Jeff Manes: Young pastor feels blessed by congregation

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The Rev. Shawn Gerbers, 30, said Ross Community Reformed Church in Calumet Township “... is an incredibly friendly church. From the very get-go, they have made my wife and me feel loved.” | Photo provided

Updated: February 23, 2012 8:05AM

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 14:6)

The Rev. Shawn Gerbers has been married to Ashley for three years. They have a 2-month-old baby, Alice Mary, who was born on 11-11-11.

Gerbers, 30, is a big fan of the television program “Survivor” and wears a pair of golden studs in the middle of his left ear.

Gerbers lives next to Ross Community Reformed Church in Calumet Township, where he is approaching three years as its pastor.

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Born in Northwest Indiana?

“No, I’m from the Grand Rapids, Mich., area. Jenison is the name of the town.”

I just interviewed a guy about your age who was raised in Big Rapids, Mich.

“I know the place; it’s about an hour-and-a-half north of Grand Rapids.”

Is Jenison rural or urban?

“It was like a Crown Point, where you have the city, but further out, you have a lot of cornfields.”

Did you play sports in high school?

“Yes, I played ice hockey for four years.”

What position?

“Center.”

Detroit Red Wings fan?

“Big Red Wings fan. I was getting my hair cut at Colfax Barbershop recently and was wearing my Red Wings jersey. When the barber took off the apron, the guys who were sitting in the shop started giving me a real hard time about that.”

Baseball?

“Where I grew up, if you didn’t play baseball, you were kinda weird; everybody played baseball. I wasn’t good enough to make the varsity team; Jenison High School always was like No. 1 in the state.”

Sounds like LaPorte High School in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.

“Last year, our church started a softball team in a Highland league. It was fun. We did not do well because a lot of people didn’t have much experience, but we’re going to get a team together again this year. We were the only church team in the league.”

You’re also a distance runner.

“That’s how my wife and I met. I ran cross country in college; she was on the women’s team. I’ve run tons of races, including marathons. A buddy of mine and I run together about three days a week along the Erie-Lackawanna Trail that goes through Griffith, Highland and down to Crown Point.”

Favorite road race?

“The Run through Hell.”

I’ve heard of that; it’s in Hell, Mich.

“Hell has like a post office, a general store and that’s it. It’s a 10-mile race and it’s pretty brutal because it’s all gravel roads that are hilly. They have pretty cool T-shirts. To say you ‘ran through Hell’ is funny.”

Pastor, you’re killin’ me. What college did you attend?

“I went to Hope Collage in Holland, Mich. The denomination that I’m part of, the Reformed Church in America, is actually one of their colleges. I didn’t go there because of that, but that’s where I met God.

“I grew up in a Christian home, but I wasn’t a Christian. I went to Hope College because I wanted to be a doctor. But while going to college, I worked at a hospital in Holland as a nurse’s aide, and I really loved my job. While doing that, I decided I did not want to be a doctor.”

The seminary?

“I was in the seminary for three years, graduated and got married. I came here in March 2009. This is my first church.”

Your degree?

“In divinity. For our denomination, you have to have that in order to get ordained.”

Is the Ross Community Reformed Church different from other Christian Reformed churches?

“They are pretty much the same.”

Some folks refer to it as Dutch Reformed. Are you of Dutch ancestry?

“My father’s side is German and my mom’s side is Dutch; her maiden name is Kooiker. It’s pronounced like the word Quaker.”

For members of the Reformed Churches, other than worship, not a lot of activities take place on Sundays.

“Where I am from, in western Michigan, it’s a very, very religious area. It used to be, you couldn’t even water your lawn on Sundays. You would be looked down upon. Today, people are doing more things. But, people still don’t do a ton of things on Sundays, and lot of businesses are closed.

“That was the joke before I got here, that this was one of the few non-Dutch Reformed churches. We have some Hispanic and African-American members. There aren’t many Dutch people in this church.”

Are the members of all ages?

“When I got here, the average age was probably almost 70. We still have a number of people who are in their 90s. They brought in a younger guy like me because they wanted to reach a younger group. God has been very faithful; a lot of younger people have been coming to the church.”

How many members?

“We worship around 100. This church was built in 1951, but Ross has been a church since 1930. The old building was located about a half-mile south of here. Where we’re at now used to be an old hog farm.”

Shawn, about six or seven years ago, I interviewed a man named Ed van Wijk. He’s about my age, but spent the first half of his life in The Netherlands. He asked me, “Jeff, do you know how copper wire was invented?” I told him I did not. Ed said, “Two Dutchmen fighting over a penny.”

“The Dutch are very frugal. After my siblings and I moved out of the house, my parents downsized and moved to a subdivision near Grand Rapids. Almost all their neighbors were people like my age. These were very nice houses.

“I was like, ‘How can they afford it?’ Well, they’re all going into debt, big time. I was not raised that way. If you don’t have the money for it, you don’t buy it.”

Anything else about the church?

“This church is an incredibly friendly church. From the very get-go, they have made my wife and me feel loved.”

One of your favorite Bible verses?

“John 14:6. Jeff, I know what my life was like without Jesus. I wasn’t a good person. I was selfish and partied very hard. I did a lot of stupid things.

“But when God got hold of me and Jesus came into my life, it really transformed into who I am. I believe that wholeheartedly.”

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In 1930, the Rev. H. Vander Ploeg was the pastor of Ross Church. Charter members had surnames like Jansen, Koedyker, Niles and Kaluf. Some of those families have attended Ross for five generations

In 2012, Ross Community Reformed Church continues to thrive, but those who attend have names like Villarreal, McCoy, Bianchi and Tatalozich.

They have a pastor who has run through “Hell” and back.

And they love one another.