Warren Wilson Presbyterian CHurCH

85th Anniversary

2 Front Cover: Detail, Warren Wilson College Chapel, by Ann Vasilik, 2005

“One Part Each of Hope”

a brief History of the Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church

On the Occasion of the 85th AnniversaryNovember 22, 2010

J. Max Hunt 2011E

For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast,

and shalt not fear: because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as

waters that pass away: and thine age shall be clearer than the noonday;

thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.

~Job 11:15-17

The Asheville Farm School, later to become Warren Wilson College, began with its roots in the earth and its hands raised towards the Heavens. From its inception, faith and the idea of a cooperative Christian community have pervaded the spirit of the campus community at all levels; students, staff, faculty, and administration have come together with members of the local community to share their love and devotion to God and each other through Christ and the Presbyterian Church. From 1925 to the present day, the campus has been home to this close-knit, caring congregation. Friends have been met, lovers wed, and families raised across these hillsides. As the college has grown and changed with the passing of generations, so, too, has the church community on campus, with new and diverse faces spread across the decades. Some remember the view from the windows of the old Elizabeth Williams Chapel; others can point out the stones they laid in the foundation of the current building. Yet through the changes and the years, Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church has remained devoted to its mission “…to respond to God’s graceful love by living out Jesus’ two great commandments: to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength; and to love our neighbors as ourselves.”

~The story of the Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church doesn’t begin until the mid 1920s. Prior to this, the Asheville Farm School community—staff, students, and teachers—were without a place of worship on campus. Instead, community members walked two and a half miles across field and forest to attend services at the Riceville Presbyterian Church on Old Farm School Road, which Farm School’s first superintendent, Samuel Jeffrey, had helped to build. Attendance of services were dependent on the weather; a particularly cold or rainy Sunday often made the journey less than pleasant, especially for some of the older staff members. This arduous walk was soon replaced by services on campus, held anywhere the congregation could find room to meet. A preacher from one of the Asheville proper mission schools usually made the journey to campus to run the service, which once again placed the Farm School congregation at the mercy of the weather and commitments of a stranger to the community. By

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1925, Superintendent Louis Burch decided it was time to appeal to the French Broad Presbytery for the establishment of a permanent Farm School congregation on campus. The growing size of the student body, Farm School’s relative remoteness from existing chapels and churches, and the importance of a visible church influence at the mission school lent credence to the Superintendent’s request; on November 22, 1925, a committee of three local pastors met on campus to establish a Farm School Congregation. Sixty-one charter members made up the first official congregation, with Louis Burch and John Walker ordained as Ruling Elders. The Rev. R.S. Eskridge, a staff member at Farm School, was installed as the first pastor of the Farm School Presbyterian Church. Like many of the boys who had come to the school, the Farm School congregation had finally found a home. However, the FSPC was still without a proper meeting place to worship; the congregation continued to shuffle from building to building, depending on what was available on a given day. Sunderland Hall served as a popular space, its recreation room and Faculty Parlor combined to allow for adequate seating. These early services were casual and often humorous; accounts of “Pop” Burch restarting hymns midway through (sometimes several times) are fondly recalled by many from this time. Revival meetings were held sporadically as well, a new experience for many members of the faculty. “The technique of spending the first few nights on making the boys feel as guilty as hell and then bringing them out of it with promised escape to the accompaniment of the usual singing of ‘Just As I Am’” took some getting used to for some of them. Weekly sermons varied greatly in quality and length, sometimes to the consternation of the more devoted members of the congregation. Despite these moments of informality (or perhaps because of them), FSPC continued to grow and flourish on campus, sparking the decision to erect a log chapel in 1933. However, the Board of National Missions firmly denied Henry Randolph’s request for funding to build the chapel; alumni and friends donated all the money, and staff and students worked on it after the end of the work day. Placed under the supervision of Mr. Oscar A. Clark, and later Samuel DeVries, the chapel was constructed by various staff and student work crews. Bernhard Laursen dug trenches for the footings; students cut pine trees from the surrounding forest and installed many of the lighting fixtures and the plumbing system. The final design of the building left the main floor for services, while the basement housed the pastor’s study and workroom, a music room and drama room in addition to other amenities. The completed chapel was named for Miss Elizabeth Williams, a retired Farm School faculty member beloved by many students. November 3, 1940 marked another important touchstone for the young Farm School Congregation, when the Elizabeth B. Williams Memorial Chapel was dedicated. It would serve as the campus church, assembly and concert hall, and the theatre for the next twenty four years. While this was an important step for both the school and the congregation, bigger changes were on the horizon. The next few decades would transform the tiny mission school, bringing the fledgling AFSPC a new name and broader horizons.

