Memories of Good Times

One of the many different and wonderful ministry positions I have occupied over the years was Minister of Christian Discipleship at College Hill Presbyterian Church. This photo captures an exciting time in the life of part of that ministry.

Cliff Mueller, Chairman of Adult Education, is MC at our annual CD Banquet held in Fellowship Hall. I can identify almost all the people who are being honored by Cliff. From right to left are Rick Schatz, Ted Salt, Bob and Lillian Rumford and Marsh and Chatty Pollock. The woman next to Cliff is still not clicking the memory cell in my brain.

I had joined the staff at CHPC in August of 73 and this was my first time to see the Adult Ed part of the Discipleship Committee in public action. We all were excited and creative about ways to make biblical and theological education become a real form of life giving and life changing Discipleship. Before I left the CD Committee to start a new Equipping Center called, Teleios, this group had made several radical changes in ways we taught to make sure we focused on the best ways for Adults to learn.

That group, including several others, created a new systematic and developmental curriculum, added many new classes, completely reorganized the old library into a cutting edge Resource Center with books, tapes and a bookstore. We brought in top speakers, held equipping and training seminars and re energized the Bethel Bible series by adding small group discussions and worship.

Thanks to Bob and Lois Parker, we had a seminar led by Mary Cosby from Church of the Savior in Washington, D.C. who inspired us to try many new things in small groups and in stimulating people to expand their ministry horizons. The Small Group Ministry was revolutionized by Bob by developing what Mary Cosby called Base Groups, a term that meant the group was the "base" of church life. They would be called Cell Groups today.

God the Creator of all life certainly used the ordinary but wonderful minds of these and other folks like Peter Pfeil, Tom Seith and many others to usher in a dynamic and exciting era in church life. I will forever be thankful to the Lord for bringing me to CHPC and taching me so much through these humble people.

Ah, these were the "Good Old Days" for sure.