INSIDE: A LOOK BACK, THE 75TH GALA A LOOK FORWARD, HOLY WEEK
I N S I D E
F E A T U R E S
75TH ANNIVERSARY
Gala Recap and Future Celebratory Events
CLERKS OF SESSION
Sara Lynn Curtis
MISSIONS MINISTRY
Dr. John McCall
INCLUSION MINISTRY
Rev. Nick Demuynck
HOLY WEEK
Dr. Douglass Key
I N E V E R Y I S S U E
03 Letter from Your Pastor
07 15 Articles
16 18 Upcoming Events
19 Member Milestones
ReadingtheTableofContentsofthiseditionof EastminsterToday,twopassagesfromHebrews13cometomind.The firstreads,"JesusChrististhesameyesterdayandtodayandforever."
Lookingback,thiseditioncelebratesthemeta-narrativeoftheHoly Spirit'sstirringintheformationofEastminster75yearsago(p.4)while alsocelebratinghow,withinthelargerstoryofEastminster,Godhas shapedcountlessindividualliveslikethoseofWaltTheus(p.7)andBen Sloan(p.13),eachofwhosejourneysherestartedoversixtyyearsagoas youngchildren.
AfewverseslaterHebrews13:8encouragesus,"Letmutualaffection continue. Donotneglecttoshowhospitalitytostrangers,forbydoing thatsomehaveentertainedangelswithoutknowingit."Asweleaninto God'scalltodayandinthefuture,letusbemindfulthat,whetherthrough ourpartnershipwithmissionarieslikeJohnMcCall,ouroutreachthrough effortslikeourMarch25MissionsBlitz,orevenoursteppingupin recognizingthesacredprivilegeofwalkingwithstudentswhohave learningdifferencesthroughourInclusionMinistry,wemightjustbe entertainingangelswithoutknowingit.
GratefultoourTriuneGodwhoisthesameyesterday,today,andforever, Iprayyouwilljoinmeingivingthankstoallthosewhohelpedshapethe joyous75thAnniversarycelebrationJanuary28-29.Andthatallofyou willstepintoencounterthelivingGodthisSpring,whetherthroughour LentenandEasteropportunities,ourMissionEmphasisMarch19-26, adultmissiontripsinthecomingmonths,orourspecialMusic CelebrationonApril30.
Dr. Brad Smith, Senior Pastor
ToGodbetheglory,nowandforever,
by Anna Mills Cox
What an energizing evening on Saturday, January 28, 2023, as close to 500 of Eastminster’s members and friends gathered for the 75th Anniversary Gala to celebrate Eastminster’s 75 years in ministry and mission. Held at Central Energy- also known as Downtown Church, which is an Eastminster Presbyterian church plantthose in attendance dined on a sumptuous feast, listened to music played by The Jackson Sisters
StringQuartet,watchedacommemorative video,andheardremarksfrom75th AnniversaryCommitteeChair,JohnMcArthur, andSeniorPastor,BradSmith.TheGala allowedforawonderfultimeoffellowship betweenmembersandfriends,anditwas meaningfulvisitingwithpastpastorsand individualswhosupportedEastminsterin ministry,likeAmosDisasa, LynnGrandsire,MarkDurrett,Ericand EllenSkidmore,andCraigHolladay,justto nameafew.
McArthursaid,“Inourfirstmeeting,oneofthe AnniversaryCommitteememberssaid,‘We needtothrowabigpartywhereEastminster’s memberscanenjoycelebratingtogether.’We wouldneverhaveguessedthatcloseto500 peoplewouldattendandhavesomuchfun.We alsowantedtohaveauniqueSundayworship serviceandincludesomeofourpriorpastors. Amos,Mark,andLynntogetherwithour currentpastors,choir,musicians,andstaff,put togetherawonderfultimeofworship.”
