Rev. David de Vries retiring from historic Christ Presbyterian Church after 21 years

CANTON − On May 19, the Rev. David de Vries will officially step down as senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church after serving the historic congregation since 2003.

"I'm tired," de Vries said. "COVID changed a lot of things. But the No. 1 factor is, the church needs new leadership and a new direction. And that's not a dig on me; it's a sign of the times. The church simply needs new direction, and I'm not at the stage of my life where I can do that. When I got here, this church was pretty conflicted; it was also living in fear; they had lost a lot of people. My job was to come in and rebuild a loving community, and I think that's been accomplished."

The church's current assistant pastors, the Revs. Michael Wallace and Ben George, will succeed de Vries, serving as co-pastors. On May 18, de Vries, Wallace and George will give a joint sermon.

"They're very talented. The way the work together is a marvel to me," de Vries said. "Leadership has become much more collegial. I wasn't brought up in an age where staffs did that. I was raised in a top-down administrative structure, and that's all wonderfully changed. And I'm frankly a little envious of it. I had a great relationship with my first pastor, my first boss. He's my best friend in this very day."

George said he's known de Vries as a boss, as a mentor when he entered seminary, and, finally, as a colleague when George got his own church in Minerva.

"Dave has always been a spiritual leader in the sense that he is deeply connected to God through spiritual practices," he said. "His prayers are heartfelt and reflect an intimate relationship with scripture and the brokenness that runs throughout the world. Dave sees people for who they can be and gives them the tools and room to grow into that image. Ultimately, I am in ministry because of Dave de Vries. He met me when I was in my early 20s, trying to figure out life. He articulated the gifts he saw in me and invited me to use them to serve the church and help others. I give thanks to God for Dave and the many ways that he has guided me through life."

Dr. Elizabeth Prosser Pansino credits de Vries with infusing the church with new life. Established in 1821, Christ Presbyterian at 530 Tuscarawas St. W hosted President William and Ida Saxton's wedding in 1871. Saxton's grandfather, Canton Repository founder John Saxton, was one of the church's founding elders.

"Pastor Dave has transformed our congregation," she said. "With his humble approach to the pulpit, he accomplished a healing of the divisions that had occurred prior to his arrival. This was illustrated last week in his sermon entitled 'Forgive Me,' in which he spoke to his humanity in his 21 years with us."

Spirit & Grace

Prosser Pansino said de Vries has introduced such initiatives as Small Groups, and encouraged them to embrace the cause of social justice. He also spearheaded the "Spirit & Space" capital improvement project, introduced "Future Story" study curriculum, and fostered more interfaith interaction and community outreach, particularly the Tiqvah Hands of Hope after-school program located in the church.

Part of Christ Church's mission Church-based program offers Canton students hope, growth

She concluded with a joke: "Lastly, he demonstrated that something good can come out of Michigan."

Congregation member Tom Okonak admires de Vries' gift for teaching and making faith relatable.

"He has a wonderful way of reflecting the life and teachings of Jesus in the way he interacts with members of his congregation and those in the community at large," he said. "Always kind and considerate, never boastful but not bashful. He has strong opinions about faithfulness, Presbyterian Reformed Theology, the wonder of grace, and the importance of knowing the history of the Bible and the times in which Jesus lived in order to understand who he was and how he lived his life. Because of this insight, he is a wonderful preacher and an even better teacher. His sermons are provocative and his Bible studies are informative, sometimes surprising, and always challenging."

Okonak said de Vries also can be fun, and proudly wears his "maize-and-blue" team gear during Ohio State-Michigan week.

Richard Milligan's family has attended Christ Church for generations.

"Dave has been a compassionate pastor/friend to our family for many years," he said. "He has a knack of being friend first, pastor second, as needed. He has long believed that his role – and the role of our church – is bigger than our membership. So Dave has been very active in the community, working with community leaders to improve the lives and well-being of everyone."

'Keep your ears open to the word of God'

De Vries, who was ordained in 1986, said he felt called to the ministry during his junior year at the University of Michigan, which has been a source of fun teasing during his time at Christ Church. He earned a master of divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, and took courses at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, and at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Prior to Canton, he served churches in Natchez, Mississippi, and Traverse City, Michigan, where he spent 13 years.

Wallace, who joined Christ Church in 2016, describes de Vries as a man with "a rich and deep faith."

"Most pastors with his many years of dedicated service would struggle to find a balance between work and life; however, Dave has many hobbies and passions, outside of work, that keep him energized and grounded," he said. "Dave has the ability to see the best in his church staff, and has given us all room to grow by collaborating and expressing our creativity − he is not a micromanager. With over 35 years of ministry experience, he has a store of wisdom and experience. This is most clearly seen in his calming pastoral presence in hospital visitation and emergency situations."

He added that de Vries' leadership was crucial in healing tensions at Christ Church.

"Under Dave’s leadership, the church healed, and those tensions faded," he said. "One major contributing factor is that, to start our monthly (leadership board sessions), Dave started the practice of having us share a meal together and hold a short worship session before delving into the business portion of the meeting. This set the tone for the leaders and reminded them what it means to be the church."

Today, membership stands at about 700, with regular weekly attendance about 150, and another 50 who watch online.

"It ain't perfect, but these are good people who are truly dedicating themselves to ministry in imitation of Jesus Christ," de Vries said. "And they're trying to do that in the city center of Canton."

What advice would he give to Wallace and George?

"Keep your ears open to the word of God, to the voice of your Lord, and to the needs of your people," he replied. "If you do that, everything is going to be OK. It's when you stop listening that things begin to go wrong."

On May 11, de Vries will deliver his final solo sermon, based on Acts: 1:24, "Lord, you know everyone's heart."

"Basically, it's a sermon that's based on gratitude, and specifically my gratitude for this congregation," he said.

A native of Detroit, de Vries and his wife, Jeanne, are returning to Traverse City, where their children were born. He said he's looking forward to spending more time with his wife, who retired from nursing in November.

"My wife and I made a pledge to each other that we will not, for one year, take on jobs in our professions so that we can find ourselves and really take prayer time to see where God is leading us," he said. "Right now, I don't see myself as a 'preaching' pastor anymore. I enjoy teaching, specifically the scriptures, and I am really, really eager to use my time voluntarily with Habitat for Humanity and shelter work. Those are the kind of things I would like to devote my time to, in time."

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Rev. David de Vries to retire from Canton's historic Christ Presbyterian Church