OUR HISTORY
January 1974 Westminster Presbytery declares its intention to begin a new church in northwest Hillsborough and in March calls Rev. William P. Anderson, Jr. to be organizing minister.
April 1974 On Palm Sunday, 38 people attend the first worship service in the bank building at Lake Carroll Way and Dale Mabry.
December 1974 The congregation moves into the former sales office for Carrollwood Village, the building that was later named Anderson Hall.
May 1975 Village Presbyterian Church is officially chartered with 75 members in the Westminster Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.
Summer 1979 Village hosts its first Vacation Bible School.
Fall 1979 Sunday School classes are offered for all ages.
December 1980 First Live Nativity scene is presented on the church lawn complete with live animals.
October 1981 John S. McCall is approved as first pastoral candidate from VPC.
November 1982 Rev. H. William Vassey is installed as the second senior pastor and serves until December 1988.
March 1983 The first Presbyterian Women (PW) officers are elected and installed.
June 1983 VPC becomes a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) upon the reunification of the Northern (United Presbyterian Church in the USA) and Southern (Presbyterian Church in the US) denominations.
March 1985 The new sanctuary building with the blue tile roof is dedicated.
September 1985 Linda Beckham is hired as the first Christian Educator for Village.
September 1986 The Heissler Organ (Opus 442) is dedicated in the sanctuary. It is a 21 stop, 23 rank organ built in 1986 by the Franz Heissler Organ Company of Germany. The organ has 1,156 pipes ranging in size from 10 feet to smaller than a pencil. The metal pipes are made of a tin and lead combination while the wooden ones are made of Swedish pine. The custom designed case is built of solid American white oak. There are 56 Spanish Trompettes mounted horizontally in the center of the case.
February 1987 Gary Wirsz is hired as the organist.
March 1990 Rev. James A. Nightingale is installed as the third senior pastor and serves until July 1998.
May 1992 Mark Orendorf is hired as the first full time youth director.
August 1993 Rev. Kathleen A. Waters is installed as the first associate pastor and is also responsible for Christian education and served until March 1998.
September 1993 Seven trained Bethel teachers begin teaching the two year, lay-led Bible study to more than 90 students.
March 1995 The first class of Stephen Ministers is commissioned to give distinctively Christian care to members and friends of VPC.
June 1995 The youth group organizes its first mission trip to Merida, Mexico.
July 1995 Kristy Welshhans is ordained and installed as the first Youth Elder.
August 1995 Mission outreach increases with an intergenerational mission trip to Homestead, Florida.
February 1996 Todd Buhrmaster is hired as the second full time youth director.
January 1998 Village participates in the Tampa Billy Graham Crusade.
July 1998 The first Board of Deacons is ordained and installed. Michelle Mackness is ordained and installed as the first Youth Deacon.
August 1998 Rev. Harriett Houston Cale joins the VPC staff as Interim Associated Pastor, followed by Dr. W. Edmund Carver as Interim Pastor in September.
January 2000 Dr. Charles C. Legvold joins the VPC staff as Senior Pastor and serves until January 2004.
March 2000 Village celebrates its 25th Anniversary.
May 2001 Terri Bilotta joins the VPC staff as third full time youth director.
August 2002 Mike Legaspi joins the VPC staff as Director of Student Ministries.
May 2004 Rev. Ginny Simmons Ellis begins as Interim Pastor.
February 2005 Jon Oosterling joins the VPC staff as Contemporary Music Director.
April 2005 Justin Morrisroe is hired as the fourth full time youth director.
February 2006 Rev. James C. Yearsley is called as the fifth Senior Pastor of Village Presbyterian Church.
October 2007 Miranda Morrisroe joins the VPC staff as Director of Christian Education and Outreach.
2008 and 2009 A new Strategic Plan is created and adopted. Elders and Deacons are divided into four ministry teams. The Mission Statement "Continuing Christ's Work in the World" is adopted.
October 2008 Members begin stocking a small closet in the pastor's office with canned goods to give to people in need.
February 2009 The Community Food Pantry is launched from a Sunday School classroom with weekly distribution times.
May 2010 Anderson Hall is renovated and the Community Food Pantry receives its own entrance and distribution space. The main building's blue tile roof is replaced with a blue steel roof.
December 2010 Village begins working with A Kid's Place in Hillsborough County.
May 2011 The Community Food Pantry hosts its first community food distribution with Feeding America giving away 7,000 pounds of food in one day.
February 2012 Gary Wirsz celebrates his 25th anniversary as VPC's organist.
March 2013 Brittany Bozeman joins VPC as Director of Music and Arts.
April 2013 First International Mission trip to Nakekela, South Africa.