The completed chapel was named for Miss Elizabeth Williams, a retired Farm School faculty member.

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The Williams chapel quickly became the heart of many campus activities throughout the ’40s and ’50s. Free movies were shown on a projector every Saturday night, providing students with something to do during their weekend downtime. Longtime congregation member Barbara Hempleman recalls “students from Black Mountain College [coming] to our free Saturday night movies, many of them…looking like hippies before the word was heard.” Talent shows and plays were hosted in the basement, where the likes of Billy Edd Wheeler performed for his classmates and teachers; John Connet developed a distinguished and polished choir. Shakespeare’s plays were performed throughout the years, with faculty members’ wives playing the female roles until the introduction of girls to the school in 1942. Pastors from Henry Randolph to Irving Deihl and Gordon Mahy gave stirring sermons, integrating campus culture into Christian teachings and vice versa. The Williams Chapel housed faith, fun, and community within its wooden walls, bringing the community together to share their lives with each other in an atmosphere of friendship and love. Dozens of individual stories spring from this time period: Dr. Bannerman’s special place near a window towards the back, where “he could study a special rhododendron bush and listen to the cardinals call ‘pretty girl.’”; students switching seats as relationships bloomed and collapsed; Mrs. Mary Gage in her Queen Mary hat sitting in the last pew so she could see down the center aisle, though she could not hear a word being said at the pulpit… These stories are indicative of a close-knit community, brought together in the arms of faith, mutual respect and friendship. Times of laughter, times of sadness: the WWPC (the name of the congregation had been changed to “Warren Wilson” in 1947) held together and supported each other. As one long-time member recalled, “What kind of Christianity was taught there? Love. Community. A sense of our equality and of our interdependence. Of sharing in God’s grace. Of expectations that all of us would do our part to help make the world a good place to be. A respect for our differences—for people of various races, nationalities, backgrounds and convictions…” As an integral part of the Warren Wilson campus, the church followed the school in setting precedent and taking risks. It was there during the Depression, when Bernhard Laursen and the farm crew decorated the chapel with the bounty of our land—a tradition that his son, Ernst, and subsequent farm managers have continued. The WWPC stood through the years of constant change, when the college was breaking racial and cultural barriers that dominated southern society. In a school dedicated to tolerance, opportunity, and hard work, the church served as the moral backbone, inspiring students and staff to continue to serve their fellow man with dignity and love.

Walking to church services.

