The Jubilee Centinel
A Holy Heritage - 50 - A Faithful Future
Blest Be the Tie That Binds
Romance at Central
by Eileen Pohlhaus
Over the 50 years of agape love that defines Central so well, did you also know that eros love has found its way into the lives of many members? Yes, research has shown that quite a few couples met at Central and fell in love, resulting in marriage and family life that perpetuates the heritage we cherish so fondly. Inquiring minds want to know, so we began investigating the romantic rumors!
In the early 1950's, a certain Dottie Smoot began to play Cupid. In particular, she strategically placed some folks on the same committee and viola - two couples came together for a lifetime. The resulting Mr. & Mrs. were Frank & Mary Meeder and Charlie & Mary Amos. Dottie is warmed by the knowledge that her matchmaking inklings proved to be so right, though she'll never know how many other couples may have met across a crowded boardroom!
During the early 60s, a group of singing soldiers used to drive down from Edgewood to attend a fellowship at Central. Two of these men sing in our choir to this day. The couples that later marched down the aisle were Niles & Barbara Ellingson and Bob & Joan Smith. They remember as many as eight couples emerging from those military ministries. The Young Life ministry was also a fertile ground for seeds of romance. Matrimonial results from this outreach include Dave & Jan Turnbaugh. (Indeed, four of the five Smoot children married Centralites.)
The 70s and early 80s were the backdrop for a romantic boom at Central. The college and post-college fellowships spawned so many romances that Pat Hartsock began to give premarital counseling classes en masse! What began as Ithiel, a singles group, soon died a natural death because so many participants were marrying each other. Some of the couples who tied the knot were Keith & Carol Pallante, John & Kathy Harp, Bob & Mary Ellen Castle, Doug & Kim Turner, and Art & Sherry Moorshead.
During the summer, an evening of volleyball and fellowship called Serendipity lived up to its name for Neil & Eileen Pohlhaus. Love found a way to bring Mike & Robin Henderson together while taking junior & senior high kids out for ice cream. Our interim choir director, Griz & Laura Gifford met through Central and so did Bob & Janice Carman, Terry & Julie Sharun, and both of the Ziegler brothers and their wives: Rob & Debbie and Ken & Linda. And did you know that Kevin & Heidi Bertaux sealed their engagement with a ring on the parking lot after choir rehearsal?
In the 1990's, Salah & Nancy Nasrallah were brought together by God, and Bob & Cheri Pegues exchanged phone numbers through the Friendship Folders - the rest is history. Patience is the virtue that our last couple recalls. He came to the Wednesday Night Bible study hoping to see her again. She began night school that semester on Wednesday nights. They didn't see each other until the end of the year. He seized the opportunity to bring dessert to the Valentine's dinner that later ended in a sweetheart deal. Who are they? Lee & Betsy Chizek.
Now that Central is poised to enter the new millennium, what will the future hold? Because we believe that God is in control of everything, we are assured that all matches, both in and beyond these walls, are matches made in heaven.
In 1994, we celebrated
the courtship and marriage of
Associate Pastor Jerry Cooper
to Ingrid Leist from Germany,
and in 1999 the birth of
their daughter Joy Elisabeth,
both of which were firsts for Central!
Webmaster's note: This list is pretty good, but certainly not complete. There are actually many more couples who found each other at CPC, including my wife and I...
