Kettering Church Celebrates 50th Anniversary, Church History

Senior pastoral couples past and present celebrating Kettering Church’s 50 year anniversary. Pictured are: Chris and David VanDenburgh; Valeetah and Ed Motschiedler; Dorothy and Donald Bostian; Cherie and Karl Haffner; Claire and Will Eva; and Cathy and Peter Bath.
Photograph by Joe Sarver

The Kettering Church recently marked their 50th anniversary with a two-day celebration that highlighted the church’s history and reunited past and present senior pastors.

Story by Heidi Shoemaker

Kettering Church Celebrates 50th Anniversary, Church History

Ohio Conference's The Kettering church recently marked their 50th anniversary with a two-day celebration that highlighted the church’s history and reunited past and present senior pastors.

The two-day event began with a Friday night organ concert. Sabbath was packed with music that included a “Festival of Praise” and the Symphony of Prayer, performed by the Kettering Praise Orchestra and directed by Donald Huff.

During the divine service, Peter Bath, senior pastor from 1986-1990, shared church milestones and memories and this during the sermon titled The Stranger.

“Memories that are important… times where we have been moved to action for life happened in this place,” says Bath. “Not because of the building, but because of what you bring to God together, what we share in community.”

Kettering Church and Leaders Through the Years

After moving to Dayton in 1963 to help set up Kettering Memorial Hospital, now Kettering Medical Center, employees of the center soon realized the nearest church, located on Far Hills Avenue, could not comfortably hold this new influx of people.

George Nelson, then-hospital administrator, led the 150 member group to charter the Kettering church on December 14, 1963. By January 4, 1964, members held their first Sabbath School and worship services in the auditorium in the hospital basement.

Today the Kettering Church is located at 3939 Stonebridge Road, and has a membership of nearly 1300.

Six former and current senior pastors and their wives attended the spring event.  Here is a snapshot of some of the senior leadership over the years:

• Ed Motschiedler (1982-1986) came to Kettering in 1982 from Frederick, Md., before being elected as Ohio Conference President.
• Peter Bath (1980-1990) arrived at Kettering in 1980 as a youth pastor, before becoming the senior pastor in 1986, and eventually president of Kettering College of Medical Arts in 1990.
• Willmore Eva (1990-1995) served as senior pastor of Kettering until he was asked to become editor of Ministry Magazine.
• David VanDenburgh (1996-2006), moved to Kettering from the Campus Hill Church in Loma Linda, Calif., before moving to Kettering College to teach.
• Current senior pastor and well-known author Karl Haffner (2007-present), moved to Kettering from Walla Walla University Church in Walla Walla, Wash.

Watch the Sabbath service on Kettering’s Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/ketsda.