North Street Christian turns 100
Greeters at North Street Christian Church this Sunday might be dressed in unusual attire.
But instead of reflecting the greeters' quirks, the clothes will symbolize enduring faith.
The greeters will don period costumes as part of the congregation's 100th anniversary celebration, to include a Saturday evening concert, special Sunday services and a buffet lunch featuring memorabilia on display.
Weather permitting, cars from various eras will also be featured on Sunday outside the church, located at the corner of North and Church streets.
Despite the 100-year milestone, the chosen theme is "How Great is Our God: Onward and Upward."
"We won't spend a whole lot of time reviewing the past," said Pastor Bob Huber, citing instead the goal to move forward in faith.
Huber has been pastor at North Street Christian since 1982 and a member since 1977.
Promoting what he calls an "every member ministry," Huber describes the nondenominational church as a conservative, evangelical group that is highly involved in missions.
The church supports missionaries serving in Romania and with Teen Missions in Florida. It also has affiliations with churches in Chiang Mai and various Lisu, Lahu and Ahka villages in the mountains of Thailand, Huber said.
Locally, the church maintains involvement with Pressing On Ministries, a jail ministry and addiction recovery program. It also hosts Butler Bible Institute classes, operates Shepherd of My Heart Preschool and participates in other youth outreach activities.
The church was formed on Oct. 15, 1906, and chartered a year later as Butler Christian Church.
A building was constructed on the corner of North and Church streets in 1910.
It was razed some 14 years later and rebuilt with funds donated from the children of T.W. Phillips Sr.
That building was dedicated in 1925 as the North Street Church of Christ. A trust fund established by the Phillips family continues to be used for maintenance today.In 1956, the church also started the Oak Hills Christian Church in Butler Township before withdrawing from the Disciples of Christ denomination 12 years later.In 1973, the current name was adopted.Viv Kalberer, serving as the church secretary in her retirement years, has been a member since birth, minus a short period while living in Ohio. Her grandchildren represent the family's fifth generation at North Street Christian.Kalberer said social changes at the church include a gradual move away from formality: Less silence in the sanctuary and more contemporary music are among the noticeable changes, she said — but the group's theology has remained steadfast."The glue that connects the old with the new is the total of our pastors who are committed to preaching the word of God," she said."I guess I consider that to be the connection between the old and the new."Kalberer also has witnessed fluctuations in membership as pastors and the community have changed over time.Although membership has dwindled to the point of filling only a few pews and has grown to exceed 800, Huber said the current membership of about 450 represents a slow, steady increase since he began as pastor. He shares the role with associate pastor Jeff Miller.While the church has expanded its building and has acquired neighboring properties for office space and other purposes, meeting space in the original structure can no longer accommodate churchwide dinners and other functions.The anniversary buffet will be held at The Atrium in Franklin Township<B>.</B>Despite an emerging need for fellowship space, the church so far has focused on ministry and mission work."One of our strengths is our people who desire to be involved in ministry," Huber said."We haven't built a lot of buildings or those kinds of things, but we've built a lot of people."