OnSunday,January29,2023,over1,200of Eastminster’smembersandfriendsgatheredfor arichdayofworshipandcelebration.Atthe traditionalworshipservice,bagpipes,brass instruments,andvoicesofthechoirand congregationfilledtheSanctuaryassongsand hymns,like"GodofGrace"and"Rejoice,theLord isKing,"wereplayedandsung.Inthe contemporaryworshipservice,songsofpraise, like"HouseoftheLord"and"GoodnessofGod," wereliftedtoHeaveninthanksgivingand celebration.AttheBirthdayCelebrationinthe
ChristianLifeCenter,thesoundsofchatter,of childrensinging"HappyBirthday,"andofpastors sharingsomeoftheirfondestEastminster memoriesechoedthroughoutthegymnasium. Smithsaid,“Whatawonderful75thAnniversary Gala,andwhatarichandmeaningfultimeof worshipandsharingonSunday!Thankyoutothe Revs.AmosDisasa(aboveright),MarkDurrett,and LynnGrandsireforcomingbacktoleadworship,to JohnMcArthurandteamforplanningand executingajoy-filledcelebration,andthankyouto allwhoattended.”
The celebratory weekend in January was just the start to the 75th Anniversary celebration. 75th Anniversary events and celebrations will last throughout 2023. In March, missions will be emphasized. On March 19, one of Eastminster’s missionary partners, Dr. John McCall, will be preaching. On March 25, Eastminster members will participate in an
intergenerationalmissionsdaybyserving variouscharitiesandorganizations throughouttheColumbiacommunity.On March26,Dr.EllenSkidmorewillbe preaching,andDr.EricSkidmoreandDr. JohnFryewillbeassistinginworship;there willalsobeacongregationallunchfollowing the11:15amworshipservices.InApril,the musicministrywillberecognized;onApril 30,therewillbeblendedworshipservicesat 9amand11:15amintheSanctuarywithchoir, orchestra,andmembersoftheJubileeBand. Thethemeofthe75thAnniversaryis “HisStory.OurStory.”Godhasbeenwriting thestoryofEastminsterfor75yearsandwill continuetodosointheyearstocome.God placedyouintheEastminsterstory,sojoin Eastminsterinallofitsupcoming celebrations.Tofinddetailsonthe75th Anniversarycelebratoryeventsaswellasto viewspecialcommemorativepublications andvideos,visit https://eastminsterpres.org/get-to-knowus/celebrating-75-years/.
MARCH 26: GROUP PHOTOS - SANCTUARY FOLLOWING THE 11:15AM SERVICE
THOSE MARRIED AT EPC
THOSE BAPTIZED AT EPC
THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN MEMBERS 50 YEARS OR MORE
THOSE WHO HAVE JOINED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
APRIL 30: GROUP PHOTOS - SANCTUARY FOLLOWING THE 9AM SERVICE
THOSE MARRIED AT EPC
THOSE BAPTIZED AT EPC
THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN MEMBERS 50 YEARS OR MORE
THOSE WHO HAVE JOINED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS
Also, over several summers, he studied with Ozan Marsh at Chautauqua and Lee Luvisi at Brevard Music Center.
SUBMITTED BY FREDNA LEE
Walter “Walt” Theus is a lifelong member of Eastminster Presbyterian Church, having been baptized as an infant in early 1954 in the old Brown Building located at the top of the hill. When Walt was four-years-old, his parents bought a piano for his older sister to take lessons. His parents were both musicians and quickly realized that peeling him off the piano bench was not going to be easy.
At a young age, he was picking out tunes and chords on his own. He started lessons with the late Dr. Dode Phillips a few months before he was five-years-old. In the first grade, he started lessons with Marjorie Maynard, a childhood friend of his mother's who had studied piano performance and pedagogy with Edwin Hughes. He studied with Mrs. Maynard through high school.
Walt competed successfully in local and state auditions and competitions. He began accompanying at a young age and accompanied and sang in the Dreher High School Chorus. Walt studied piano with Max Camp at the University of South Carolina and accompanied and sang in the USC Concert Choir. He majored in international studies and attended law school, receiving his law license from USC in 1979. After over 12 years of private practice with Boyd, Knowlton, Tate, and Finlay and Sinkler & Boyd, P.A., Walt joined the U.S. Department of Justice in 1992 as a regional specialist in business bankruptcy law.
The national office in Washington increasingly used Walt to help with some of the most complex cases throughout the country. Since 2005, Walt has served exclusively as the senior trial attorney in the Chapter 11 Group of the General Counsel’s Office in the Executive Office of U.S. Trustees, telecommuting to Washington from Columbia. Walt retired from the active practice of law, effective January 1, 2023. He has never quit playing the piano, and he has sung in the Eastminster Choir since 1978, which he says makes him “old.” He is looking forward to doing even more things with his music during retirement.