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By the late ‘50s, Warren Wilson Junior College had set its eyes on expansion. A growing student body and a need to provide a broader, more in depth education inspired President Bannerman and Dean Jensen to develop the school into a fully accredited, four-year institution. This meant larger, more capable facilities across campus to accommodate a larger campus community. The Elizabeth Williams Chapel, which had served as a meeting place for more than two decades, was already filled to capacity each service. Rather than expand the old chapel, as originally proposed, a committee decided that the time had come to build a new chapel. Fund-raising committees, together with a gift from the Pew Memorial Trust, provided the money needed to begin construction on the A-frame sketch Henry Jensen had laid out. After some debate over the location of the new structure, a spot was chosen next to the Randolph House, on what were then the tennis courts. With the resources in place to begin construction, the Asheville architecture firm Bertram King was hired to create the final design. As with the construction of the Williams Chapel, campus work crews and community members provided a vast majority of the labor. From clearing and grading the land to installing most utility services, students and volunteers invested sweat, time, and love into their new place of worship. Materials for the building came from as far away as British Columbia and as close as Bee Tree Valley. International students were encouraged to bring stones from their native countries to build walkways; alumni of Farm School and the Junior College contributed their skills (often learned or sharpened during their time as students). A pipe organ was installed, which would eventually grow to become one of the finest in the country. By 1963, though still unfinished, the new chapel was the site of Warren Wilson’s 1963 Commencement. A year later, the new building was dedicated. Following the tradition of the Williams Chapel, the new structure continues to serve as an assembly hall for a wide variety of events outside of services. A few years later, a Christian Education Building--dedicated as the Christiana Ransom Fellowship Hall—was built to house classrooms, a banquet hall, and other facilities for church and school-related activities. By the mid 70s, the WWPC had beautiful new facilities out of which to run various campus and community programs, including a daycare service, a homeless women’s shelter, counseling and spiritual guidance. By this time, however, the role of the congregation had taken on a new dimension in the spectrum of Warren Wilson. Shortly after the transition to a four-year institution, the Presbyterian Board of National Missions announced that it would no longer subsidize the school after 1973. While this change allowed the College to become an independent institution of higher education, the relationship between the national church and the college became more challenging. Covenant relationships were formalized with the Synod of the Mid Atlantic and neighboring governing bodies including the presbyteries of Salem, New Hope, Charlotte and Western North Carolina. WWPC became the visible link to the national Presbyterian Church and the physical symbol of the Christian faith on campus. During the years after the denomination gave the school its independence, marked changes in the make-up and focus of the congregation took place. Student worship attendance, previously mandatory, was made voluntary. The requirement of “Christian education” within the academic framework of the college was also phased out. While these changes led to some decline in student church membership, many continued to participate in various church organizations, including the choir, volunteer service projects, and facility management. As a part of the school, the chapel continued to be integrated into the community, finding life in a smaller, but more devoted and passionate congregation eager to keep the spirit of their faith alive and well.

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At the head of this congregation was the Rev. Frederick Ohler. Since arriving as the school’s minister in 1958, Rev. Ohler had become a popular and dynamic figure within the church and college community. In addition to his rousing sermons and exceptional way with words, Rev. Ohler regularly taught classes and designed the original Core Curriculum used by the college until the early 70s. To many community members, Rev. Ohler became the face of WWPC, speaking with poetic beauty of the faith and love that tied the congregation and college together. Dubbed by one member as “the Biblical bard of the campus,” Ohler served until his retirement in 1994, while his wife Beverly continues to work with the college theatre doing costume designs. During the Ohler years, the WWPC saw its services and offerings expand into the Asheville community. Social services for impoverished families, cooperation of resources and mission with other local churches, sponsorship of a refugee family from Vietnam, and an expanding congregation kept Ohler and assistant pastor, Louis Miles, as well as the rest of the congregation quite busy. In addition, WWPC played an influential role in the college’s affairs, helping the campus through times of uncertainty in the ’80s and community unrest in the early ’90s. For a school searching for identity and stability, the church provided a foundation upon which the other aspects of the school could rely for strength and support. This isn’t to say that there wasn’t plenty of time for fun. A perfect example of the friendship and love shared by the congregation is the celebration of Fred and Beverly’s 25th year at the college in 1982. What began as a normal service quickly turned into a circus-like festival, with students and staff (including then president, Ben Holden) traipsing up the center aisle costumed in Mrs. Ohler’s designs from past plays and events. Banners were unfurled around the chapel congratulating and thanking the Ohlers for all they had done for not only the church, but for Warren Wilson College. The ceremony was complete with married couples renewing their vows, sick members thanking the Ohlers for their support during times of hardship, and a $4,000 check presented to the Ohlers from the congregation. An article in the Owl & Spade described the celebration as a “kaleidoscope of Warren Wilson—the festivals, the conversations, the defeats and triumphs of being at the college, all of it concentrated and brought to life by the observance, all of it enriched so much by the presence of those among us named Ohler.” In the wake of Rev. Ohler’s retirement at the end of 1994, the congregation found itself at a crossroads. The Ohler age was over after almost forty years. While they had been years of growth and devotion, the church now found itself in search of a new lantern to light the way into the future. In addition to needing a new pastor, WWPC wanted to attract a younger, fresher contingent into its midst. Several ministers served the congregation through the rest of the decade, as new faces began to crop up in the Sunday crowd. Not everybody within the church community was pleased with the WWPC’s new direction, however. As the new millennium closed in, several longtime members left. Disturbed by this growing trend, a long-term committee was appointed to determine the future of the church and find a balance between tradition and vitality. For a new minister, finding this balance was a daunting task. For the congregation, finding a pastor up to such a task was no easier. Applicants and references flooded in. Finally the Rev. Rob Martin was chosen. Rev. Martin served ably, guiding the congregation through this period of transition. He remained open to suggestions and criticism as he attempted to follow his beloved predecessor. During Rob’s tenure, the congregation called and welcomed its first woman minister, Karla Jean Miller. In the midst of national tragedies like the September 11 terrorist attacks and the following national unrest, Rob and Karla led the congregation to understand the divisions among Americans and Arabs, between Christians and Muslims, educating themselves on Islam rather than pointing fingers, or letting the congregation be sucked into the zeitgeist that followed the

