Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 10, 1990 TAG: 9006080159
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Frances Stebbins
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
Traditional Presbyterianism shows in both the outside and the inside of the church on Main Street. Worshipers still sit in straight-backed pews - padded, however, with red velvet cushions - and many coats of white paint cover the interior, where a three-sided balcony is still used.
Mid-19th century Calvinistic simplicity has its charm.
There is a sense of order and stability, too, in the fact that the Rev. Vernon Miller has been minister at the church for 22 years.
On Memorial Day Sunday, a breeze entered the open windows with their frosted glass and kept the interior comfortable on a humid morning.
You could imagine that things probably haven't changed much in Christiansburg Presbyterian since buggies were drawn up outside and ladies wore bonnets to worship.
But there's more to this church than tradition. Adjoining the old building is a thoroughly modern education and fellowship addition built in recent years to fill the varied needs of the congregation.
The addition is at ground level in the rear and easily accessible to the elderly and handicapped. To get to the church from the back parking area with its covered entrance, a new ramp opens into the nave. New restrooms for those in wheelchairs are near the back entrance.
On that Sunday morning, men, women and children of all ages spilled from the education and fellowship building as the hour of morning worship arrived. Many, including about a dozen children, stayed for church. There were about 175 people taking up all but the first few pews in the sanctuary.
As I went in, greeters on the porch saw that I got a bulletin and a word of welcome.
Worshipers with children are given a four-page guide for young readers that is coordinated with the topic of the sermon.
This publication from the church office included the verse of a simple song, puzzles spelling Peace, Joy, Love and Hope, two pictures to color and a short message about the word of God enduring through the troubles of individuals and nations. Included was a drawing of a dove of peace; the child could find her way through a maze of feathers to illustrate the durability of God's word.
The minister wears a black robe with white stole. Although many in this congregation appear to be over 50, probably an equal number are younger and the children's sermon, like the bulletin message, clearly has young members in mind.
For it the minister sat at the children's level below the pulpit and talked of forgetting things like bedtime prayers and sharing Bible reading with parents. Several preschoolers volunteered answers when their pastor asked what they usually forget, and by the end of the eight minutes many older worshipers were laughing with him.
Small children at Christiansburg Presbyterian leave after about the first 25 minutes of the service.
Miller led all the prayers, preached the sermons for children and adults, and announced a number of events that indicated this church is a major force in the community. The music was largely performed by the choir.
Nicolo LaMascolo directs about a dozen men and women who wear white robes and sit behind the pulpit. That Sunday's anthem - an old standard, "Seek Ye the Lord" - was mostly sung by soprano Betty Turner.
Presbyterians are joining many other major denominations in updating their hymnal. A new book will come out later this year. The current one is a generation old; its male-dominated language is conspicuous when compared with that used in newer books of sacred music.
In honor of Memorial Day, Kathryn Obenshain, organist, stirred some life into the singing with "God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand." Another hymn, "God Is Working His Purpose Out," showed again the coordination of sermon with other aspects of worship.
The theme of Miller's 20-minute sermon was "The Shaking of the Heavens and the Earth." At its beginning, many took out their personal Bibles or the Good News version from the pew rack to read with him several verses from Hebrews 12.
This shaking, said the pastor, may originally have referred to the second coming of Christ and that is still a valid interpretation of the passage, for "when that time comes, the winds of Hurricane Hugo will seem like the popping of a balloon."
For Miller, however, the immediate shaking has come about in the past year through world events. He cited the easing of apartheid rules in South Africa and the steady overthrow of communist governments in Europe as proof that God's word and intent can never be destroyed.
Church people, from Bishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa to a Reformed Church pastor in Romania, have been in the forefront of efforts to overthrow godless governments, Miller said. In his own time, said the pastor, God always acts to "work his purpose out."
Nor must the word be watered down by desire to conform to popular trends, Miller emphasized. The 10 Commandments of the Bible are not the "10 initiatives" suggested by broadcaster Ted Turner, but rules to be taken with the utmost seriousness to maintain order in society.
by CNB