I got my current job as a computer programmer at Mellon Bank. We had three more children, all daughters.  During my time in the Air Force, I had become convinced of many Reformed doctrines, and while living in Pittsburgh, those convictions grew stronger. We came to know Vince Scavo, pastor at Manchester RP Church, which soon became our church family and our home. Now I am a ruling elder at Manchester RPC. I have also served at the presbytery level on the pastoral candidates committee and some other committees.

Jim McFarland: I was raised as a covenant child of an RPCNA minister. I grew up in the Pacific Coast Presbytery, attended Geneva College, moved to Indiana, and am now in the Presbytery of the Alleghenies. I am blessed to work for the church as the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, and I am an elder at Providence RPC in Pittsburgh. Living in a variety of places and now working with believers from all over the church has expanded my appreciation for the work God has done through the RPCNA. It is encouraging to see faithful ministry locally, denominationally, and globally.

My wife, Carnel, and I have six children and five grandkids, and we love to see God’s covenant blessings as they grow in their own faith and become involved in the life of the church.

Bill Roberts: I was born in Montana but spent most of my childhood in upstate New York. I regularly attended the Lutheran church. While attending Cornell University, I came into contact with some genuine Christians whose lifestyle and commitment to Jesus Christ impressed me. As a result of this interaction God called me to Himself. Later, when I began graduate work at Purdue University, I became a member of the West Lafayette, Ind., RPC.

In the late 1970s I attended RPTS, doing internships at Second Indianapolis, Shawnee, and Quinter RPCs. Eventually, I was called to be the pastor at Bloomington, Ind., RPC and shortly after moving to Bloomington, I married Rachel. We have four grown children—Anna, Ben, Stephen, and Ruth.

I served as pastor in Bloomington for more than 27 years and then was called to be a church planter in Terre Haute, Ind., for the past 6 years. I have served on the Finance Committee of Synod and the Trustees of Synod, as well as the EA Commission and the Board of the Reformation Translation Fellowship.

David Schaefer: I grew up in a Christian family. My mother was a daughter of the former Portland, Oreg., RPC and my father was a professor at Geneva College. I followed in his footsteps, getting my degree in physics before moving out into the professional world. I’ve had many jobs, from car sales to the meat packing industry to shipping sinks and bathtubs around the world. A part-time job in computer training prepared me for full-time IT work, and I am currently a senior functional analyst for Eaton Corporation.

I’ve been married for 25 years to my wife, Joy. We have 5 children, Kristen (16), Ryan (14), Janae (13), Jordan (9) and Faith (8). We have had over 10 other foster children through a special needs foster and adoption agency. Most of the children placed in our home have had medical issues.

I’ve been an officer of the RPCNA for almost 20 years, having served as a deacon and currently serving as a ruling elder at First RP of Beaver Falls, Pa. I am a corporator for Geneva College and on the Candidates Committee of the Presbytery of the Alleghenies. I have served on Synod’s Committee on Finance and as a trustee of Geneva College.

Shawn Stickel: I am a Colorado native and a descendant of early Colorado pioneers, one of whom worked on the boards of two mining companies and built several homes in Colorado Springs. I was baptized as an infant in a United Presbyterian Church in Denver, but grew up mostly in Baptist churches, one of which re-baptized me when I was 10. My dad worked for AT&T for most of his career, so I lived in 7 states before I reached junior high school.

My parents divorced when I was 15, and my brother, sister, and I moved back to the Colorado Springs area with my mom, where I’ve lived since. My wife, Cindy, and I were married in 1981, and we have two adult sons, Ryan and Matthew.

After working nearly 30 years in the mail order catalog business, I became the office manager/pastoral assistant at Springs (Colorado Springs, Colo.) RPC, in 2005, and I previously served on the Springs RPC session from 2005 to 2014. Now, I also work for Tri-Lakes (Monument, Colo.) RPC and serve on the Tri-Lakes session as their clerk. Additionally, I serve on the Synod Board of Trustees, and I am the treasurer for Springs RPC, Tri-Lakes RPC, and the Midwest Presbytery.

Trevor York: I grew up in Kokomo, Ind., where my father, Barry York, was serving as the pastor of a Reformed Presbyterian church plant. I cannot remember a time when I did not know that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but I did not understand what that meant until I was a little older. God used family worship in particular to show me my own sinfulness and need for a savior. I went to Geneva College and graduated with a degree in accounting in May of 2014. In June of 2014 I began working as the denominational controller for the Trustees of Synod.

I married Abby (Marcisz) the summer before my senior year of college. The Marcisz family also attended the RP church in Kokomo, and Abby and I grew up together as friends. We currently live in Beaver Falls, Pa., where we recently purchased our first home.