The Reverend John W. Tien
By Jan Drolen
The Reverend John Wesley Tien, Bethany's tenth pastor was born June 12, 1930 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to John and Ruth Mulder Tien. He lived in Grand Rapids until he was nine, when his family moved to the Holland, Michigan area. He graduated from Holland High School in 1948 and then entered Hope College. After graduating from Hope in 1952, he married classmate Yvonne DeLoof on June 11, 1952. He continued his education at Western Theological Seminary, earning his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1955.
The Reverend Tien was ordained by the Classis of Illinois in 1955 and he was installed as pastor of the Bethel Reformed Church of Sterling Heights, Illinois the same year. He became pastor of the Dolton Reformed Church of Dolton, Illinois in 1958 and served there until early 1966 when he accepted a call to become Bethany's tenth pastor. By this time the Tiens had three children: Sheryl, Scott and Sally. They were 11, 10 and 5 when the Tiens arrived at Bethany.
The Reverend Tien served Bethany during challenging times. The demographics of the neighborhood around Bethany were now changing. When it was founded in 1905, Bethany was located at the growing edge of the city. By 1966, the neighborhood was considered part of teh central city. Housing near the church began to deteriorate, and more Bethany members left the neighborhoods around the church for the suburbs. More sons and daughters of the church began relocating to the suburbs or to other cities as they married and began fammilies of their own. For the first time in its sixty-plus year history, the membership at Bethany was declining.
These challenging conditions made for the perfect time for Bethany to try some new approaches. New styles of ministry were tested and Bethany hired a young man named Jack Post to serve as Director of Christian Education. He served in this role until 1974. From 1974 until 1976, Sandra Elfring, now an ordained RCA pastor serving at Kalamazoo's First United Methodist Church, worked in the Christian Education ministry. Bethany also had inters from Western Theological Seminary during these years: David Risseuw and George Brown.
Unquestionably the most challenging event of Reverend Tien's ministry at Bethany--and perhaps the most challenging in Bethany's one-hundred year history, occurred in the early morning hours of Friday, March 17, 1972, the Friday before Palm Sunday. Unknown vandals entered the churech and set fire to the sanctuary, resulting in the total destruction of pews, pulpit, choir loft, organ, organ pipes and the stained glass windowed donated by the Service Star Mothers after World War II. The North Educational Wing remained relatively undamaged, and it was repaired and repainted in time for the Easter service the following week.
A key decision remained, however. Would Bethany rebuild the damaged sanctuary and remain in the changing Edison neighborhood, or would we move to the suburbs of Kalamazoo County as many other churches had done and would continue to do so in the future? The decision was made, as we all know, of course, to stay at our South Burdick Street location and continue to minister to the nneds of a changing neighborhood, a commitment we have continued to meet for 33 more years. By April of 1973, Bethany members were able to celebrate Easter and all of its hope and promise in a renovated danctuary which still serves us well today.
In 1976, after much prayerful study, Bethany's leadership decided that we needed two pastors. The Reverend Mark Kraai was called to become Bethany's pastor of Renewal and Church Growth. He continued in this position until Reverend Tien left in 1978, and then was officially called to become Bethany's eleventh pastor.
While guilding Bethany through these many challenges, the Reverend Tien also studied for and earned two more advanced degrees. He finished his Masters of Theology degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in 1968, and he earned a Masters of Arts degree from Western Michigan University in 1978. He also taught classes at Western Theological Seminary: two of his pupils were future pastors of Bethany: Rick Oppenhuizen and Bob Terwilliger! While at Bethany, Yvonne Tien earned her Masters Degree in special education at Western Michigan University, and she taught special education at Woodward Elementary School in Kalamazoo.
In 1978 Reverend Tein left Bethany to serve as an associate pastor of the First Reformed Church of Grandville, Michigan. While there, he also earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Western Theological Seminary in 1986. In 1991, the Reverend Tien took a new position as director of Good News Community, Inc. in Grand Rapids, a position hel held until his retirement in 1994.
The Reverend Tien and Yvonne now divide their year between homes in Holland, Michigan and Tucson, Arizona. Son Scott now lives in Belen, New Mexico, south of Alburquerque and daughter Sheryl lives in Kalamazoo with her children. Their daughter Sally lives in Grandville and has four children, including a ten-year-old recently adopted from Haiti.