The role of a clerk is a unique calling and one that deserves celebrating. Many know the clerk of session as one who is responsible for preserving the minutes of the session and the congregation and for maintaining rolls, and one who serves as secretary of congregational meetings. Although those administrative duties are part of the clerk’s responsibility, a clerk’s role is very important. A strong and wise clerk can contribute immensely to the ministry of the pastor and of the church. A clerk, who possesses wisdom, integrity, discipline, and a devotion to Christ, is a gift to not only the pastor, but also to the congregation and presbytery.
Most recently, from 2020-2022, Eastminster was blessed to have Sara Lynn Curtis serve as Clerk of Session. Senior Pastor, Brad Smith, said, “Over my nearly 14 years as Eastminster’s senior pastor, I’ve had the privilege of serving with seven different clerks of session. In each case, I feel like God provided the right person for the right time. Particularly in the face of the Coronavirus crisis, how various groups of people were impacted in such different ways, and how the stress of it all triggered some intensely emotional responses, Sara Lynn’s prayerful spirit,
careful listening, calm demeanor, and Godly wisdom provided a wonderful example for all of us who compose the session to follow. In addition to keeping careful minutes and other duties, each clerk of session has been an invaluable help and resource to me in my work as pastor. Sara Lynn’s willing ear and wise counsel were a great gift, and her willingness to serve a third year to help the church family return fully to being back together in person was an example of her servant heart."
He continued, "Sara Lynn embodies Ephesians 4:29 which says, ‘Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.’”
As Sara Lynn passes the torch to our newest Clerk of Session, Jimmy Long, we say best wishes and thank you, faithful servant.
Eastminster has been blessed with extraordinary clerks of session. Thank you to all of the clerks for the critical work they have guided our session through to completion, and for their continued leadership at Eastminster.
Julian Jacobs Nexsen, 1994-1996
Nancy Morton Scott, 1997-1998
Robert Ferguson Fuller, 1999-2001
Lucie Barron Eggleston, 2002
Julian Jacobs Nexsen, 2003
Nancy Townsend Carpenter, 2004-2005
Gary Alan Schraibman, 2006-2007
John Barron McArthur, 2008-2009
Scott Anderson Elliott, 2010-2011
Emma Isabelle Bryson, 2012-2013
David Clay Robinson, 2014-2015
Pamela Williams Halligan, 2016-2017
John Barron McArthur, 2018-2019
Sara Lynn Curtis, 2020-2022
James Grant Long, III, 2023-current
out.Shetakeshertime,spellingoutwhat otherswouldabbreviate,andgivingthe processtheattentionitdeserves.
Whenaskedaboutherservice,Barbara said,“Itismytruepleasure.Itwarmsmy hearttoknowthatbysendingthesenotes,I amofferingsomeofmyowncondolences. Andhowwonderfulisitthatthese donationssupportsomanydifferent ministries?”
AnymemberofEastminster,whohaslosta lovedoneorbeenhonoredbyoneoftheir peerswithadonationtothechurchinrecent years,willrecognizeacknowledgmentwriterBarbaraBoyd’s-beautifulhandwriting.Since shebeganvolunteeringforthisministryin 2015,Barbarahashandwrittenover1,000 acknowledgments.
Barbaraexudeswarmthandkindnessinall shedoes.Whatmayseemlikeasimpletaskof sendingthankyounotesistransformedinto somethingmuchmoreimpactfulunder Barbara'scare.Shegoesaboveandbeyond thecallofsimplyfillingintheblankson notecardsbyincludingthenamesoffunds designatedbydonorsaswellastheir addressesincasethereceiverwishestoreach
At times, the volume of memorials and honoraria is so large that I marvel at Barbara's calmness in the face of so many notes to write. When I jokingly ask if her hand feels like it is falling off, she gives the same response every time: “Oh, but isn’t it just wonderful?" Rather than allowing herself to be overwhelmed by the enormity of this important task, Barbara instead focuses on the generosity of Eastminster's members, and the true meaning behind these donations. She recognizes these gifts for what they are; a way for believers to follow the call to "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."(Romans 12:15).