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attacks. True to its heritage and form, WWPC helped heal the anger and confusion, sewing the seeds of peace and understanding. New members and old stood together in their faith to continue their mission in the community and abroad with the same message that had sustained the church since its founding. In a sense, the absence of a figurehead at the pulpit helped the congregation grow stronger as a whole; every member had the opportunity to take on the work of the church, and each would be counted on to help the congregation achieve its goals. The departure of Rev. Martin in 2003 left the congregation again in need of a pastor; Fred Ohler’s death in early 2004 seemed to make the passing of one generation and the birth of another more concrete. Church newsletters from this time commemorate members who had been with the church for years as they passed on, leaving their brothers and sisters to forge ahead. The election of Rev. Steve Runholt, a pastor in a local Asheville church, brought a much needed spark of life back into the congregation. Like those who came before him, Rev. Runholt took on his new position with fresh devotion, tempered with the sense of equity, humor, and love that had come to define the community as a whole. The congregation in turn welcomed their new pastor with friendship and open arms. As the years roll into the present moment, WWPC continues to thrive and grow physically and spiritually. With over three hundred members, and active programs on campus and in the Swannanoa Valley, WWPC is as vibrant as ever. Through recent tragedies, such as the loss of longtime and beloved members Cathy Clark and minister to students, Andy Summers, in the same year, the congregation has stood together as a family, with faith and love. Upon the dedication of the new chapel in 1964, Fred Ohler spoke these words:

You were conceived as a dream, brought forth by labor,

presented now to God…and for us a reality… Why are you?

A hard question, a necessary one. You can be justified only

by the holiness of beauty and the beauty of holiness…you

must be justified by goodness…by your justice, morality,

compassion, concern, and love…Remember, you are not an

end, only a means…Today you are new. In the years ahead,

the sun and rain will beat upon you, footsteps will wear you

out. By God’s grace you may endure many years, but when

you crumble and are no more, may countless people

remember you as a sanctuary… While Fred may have been speaking of the congregation’s new building, these words can very well apply to the journey and body of the WWPC congregation. Through its history, through the times of strife, laughter, uncertainty, and celebration, the church has kept faith in God, in itself, and in the potential for a small group of people of humble means being able to make this world, with all its broken dreams and shame drudgery, a beautiful place still. We must strive to be happy, to love and share that happiness with the world outside our church, our campus, and our community. We must have faith in God, whatever you conceive God to be, and dispel the sadness of this world with an open heart willing to listen and offer a place to rest, and most importantly, a place to call home.

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Sermon —A Plentiful HarvestMatthew 9:35-38

November 21, 2010Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church and College Chapel

Thanksgiving Service & Harvest Celebrationand 85th Anniversary of the Warren Wilson Church

Rev. Steve RunholtE

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

~Matthew 9:37a

I have not verified this with the college archivist, namely our own Diana Sanderson, but I’d wager that this passage, right here, was the inspiration for the founding of this college and this church.

The harvest was in fact plentiful back in the day, but the laborers were literally few. Or at least they were few then, in the era after the Civil War.

