Chapter 10

In the decade of the sixties, the emphasis of the First Presbyterian
‘Giumch was on developing program to utilize the beautiful naw Butlding.
In duly, 1963, the Reverend Join Paul Peter of Drayton Plains, Michigan,
joined the staff as assistant pastor responsible especially for youth and
College work. ‘The Reverend Peter had graduated from McCormick Theological
Seminary the preceding May with a major in Christian Education. His under-
graduate work had been at Wheaton College. While in seminary, he had a
year's training as chaplain at Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago
and had comseled alcoholics at the Clyborn Rehabilitation Center, Chicago.
oder tr, Peter's guidance, the youth work, especially anong college stulents,

4n unusual and rewarding experience for both the congregation and its
pastor came in 1965 when the Reyerend Cutler exchanged pastorates for six
‘months with the Reyerend Reford Corr of Horsham, Victoria, Australia. The
exchange was arranged at the suggestion of Janice Larsen Jeffers, a former
Central Michigan University student who knew Mr. Cutler and later had
settled in Horsham and'met Mr. Corr.

‘The Reverend and Mrs, Cutler spent six weeks touring Southeast Asia
on an Ecumenical Study Seminar before Mr. Cutler assumed his duties in
Horsham. ‘The Corrs spent a month visiting New Zealand, the Fiji Islands,
Honolulu, and the western United States and Canada before arriving in Mt.
Pleasant. The Reverend Corr, a native Australian, was educated at
Omond College of the University of Melbourne. After serving as a
chaplain during World War II, he became pastor of the Presbyterian Church
at Yarrowanga, serving there eight years before accepting the Horsham
pastorate.

Perhaps the Corrs' best remenbered experience during their Mt. Pleasant
‘stay was a snow storm on Christmas Eve, giving them their first white
Christmas, since they were natives of a snowless region. During his months
in Mt. Pleasant, Mr. Corr visited extensively in the homes of members,
‘becoming personally acquainted with as many people as possible. He will
long be remembered for his warmth and friendliness.

‘The Cutlers and the Corrs met briefly at the hone of the Cutlers'
daughter Elinor in Lansing before the Corrs departed for Europe to continue
‘their arouni-the-world tour and the Cutlers returned home where they were
welcomed with a reception by the congregation on February 8, 1966.

‘Among the high-lights of the history of the First Presbyterian Church
in the last five years was the adoption of a unicameral board in 1967
conbining the functions of elders and trustees in one board.

Changes in leadership have taken place also. ‘The Reverend John Peter
resigned effective July 1, 1967, to assume duties in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Soon thereafter, in August, Mr. Cutler resigned to become Minister of
Parish Life at the First Presbyterian Ciurch of Deerfield, Illinois, a
rapidly crowing church of two thousand menbers,

‘The Reverend Paul Barru of Alma College seryed as interim pastor and
moderator. At a congregational meeting October 8, 1967, a pastoral search
committee was elected. “It included Mrs. Robert Connell, Charles Ramseth,
Wold, Richard Telfer, Gene Duckworth, Floyd Heydenburg, Bernt Nordfjord,
and Mrs. John Wood. At the recommendation of the comittee, Jamary 11,

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1968, the congregation elected the Reverend Malcolm Brown as pastor.

Mr, Brown was born in Detroit but moved to Muskegon while a boy. After
serving in the navy during World War IT, he earned his bachelor's degree at
the University of Michigan (1950) and then studied at Princeton Theological
Seminary, graduating in 1953. He served as pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church of Carteret, New Jersey, from 1953 until 1961, and as associate
pastor at the First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan, from 1961
until 1968, when he accepted the Mt. Pleasant post.

In June, 1969, the Reverend David Van Dam became assistant pastor to
work as Presbyterian campus minister. Mr. Van Dam, a native of Grand Rapids,
Michigan, did his undergraduate work at Hope College, Holland, Michigan, and
his divinity studies at Western Theological Seminary in Holland. After
graduation, he served as Associate Minister at the First Reformed Church in
Holland until joining the staff of the Mt. Pleasant church.

‘The misic program of the church changed leadership in 1967, when Floyd
Heydenburg resigned after sixteen years as Director of Music. Mr. Paul
Schultz, of the high school msic staff, replaced him, serving until the
spring Of 1971. In the fall of 1971, Mr. John Tousley assumed the director
ship. Mrs. Harriett Collin resigned as organist in 1969 after 23 years of
faithful service and Mrs. Mary Lou Robinson became organist.

In a sense, a measure of church's effectiveness is its influence upon
its youth, First Presbyterian Church has sent several fine men into the
ministry since World War I. Anong them have been John K. Osborn and
John W. Osborn, father and son, Peter Russell, Gaylord Brmelle, Bruce
Theunissen, Allen Sager, Lynn Vandebrake, and Craig Rackliffe. Miss Margaret
Purchase, a graduate of Central Michigan College, became a missionary and

 

 

‘The Reverend Malcolm Brown, pastor of First Presbyterian Church since 1968.

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now serves as Co-Secretary for the Division of Christian Education of the
Near East Council of Churches with offices in Beirut, Lebanon. It has
been impossible to determine how many others fran the congregation have
gone into church-related careers.

For one hundred years the First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Pleasant
has offered Christian fellowship to all who would praise God. In meeting
the challenges of the past, it has known heartache and frustration as well
as joy and triumph. As the church begins its second century at the outset
of the turbulent seventies, may all who would seek God's guidance lock with
confidence to the symbol of His love, the golden cross held high by the
silver spire.

 

‘he present First Presbyterian Church with its silver spire holding high
the golden cross.

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In the publication of A Silver Spire, we
are deeply grateful to the following:

Floyd Russell Dain, of Central Michigan
University, for chapters 1--7.

William E. Franklin, of Central Michigan
University, for chapters 8--10.

Victor Croftchik, of Central Michigan
University, for designing the cover.

Patricia Kidwell, Margaret Gaffney,
Jennifer Trap, and Jeffrey Charnley, students
at Central Michigan University, for aid in
research.

Lou Smith, Carolyn Dain, and Mary Lou
Franklin for assistance in research and for
help in preparing the manuscript for publica-
tion.

John Cunming and the staff of the Clarke
Historical Library for advice and assistance
in preparing the book, and for several of its
illustrations.

‘THE CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE:

Margaret Doughty, Chaixman
Elmer Graham

Malcolm Brown, ex-officio
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