The Reverend John W. Tien has the distinction of serving Bethany the longest of any of our thirteen pastors. It could also be argued that he and his wife Yvonne faced and met the toughest challenges of any of our pastors. We thank them and honor them for their 12 and one-half years of dedicated and faithful service to Bethany Reformed Church.
© 2013 Bethany Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. All rights reserved.
The Reverend Tien was ordained by the Classis of Illinois in 1955 and he was installed as pastor of the Bethel Reformed Church of Sterling Heights, Illinois the same year. He became pastor of the Dolton Reformed Church of Dolton, Illinois in 1958 and served there until early 1966 when he accepted a call to become Bethany's tenth pastor. By this time the Tiens had three children: Sheryl, Scott and Sally. They were 11, 10 and 5 when the Tiens arrived at Bethany.
The Reverend Tien served Bethany during challenging times. The demographics of the neighborhood around Bethany were now changing. When it was founded in 1905, Bethany was located at the growing edge of the city. By 1966, the neighborhood was considered part of teh central city. Housing near the church began to deteriorate, and more Bethany members left the neighborhoods around the church for the suburbs. More sons and daughters of the church began relocating to the suburbs or to other cities as they married and began fammilies of their own. For the first time in its sixty-plus year history, the membership at Bethany was declining.
These challenging conditions made for the perfect time for Bethany to try some new approaches. New styles of ministry were tested and Bethany hired a young man named Jack Post to serve as Director of Christian Education. He served in this role until 1974. From 1974 until 1976, Sandra Elfring, now an ordained RCA pastor serving at Kalamazoo's First United Methodist Church, worked in the Christian Education ministry. Bethany also had inters from Western Theological Seminary during these years: David Risseuw and George Brown.
Unquestionably the most challenging event of Reverend Tien's ministry at Bethany--and perhaps the most challenging in Bethany's one-hundred year history, occurred in the early morning hours of Friday, March 17, 1972, the Friday before Palm Sunday. Unknown vandals entered the churech and set fire to the sanctuary, resulting in the total destruction of pews, pulpit, choir loft, organ, organ pipes and the stained glass windowed donated by the Service Star Mothers after World War II. The North Educational Wing remained relatively undamaged, and it was repaired and repainted in time for the Easter service the following week.
A key decision remained, however. Would Bethany rebuild the damaged sanctuary and remain in the changing Edison neighborhood, or would we move to the suburbs of Kalamazoo County as many other churches had done and would continue to do so in the future? The decision was made, as we all know, of course, to stay at our South Burdick Street location and continue to minister to the nneds of a changing neighborhood, a commitment we have continued to meet for 33 more years. By April of 1973, Bethany members were able to celebrate Easter and all of its hope and promise in a renovated danctuary which still serves us well today.
In 1976, after much prayerful study, Bethany's leadership decided that we needed two pastors. The Reverend Mark Kraai was called to become Bethany's pastor of Renewal and Church Growth. He continued in this position until Reverend Tien left in 1978, and then was officially called to become Bethany's eleventh pastor.
While guilding Bethany through these many challenges, the Reverend Tien also studied for and earned two more advanced degrees. He finished his Masters of Theology degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in 1968, and he earned a Masters of Arts degree from Western Michigan University in 1978. He also taught classes at Western Theological Seminary: two of his pupils were future pastors of Bethany: Rick Oppenhuizen and Bob Terwilliger! While at Bethany, Yvonne Tien earned her Masters Degree in special education at Western Michigan University, and she taught special education at Woodward Elementary School in Kalamazoo.
In 1978 Reverend Tein left Bethany to serve as an associate pastor of the First Reformed Church of Grandville, Michigan. While there, he also earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Western Theological Seminary in 1986. In 1991, the Reverend Tien took a new position as director of Good News Community, Inc. in Grand Rapids, a position hel held until his retirement in 1994.
The Reverend Tien and Yvonne now divide their year between homes in Holland, Michigan and Tucson, Arizona. Son Scott now lives in Belen, New Mexico, south of Alburquerque and daughter Sheryl lives in Kalamazoo with her children. Their daughter Sally lives in Grandville and has four children, including a ten-year-old recently adopted from Haiti.
The Reverend John W. Tien has the distinction of serving Bethany the longest of any of our thirteen pastors. It could also be argued that he and his wife Yvonne faced and met the toughest challenges of any of our pastors. We thank them and honor them for their 12 and one-half years of dedicated and faithful service to Bethany Reformed Church.
© 2013 Bethany Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. All rights reserved.