The decidedly uncivil hostilities between the states robbed communities all across the rural south of a whole generation of working men, leaving their sons, and in some cases their daughters, to work the family farms.

But unlike the crowds named in our text for today, these young women and men were anything but helpless. Indeed, they had skills aplenty. They could cook and plow and sew and scythe.

But the one thing this rising generation of rural young people did not have was access to education.

Kind-hearted church folk in the north soon learned of these isolated populations in the south, including the population of farm children right here in these mountains.

Just before the end of the 19th century a group of far-sighted Presbyterian women envisioned a solution for the twin ills of isolation and illiteracy that beset the children of WNC.

They would build a school. In fact they would build several of them. Some for girls, and at least one for boys. To the latter end, in 1893 the Home Mission board of the Northern Presbyterian Church acquired 420 acres of prime forest and farm land, right here in the Swannanoa Valley, land on which this very building now sits.

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The school these devout ladies envisioned would be founded on three core Calvinist values: education, industry and righteousness.

In case you students have ever wondered where the Triad comes from, there’s your answer right there. Translated from the Calvinist to English, we know those same values as learning, work and service.

And so it was that on November 21, 1894 the Asheville Farm School opened its doors to 25 boys.

The education and industry part of the new school’s charter were easy to realize. There was plenty of work to be done in the classrooms and on the grounds.

But for righteousness, they had to go off campus.

As a Presbyterian institution, chapel attendance was compulsory for students and presumed for faculty and staff. Unfortunately there was no central gathering place to support the worship and spiritual life of the community.

And so, like the original band of Hebrews, this local band of God’s people was forced to wander around in the wilderness in search of a spiritual home.

In the early years they walked, and in inclement weather, they trudged and slogged, two and a half miles across fields and through forest to worship at the Riceville Presbyterian Church.

Finally someone had the bright idea that instead of sending the whole campus marching into the wilderness every week in all kinds of weather, it might be easier to invite a preacher to do the walking.

And so services began to be held on right here on the grounds, in any room that was big enough to hold the steadily growing campus population. Which brings us to our central purpose here today. Thirty years of anonymous worship were enough. It was time to give this spiritual community a name.

And so on Sunday, November 22, 1925—which is to say, 85 years ago this weekend—a committee of three local pastors voted to establish the Farm School Presbyterian Church. And on that same Sunday, 61 charter members of this newly named congregation met officially for very the first time.

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On the church side, life clicked along relatively uneventfully for a period. That is until 1933, when Bernhard Laursen, the school’s first farm manager, made a decision that would give rise to what may be the longest running tradition in the history of this community.

In celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday, he had his crew install a harvest display with bounty from the farm in the small de facto chapel in Sunderland.

And as you can plainly see 77 years later, the farm crew is still at it, only now they have help from the landscaping crew, the garden crew, the forestry crew, the fiber arts crew, and of course our very own the Chapel crew.

Two short years after the farm crew installed that first display, another decision would be made that permanently defined the culture of these two twin institutions.

In 1935 the Farm School admitted its first-ever international student. A boy from Cuba won a Presbyterian scholarship that brought him all the way here to Western North Carolina.

Not so many years later the college and the church welcomed another young Presbyterian from Cuba, Julio Guissasola, who went on to serve as the facilities manager for the college and who has been a member here, along with his sweet wife, Clotilde (nee Deschamps), ever since.

Once the door to diversity was opened, there was no going back.

In 1939 the college admitted a Jewish boy whose parents fled Nazi Germany.

In 1942 the college admitted two Japanese-American girls whose families had been relocated from California to an internment camp in Arizona.

And then in 1952 genuine history was made. Two years before the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision, the college admitted Alma Shippy, the first African-American student to attend a college in the historic, Confederate south.

When the question arose as to where Mr. Shippy would live on campus, the residents of Sunderland Dormitory voted 54-1 to welcome the young Swannanoa man into their midst.

In case you students have ever wondered about the origins of Wilson’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity, there’s your answer.

Long before those words became fashionable, this small little Presbyterian school in the Swannanoa Valley had admitted two Cubans, a Jew from Germany, two Japanese Americans, and an African American.

