The Reverend Russell Vande Bunte
By Jan Drolen
The Reverend Russell W. VandeBunte, Bethany's eighth pastor, was born in Boyne City, Michigan on February 25, 1916 to William and Ada Langley VandeBunte. His mother had been born in England and immigrated to the United States and Boyne City in 1911. The family, which now included younger sister Catherine, moved to Petoskey and then to Grand Rapids. Russell graduated from Grand Rapids South High School in 1933, where he played in the band with a future President of the United States: Gerald R. Ford, class of 1931.
Russell had been offered a scholarship to Hope College, but in the depths of the Great Depression, he could not afford the room and board, so he instead studied at Grand Rapids Junior College for two years and then transferred to Calvin College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1937. He then attended Western Theological Seminary in Holland, earning his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1940. On June 27, 1940, he married Lois Swartz, a young legal secretary he had first met as a teen-ager at Garfield Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. Also in 1940, he was ordained by the Classis of Chicago and installed as the pastor of the Bethel Reformed Church in Sterling Heights, Illinois, a church he served for five years. While there, the VandeBunte's first child, daughter Lynne, was born. In 1945, VandeBunte accepted a call to the Richmond Reformed Church of Grand Rapids. The VandeBuntes served that church until 1950, when they accepted a call to the Central Reformed Church of Muskegon. By then they were the parents of two more daughters, Sheryl and Susan.
In the spring of 1956, the Reverend VandeBunte accepted a call from Bethany after the Reverend Chester Meengs and his family had left in January. When the VandeBunte family arrived, Bethany had a membership of 306 families, 564 communicant members, and 326 baptized members. In his first year at Bethany, the Reverend VandeBunte completed the work begun by the Reverend Meengs: the organization and founding of the Greenwood Reformed Church in Milwood. Twenty-six Bethany families, encompassing 80 communicant and baptized members, left to become the charter members of Greenwood Reformed Church. Perhaps the Reverend VandeBunte's greatest legacy at Bethany was keeping us a large and vibrant congregation, despite the loss of so many members to start Greenwood. Church attendance remained strong, and membership soon increased by thirty, no doubt to some degree because of the Reverend VandeBunte's strong preaching skills, his personal warmth, and his keen wit and humor. Many members felt comfortable calling him "Russ" or even "Rusty."
While the VandeBunte's were here, Bethany sponsored a family from the Netherlands, the DeKoffs, who arrived in March of 1957. Casey and Tina DeKoff had five children, and a sixth, a son, was born only six weeks after they arrived here. (Their second child, a not-quite eleven-year-old girl named Reina, is now Reina Steketee, a member of Bethany today.) The Reverend VandeBunte met the DeKoff family at the Kalamazoo train station when they arrived, and he introduced himself using the only Dutch word he said he knew: "Dominie" or pastor.
In the fall of 1959, the Reverend VandeBunte accepted a call to the Third Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan. As he had led Bethany for just over three years, members were sad to see the VandeBunte family leave. But serving the Third Reformed Church of Holland was also a great opportunity for a gifted pastor such as the Reverend VandeBunte. Located near the campuses of both Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, Third Reformed was the church of many of the professors at both institutions, and it was generally considered to be the most prestigious church in Holland.
At Third Reformed Church, the Reverend VandeBunte worked with Bethany's fifth pastor, the Reverend Jerry Veldman, who served Third Reformed as an associate pastor until his death in October of 1962. After ten years of service to Third Reformed, the Reverend VandeBunte accepted a call to become pastor of the First Reformed Church of Ridgefield, New Jersey. He served there until 1970, when he accepted a call that led him back to Kalamazoo: he became the pastor of First Reformed Church. He retired from First Reformed in 1980 at the age of 64, and he and Lois continued to live in Kalamazoo until his death on January 21, 2000.
Lois VandeBunte still lives in Kalamazoo, as does daughter Lynne (although Lois is relocating to Florida in May to be closer to her daughters Sheryl and Susan who live there.) Lynne VandeBunte is a self-employed teacher and presenter in behavioral psychology and comparative religion. Sheryl, who also lives in the Detroit area part of the year, is now married to Tom Allor and has two children: David Russell Mol and Martha Bol-Johnson, who recently presented Sheryl with her first grandchild: Drew Russell Johnson. Susan has two stepchildren with husband Leonard Mriscin: son Chris and daughter Joyce, who is married and has two children.