"REJOICE WITH THOSE WHO REJOICE; MOURN WITH THOSE WHO MOURN." (ROMANS 12:15).
Dr.JohnMcCallservesasaPresbyterian Church(U.S.A.)missionco-workerinthe PresbyterianChurchofTaiwanandhasbeen servinginTaiwanforover20years!He supportspastorsofthePresbyterianChurchof Taiwanthroughavarietyofministries, includingworkingamongaboriginalpeoplein southeastTaiwan,teachingattheTaiwan TheologicalSeminaryinTaipei,andworking withyoungpastorsattheCenterforSpiritual Formation.
JohnservedaspastoroftheBlackMountain (NorthCarolina)PresbyterianChurchnextto MontreatConferenceCenterbeforehesensed Godwascallinghimtomissionwork.Johnsays abigreasonheansweredthecallwasbecause ofthe40orsoretiredmissionco-workersinthe congregationthathadmodeledthemission traditionforhimsopowerfully.“Ilearneda greatdealfromthem,andGodusedthemto causemetoponderinternationalmission service,”Johnsays.In1996,heacceptedan appointmenttoserveinTaiwan.
JohnsupportspastorsofPCUSA’spartner church,thePresbyterianChurchofTaiwan (PCT),inacountrywhereonly3%ofthe populationisChristian.ThePresbyterian
ChurchofTaiwanisthelargestProtestant denominationontheisland.Manyofthese churchesareindigenous,locatedinthehigh mountains,onthecoast,orinTaiwan’s teemingcities.Johnspendsalotofhistime travelingbytrain,bus,andsubwaytothese differentchurchesorpresbyteriesthroughout Taiwanteachingandpreachingandequipping theleadershipoftheTaiwanesechurch.
John’sphilosophyofmissionstemsinpart fromatheologyofincarnationthathedraws fromJohn’sGospel.“IlovethewayEugene PetersontranslatesJohn1:14:‘TheWord becamefleshandmovedintothe neighborhood,’”Johnsays.“AsChristiansand missionco-workers,wearecalledtomoveinto theneighborhoodtolivewithandlovethe folkstowhomwehavebeencalled.It’sa privilegeandawonderfulopportunity.Weare shapedbythemandtheirfaith.”
Don'tmisstheopportunitytolearnfrom Dr.JohnMcCalltheweekendofMarch19, 2023,whenhewillbeEastminster'sguest preacher. Wewelcomehimbackto Eastminsteraspartofour75thcelebrationof missionsministriesinMarch.
six to ten members of our Inclusion Ministry enjoyed dinner and fellowship before breaking into their Small Group to work through the Alpha curriculum. When speaking with Emily Higgins, a volunteer and Alpha leader in the Inclusion Ministry, she shared some thoughts, “Before working with the Inclusion Ministry, I was ignorant to the fact that church can be a challenging and isolating experience for young adults who have differences. Churches tend to promote inclusion in theory but rarely in practice. There’s a difference between saying, ‘You can sit at this table,’ and ‘I saved a seat for you at this table.’ The Inclusion Ministry makes our church more vibrant. All people are created in the image of God, and I have gotten to know our God better because of the friendships I have made in EPC's Inclusion Ministry.”
Eastminster’s Inclusion Ministry is one of the most rapidly growing ministries within the church. This ministry was started to ensure that all young adults, no matter their circumstances, have a safe space where they know they are loved, supported, and can grow in their faith together. In 2021, Eastminster hired Learning Specialist, Andrea Ferree, who has helped cultivate this community.
Members of the Inclusion Ministry say they “enjoy being with the leaders who love them,” “love having the yummy food provided,” “love playing the games Ms. Andrea comes up with,” and “love being with their EPC friends and outside friends all in one space.” Speaking of friends outside of the church, the Inclusion Ministry has seen an increase in folks from all over the Midlands coming and joining in on the fun. These individuals join us for monthly meetings and have helped shape the community into what it is today. The Inclusion Ministry took on a new adventure this past Fall by participating in Alpha, a program at Eastminster. Each Wednesday last Fall,
1 Corithians 12 says the body of Christ has many parts, but all are needed for the body to succeed. With the addition of Inclusion Ministry, Eastminster is able to more fully live into what it means to be the Body of Christ in the world. Thanks be to God!
"THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN SAYING 'YOU CAN SIT AT THIS TABLE,' AND I SAVED A SEAT FOR YOU AT THIS TABLE...'"
- EMILY HIGGINS, VOLUNTEER
Dr. Ben Sloan may serve on the Eastminster staff working in Congregational Care and in Missions, Service & Benevolence (MSB), but he is more than just a staff member. Ben is a child of Eastminster and has deep roots in the church. In fact, Ben calls Eastminster his heart-home for his faith.
Growing up at Eastminster (1957-1985), from birth until ordination, Ben and his family were very involved in the church. Ben’s father, Earle, was deacon chair, an elder, and taught a girls’ Sunday school class. Ben’s mother, Sarah, was administrative assistant to Paul Eckel and an Honorary Life Member. Together, his parents started a senior's group, Primetimers (Ben with parents to right). At two-years-old, Ben was one of the first classes at the Day School; he was the first student suspended for hitting another student, but he says he has “since repented of such actions!” As a youth, Ben participated in the youth choir, where Paula Speight and Marilyn Stradtman taught him how to sing, and he played on the church basketball team under Coach Whiteside, where he “held the record for fouling out!” In 1969, Ben went through Confirmation, a meaningful time in his life; Buddy Adams was his mentor, and many elders taught him and prayed for him.
Ben says, “Every now and then someone asks about my call to ministry. A big part was having parents who made me go to church, mentors and officers who stepped up to help me along the way, and admirable, intelligent, and godly pastors who set good examples for Christian life. My brother, Mark, and his pregnant wife were in a terrible accident on December 24, 1976, at the corner of Beltline and Trenholm; I saw the meaningful support from former Eastminster Pastor Ernest Thompson who visited Christmas Day, and all the visits, calls, and food brought over from members of the church that just buoyed us up. I saw how very important the love and support of the church was. That was
the turning point of deciding between pursuing a career as a minister versus a psychologist.”
Ben graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Psychology, from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, and from Columbia
Theological Seminary with his Doctorate in Ministry. Ben served churches in South and North Carolina: Morton Presbyterian in Hartsville, West Asheville Presbyterian, Georgetown Presbyterian, and senior pastor at Lake Murray Presbyterian in Chapin, where he retired.
Ben met his wife and companion in ministry, Kay, at Clemson. They have three married adult children: Sarah (Ryan) Batson who has 3 children (Etta, Josie, Archer) in Grewenville; Rebekah (Jay) Gilliam who has two children (Sloan, Eliza) in Chapin, and John (Kelly) in Columbia.
Now, Ben serves at Eastminster in Congregational Care and MSB. He visits members in the hospital two to three days a week, and plans adult mission trips. Ben says, “When I look at the ministry of Jesus, I see him preaching and teaching, but I also see him caring for the sick, the needy, and freeing the oppressed and imprisoned. Ministry is an honor, and I have been so grateful for the gracious welcome my wife, Kay, and I have received at Eastminster. I am passionate about these ministries. I have been taught that the work of ministry has eternal consequences, and it is my hope to give my all to the people of Eastminster for the glory of God.”
APRIL 24-29: FORT MYERS, FL
JUNE 17-24: CHIAPAS, MEXICO
NOV 6-11: MARSH HARBOR, BAHAMAS
Our Journey through the Bible would not be complete if we avoided Holy Week. To avoid the stories of Jesus’ suffering and death is to rob Easter's empty tomb of its power and joy. The journey to Easter invariably runs through failure – betrayal, denial, abandonment, silence, death, and failure by disciples, religious leaders, and political officials. To receive the good news of the resurrection, we must first reckon with the fact that Jesus was crucified, dead, buried, and descended into hell. Those who conspired against him, to destroy him, succeeded. The Law and the Prophets won.