In fairness, it must be said that the decision to admit these students was not driven solely by an abstract commitment to politically correct values, as important as those are. These were boundary-breaking decisions of genuine historical and social significance.

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And they were rooted in a specific theological commitment to demonstrate, as the text from Matthew puts it, the good news of the kingdom—the Good News of God’s realm, a place where everyone is equal and welcome and loved without regard to race, gender, class, nationality or sexual orientation.

But I’m getting ahead of the story.

During this same time period, early to mid-20th century, the Farm School and its sister institution, the Farm School Church, continued to grow. The time had come to build a literal home for the congregation, which had continued to worship in makeshift locations wherever space could be found.

An application for funding to build a chapel was sent off to the Board of National Missions—the same agency that bought the land for the school in the first place. But probably to everyone’s surprise, that application was denied.

And thus it was that another long-standing church/college tradition was born. What? There’s no money for this? Well we’ll do it anyway!

With funding from alumni, church members and friends of the College, the students and community members did the work. Mr. DeVries supervised. Mr. Laursen dug the trenches for the footings and everyone else chipped in; cutting the logs, raising the walls, building the roof.

And so, on November 3, 1940, Williams Chapel—named after beloved faculty member, Miss Elizabeth Williams—was dedicated. And for the next 20 some years, Williams Chapel would serve as the single most important spiritual and social gathering place for the entire community.

As you can probably tell by now, change is a constant on this campus, and in 1947 the name of the College and of the Church was changed to honor Rev. Warren Hugh Wilson, a Presbyterian minister and sociologist with a Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York, who served the national Board of Home Missions as Superintendent of the Department of Church and Country Life.

Which brings us to our last couple of historic moments, at least for our purposes here today. In 1958, Rev. Fred Ohler arrived on the scene, and nothing would ever be the same. Poet and preacher, minstrel and teacher, Rev. Ohler would preside over the spiritual life of the church and the campus for the next 38 years.

Under Fred’s leadership, and with creative support from his beloved wife, Beverly, Sunday morning worship—which I’m guessing was a little on the stuffy side back in the day – was transformed into a weekly celebration of God’s love for all creation.

(In service of history, I would like to take a moment to note that at the invitation of then pastor, Rev. Rob Martin, Fred preached his last sermon ever in this Chapel on this Sunday, November 21, 2000.)

During Fred’s early years, Chapel attendance swelled. Soon the old Williams Chapel was no longer big enough to hold the congregation on Sunday mornings.

In a time when money was tight, building a new chapel was simply out of the question. So the decision was made: We’ll build it anyway! Doctor Bannerman (or was it Doc Jensen) submitted a successful application to the Pew Memorial Trust for $50,000 and construction soon began.

Materials came from as far away as British Columbia and as close at hand as Bee Tree Valley and the college forest. And as was the case with Williams chapel, students and community members rolled up their sleeves, hauled in the rock, hoisted the beams and did all the non-specialized work. The new Chapel was completed in 1964.

Ten years later, the college and the church together faced what may have been their most serious crisis. The Presbyterian Church informed the college that it could no longer afford to subsidize staff and faculty salaries.

The college would be on its own financially. When the direct support of the Presbyterian Church ended, these twin institutions, church and college began to run on separate but parallel tracks.

Chapel attendance was no longer required, which raised the question, “Who would come to church?”. And sure enough, students eventually began spending their Sunday mornings in bed, or hiking or paddling or playing soccer... Or in bed.

But as you can plainly see, we’re still here.

And maybe that, right there, is the key to understanding the history of our 85+ years together.It’s a history of doing what couldn’t be done.

You can’t take on the challenge of illiteracy in the rural South, claimed the naysayers. The problem is too big!

Oh, but we can and we will!

You can’t bring international students to this rural location. They won’t fit in.

We can and we will!

You can’t admit an African American student to your school. It’s against the law of the land.

[Join me:] We can and we will!

You can’t build a chapel here. The cost is too prohibitive.

We can and we will!

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You can’t continue to worship here. Now that the church and college are separate, no one will come to church anymore.

We can and we will!

You can’t feed all the alums and students who come here for Homecoming pot lucks. The crowd is just too big.

We can and we will!