Although the Reverend VandeBunte only ministered to Bethany for a relatively short time, he played an important role in the history of our congregation. Through his strong preaching and pastoral skills, he kept Bethany a vital and vibrant congregation after we started a new church in Milwood. Like all pastors, he had his challenges here of nurturing families through deaths and tragedies, but Bethany was in many ways a stronger church when he left than when he arrived.
© 2013 Bethany Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. All rights reserved.
Russell had been offered a scholarship to Hope College, but in the depths of the Great Depression, he could not afford the room and board, so he instead studied at Grand Rapids Junior College for two years and then transferred to Calvin College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1937. He then attended Western Theological Seminary in Holland, earning his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1940. On June 27, 1940, he married Lois Swartz, a young legal secretary he had first met as a teen-ager at Garfield Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. Also in 1940, he was ordained by the Classis of Chicago and installed as the pastor of the Bethel Reformed Church in Sterling Heights, Illinois, a church he served for five years. While there, the VandeBunte's first child, daughter Lynne, was born. In 1945, VandeBunte accepted a call to the Richmond Reformed Church of Grand Rapids. The VandeBuntes served that church until 1950, when they accepted a call to the Central Reformed Church of Muskegon. By then they were the parents of two more daughters, Sheryl and Susan.
In the spring of 1956, the Reverend VandeBunte accepted a call from Bethany after the Reverend Chester Meengs and his family had left in January. When the VandeBunte family arrived, Bethany had a membership of 306 families, 564 communicant members, and 326 baptized members. In his first year at Bethany, the Reverend VandeBunte completed the work begun by the Reverend Meengs: the organization and founding of the Greenwood Reformed Church in Milwood. Twenty-six Bethany families, encompassing 80 communicant and baptized members, left to become the charter members of Greenwood Reformed Church. Perhaps the Reverend VandeBunte's greatest legacy at Bethany was keeping us a large and vibrant congregation, despite the loss of so many members to start Greenwood. Church attendance remained strong, and membership soon increased by thirty, no doubt to some degree because of the Reverend VandeBunte's strong preaching skills, his personal warmth, and his keen wit and humor. Many members felt comfortable calling him "Russ" or even "Rusty."
While the VandeBunte's were here, Bethany sponsored a family from the Netherlands, the DeKoffs, who arrived in March of 1957. Casey and Tina DeKoff had five children, and a sixth, a son, was born only six weeks after they arrived here. (Their second child, a not-quite eleven-year-old girl named Reina, is now Reina Steketee, a member of Bethany today.) The Reverend VandeBunte met the DeKoff family at the Kalamazoo train station when they arrived, and he introduced himself using the only Dutch word he said he knew: "Dominie" or pastor.
In the fall of 1959, the Reverend VandeBunte accepted a call to the Third Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan. As he had led Bethany for just over three years, members were sad to see the VandeBunte family leave. But serving the Third Reformed Church of Holland was also a great opportunity for a gifted pastor such as the Reverend VandeBunte. Located near the campuses of both Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, Third Reformed was the church of many of the professors at both institutions, and it was generally considered to be the most prestigious church in Holland.
At Third Reformed Church, the Reverend VandeBunte worked with Bethany's fifth pastor, the Reverend Jerry Veldman, who served Third Reformed as an associate pastor until his death in October of 1962. After ten years of service to Third Reformed, the Reverend VandeBunte accepted a call to become pastor of the First Reformed Church of Ridgefield, New Jersey. He served there until 1970, when he accepted a call that led him back to Kalamazoo: he became the pastor of First Reformed Church. He retired from First Reformed in 1980 at the age of 64, and he and Lois continued to live in Kalamazoo until his death on January 21, 2000.
Lois VandeBunte still lives in Kalamazoo, as does daughter Lynne (although Lois is relocating to Florida in May to be closer to her daughters Sheryl and Susan who live there.) Lynne VandeBunte is a self-employed teacher and presenter in behavioral psychology and comparative religion. Sheryl, who also lives in the Detroit area part of the year, is now married to Tom Allor and has two children: David Russell Mol and Martha Bol-Johnson, who recently presented Sheryl with her first grandchild: Drew Russell Johnson. Susan has two stepchildren with husband Leonard Mriscin: son Chris and daughter Joyce, who is married and has two children.
Although the Reverend VandeBunte only ministered to Bethany for a relatively short time, he played an important role in the history of our congregation. Through his strong preaching and pastoral skills, he kept Bethany a vital and vibrant congregation after we started a new church in Milwood. Like all pastors, he had his challenges here of nurturing families through deaths and tragedies, but Bethany was in many ways a stronger church when he left than when he arrived.
© 2013 Bethany Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. All rights reserved.