Alan Lewis narrates our Journey like this: “On the day after his death, Jesus is no hero, savior, or redeemer. He is dead and gone, convicted as a sinner, a rebel and a blasphemer, who has paid the price of tragic failure. He simply died and his cause died with him, quite falsified and finished… Until his last moment he has had his chance to prove things otherwise, to verify that there really is some divine enigma by which the vulnerability of love can mightily conquer everything. But the son of man has not come down off the cross; his brand of nonresistance has proved no match for military might or the politics of fear… We can no longer shut our eyes to the terrible possibility, not that he has failed God in his death, but that in his death, God has failed him.” (Lewis, p.46, 54)
"THEN HE CAME TO THE DISCIPLES AND SAID TO THEM, ‘ARE YOU STILL SLEEPING AND TAKING YOUR REST? SEE, THE HOUR IS AT HAND, AND THE SON OF MAN IS BETRAYED INTO THE HANDS OF SINNERS. GET UP, LET US BE GOING. SEE, MY BETRAYER IS AT HAND.’"
(MATTHEW 26:45-46)
Holy Week is a week of “terrible possibilities.” But if we are to grasp the magnitude of God’s vindication on Easter morning, we cannot jump from Palm branches to Easter Lilies and disregard everything that happens in between. Easter ceases to be Easter if we neglect the dereliction and failure. If we turn away from Jesus falling to the ground in the garden, begging not to die, his prayers met only by the silence of God and the snoring of his closest friends, Easter becomes just another excuse to buy a new dress.
Easter is more than that, of course; it is nothing less than the divine pronouncement that every word spoken by this forsaken failure was true. It means that whatever betrayal and denial, whatever abandonment and isolation he suffered was not God’s final word on him. His words and deeds are as vindicated as the God who brought him forth from the grave.
It helps that this is not our first journey through Holy Week. Because we have walked this way before, we know, even in the darkness of suffering and death, that much more lies ahead. This ending is not the final act. Because we have heard this story before and know where this path leads, we know that, as Lewis says, “there is a day in history which is both the day after the end of life and the day before the end of death, the day that remembers Christ’s failure and his Father’s and the day which hopes for his and God’s future and therefore our own.” (p. 68)
To be children of that hope, to live in the confidence of that proclamation and know that the powers of godlessness that were so triumphant on Friday have been judged, condemned, and threatened with destruction on Sunday – we have to journey faithfully and fully through Holy Week.
Lewis,AlanE.,BetweenCrossandResurrection:A TheologyofHolySaturday,GrandRapids: Eerdmans,2001.
EASTER LILY DEDICATION FORMS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT OUR WELCOME CENTERS AND ONLINE SOON
PLEASE RETURN FORMS (& CHECKS) TO JULIE MCDANIEL IN THE CHURCH OFFICE BY APRIL 3
"BECAUSE WE HAVE WALKED THIS WAY BEFORE, WE KNOW, EVEN IN THE DARKNESS OF SUFFERING AND DEATH, THAT MUCH MORE LIES AHEAD..."
Q1 2023 Newborns
Lee Cope
Sophia Fairey
Isaac Fitch
Birdy Ford
Henry Gandy
Thirteen
Q1 2023
Grant Curtis
May Chaplin
James Helfer
Albert James
McClain Knight
Mitchell Otis
Eighteen
Q 1 2 0 2 3
Gracie Andrews
Michael Balthazor
Zachary Beitz
Landon Denemark
Olivia Freeman
Katie Harrison
Eighty& Up
Q1 2023
Keller Barron
Margaret Batson
Sarah Brown
Margie Brown
Sandra Bryant
Pud Clarke
Barbara Dixon
Harriette Edmonds
Jerry Fuller
Bill Gillespie
Happy Hays
Lloyd Hendricks
Danny Hill
Ross Holmes
James McCants
Charlie Scott
Emily Shuler
Charlie Varn
Eliza Kitchens
Kate McInnis
Lucy Morris
Jack Morris
Jackson Osborne
Davis Rivers
Swep Saunders
Smith Sullivan
Lane Swan
Price Wilson
Merrick Richardson
Alex Jenkins
Pierrine Johnson
Libby Laffitte
Julia Markley
Harry Mashburn
Mary McNair
Beverly Mims
Gene Mitchell
Marianne Murphy
Esther Pearman
Henry Price
Betty Ann Schroeder
Doris Stapel
Don't see your name? Prefer not to be listed? Email Christina Siokos (csiokos@eastminsterpres org) so we can update our member database or make a note
3200 Trenholm Road
Columbia, SC 29204
(803) 256-1654