You can’t afford to renovate this building and organ. That’s too much to ask of just over 150 members.

We can and we will!

But just so we don’t get too proud of ourselves, there’s still more work to do for church and College alike.

It turns out the harvest is still plentiful. I read just this morning in the New York Times that there is another whole rising generation of illiterate Americans out there.

According to Thomas Friedman, “One-quarter of U.S. high school students drop out or fail to graduate on time. Almost one million students leave our schools for the streets each year.” (New York Times, Sunday, November 21, 2010.)

Wilson students, are you listening? We need workers to go out and love these young people, and teach them to read and teach them life skills so that, like their distant rural cousins from a time long gone, they too can have a life and a future.

Meanwhile, there’s a whole generation of broken families out there. There is the climate crisis to work on.

Pastor, these problems are huge. Surely they’re too big for this small congregation to take on and to make any real difference.

Oh yeah? Come back 85 years from now, and you’ll have your answer:

Ready? Join me one last time:

We can and we will!

Thanks be to God!

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Pastoral PrayerNovember 21, 2010

Thanksgiving Sunday and on the occasion of Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church’s 85th Anniversary

Rev. Steve RunholtE

Gracious God, on this special day, We give you special thanks for the life of this congregation.

We give you thanks

…for those faithful, early Presbyterians who envisioned a different future for the young, isolated boys and girls living in this valley and this area… and for everyone who came here to teach and to serve. Women and men who understood their vocation for what it was, a calling, and who came despite low pay and long hours.

…and for all those who continue to come to teach and to lead and to serveWe give you thanks.

Thank you for those pioneers of faith who made this specific chapel a reality.

Doctor Bannerman Doctor Jensen Reverend Ohler

…and for all the people who gave of their time and money and labor to build it.

…for everyone who has come through our still-unlocked doors and made their own contributions over the years. Members and clergy alike.

…for people who saw challenges as opportunities, and for people who continue to respond to “No you can’t” with “We can and we will!

We also give thanks this day for Warren Wilson College

…for its own legacy of work, service and learning. …for the difference the College has made in the lives of its alumni, and the difference the alumni have made in the life of the world.

We pray for President Pfeiffer and his leadership team as they guide the College through tight economic times. Bless them with wisdom and vision for such a time as this.

For 85 extraordinary years of worship and service and partnership, and most of all for your faithfulness though the years,

We give you thanks this day, O God. Amen.

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Pastors who have served the Farm school/Warren Wilson College Presbyterian Church

R. S. Eskridge 1925-1928William H. Orr Sept. 1928-May 1933Henry S. Randolph Sept. 1933-Sept. 1938Dean N. Dobson, Jr. Sept. 1938-Sept. 1939Alcwyn L. Roberts Sept. 1939-May 1941R. Irving Deihl May. 1941-April 1942G. Gordon Mahy Aug. 1942-Feb. 1946R. Irving Deihl Feb. 1946-July 1950James D. Glasse Sept. 1950-July 1952R. Irving Deihl Aug. 1952-June 1954Benjamin J. Bush (Interim) Sept. 1954-Sept. 1956David E. Engel Sept. 1956-Aug. 1958Frederick G. Ohler Nov. 1958-Dec. 1994Frank Marvin (Interim) 1992-93 Forster Freeman (Interim) 1995-96 W. Robert Martin, III 1996-2003 Rockwell Ward (Interim) Dec. 2003-05Steven Runholt Aug. 2005-present

associate/assistant Pastors/Parish associates/Christian education

Bob Williamson 1946-47Richard O. Comfort 1947-48Elizabeth Landfield, DRE 1952-57Frederick W. Hanna 1954-55Frederick G. Ohler 1955-56David Kelsey 1956-57Albert Evans 1957-60James Symons 1960-64Thomas Woehrle 1964-68Patrick J. Hardy 1968-73Louis Miles 1973-94Cathy Clark, DCE 1986-95Henry Hansen 1984-2000Karla Jean Miller 2000-02Sara Ator Wilcox 2007-08Beth Newman 2009-present

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Fellowship Hall by ann Vasilik, 2005WARRENWILSONCOLLEGE