July 2013 Michelle Blume joins VPC as Director of Discipleship and Missions.
August 2015 Monica Wilson joins the staff as Director of the Community Food Pantry.
September 2016 CFP joins Carrollwood Area Business Association.
January 2017 Community Food Pantry receives its first grant through the Allegany Franciscan Ministries Tau Grant.
March 2017 CFP awarded a 20-foot refrigerated trailer through a grant from Feeding Tampa Bay.
April 2017 First Annual Denim & Diamonds fundraising dinner for the CFP.
June 2017 Holly Kowalczyk joins the VPC staff as Director of Christian Education.
September/October 2017 Rev. Kenneth Shick joins VPC staff as interim pastor when Rev. James C. Yearsley retires as Pastor Emeritus after eleven years of service.
March 2018 CFP chosen by Feeding Tampa Bay as a "model pantry" to participate in a pilot program on how to better serve those in need.
February 2019 Jon Oosterling returns to VPC as Director of Music.
May 2019 Rev. John B. Erthein is called as the sixth senior pastor of Village Presbyterian Church and serves until July 2020.
September 2020 Rev. Dr. Haemin Lee joins Village as interim pastor and serves through December 2021.
December 2021 Village Presbyterian holds in 41st Living Nativity for the community.
January 2022 The Community Food Pantry serves its 5,000,000th meal.
October 2022 Brittany Bozeman returns to VPC as Director of Music.
January 1974 Westminster Presbytery declares its intention to begin a new church in northwest Hillsborough and in March calls Rev. William P. Anderson, Jr. to be organizing minister.
April 1974 On Palm Sunday, 38 people attend the first worship service in the bank building at Lake Carroll Way and Dale Mabry.
December 1974 The congregation moves into the former sales office for Carrollwood Village, the building that was later named Anderson Hall.
May 1975 Village Presbyterian Church is officially chartered with 75 members.
Summer 1979 Village hosts its first Vacation Bible School.
Fall 1979 Sunday School classes are offered for all ages.
December 1980 First Live Nativity scene is presented on the church lawn complete with live animals.
October 1981 John S. McCall is approved as first pastoral candidate from VPC.
November 1982 Rev. H. William Vassey is installed as the second senior pastor and serves until December 1988.
March 1983 The first Presbyterian Women (PW) officers are elected and installed.
March 1985 The new sanctuary building with the blue tile roof is dedicated.
September 1985 Linda Beckham is hired as the first Christian Educator for Village.
September 1986 The Heissler Organ (Opus 442) is dedicated in the sanctuary. It is a 21 stop, 23 rank organ built in 1986 by the Franz Heissler Organ Company of Germany. The organ has 1,156 pipes ranging in size from 10 feet to smaller than a pencil. The metal pipes are made of a tin and lead combination while the wooden ones are made of Swedish pine. The custom designed case is built of solid American white oak. There are 56 Spanish Trompettes mounted horizontally in the center of the case.
February 1987 Gary Wirsz is hired as the organist.
March 1990 Rev. James A. Nightingale is installed as the third senior pastor and serves until July 1998.
May 1992 Mark Orendorf is hired as the first full time youth director.
August 1993 Rev. Kathleen A. Waters is installed as the first associate pastor and is also responsible for Christian education and served until March 1998.
September 1993 Seven trained Bethel teachers begin teaching the two year, lay-led Bible study to more than 90 students.
March 1995 The first class of Stephen Ministers is commissioned to give distinctively Christian care to members and friends of VPC.
June 1995 The youth group organizes its first mission trip to Merida, Mexico.
July 1995 Kristy Welshhans is ordained and installed as the first Youth Elder.
August 1995 Mission outreach increases with an intergenerational mission trip to Homestead, Florida.
February 1996 Todd Buhrmaster is hired as the second full time youth director.
January 1998 Village participates in the Tampa Billy Graham Crusade.
July 1998 The first Board of Deacons is ordained and installed. Michelle Mackness is ordained and installed as the first Youth Deacon.
August 1998 Rev. Harriett Houston Cale joins the VPC staff as Interim Associated Pastor, followed by Dr. W. Edmund Carver as Interim Pastor in September.
January 2000 Dr. Charles C. Legvold joins the VPC staff as Senior Pastor and serves until January 2004.
March 2000 Village celebrates its 25th Anniversary.
May 2001 Terri Bilotta joins the VPC staff as third full time youth director.
August 2002 Mike Legaspi joins the VPC staff as Director of Student Ministries.
May 2004 Rev. Ginny Simmons Ellis begins as Interim Pastor.
February 2005 Jon Oosterling joins the VPC staff as Contemporary Music Director.
April 2005 Justin Morrisroe is hired as the fourth full time youth director.
February 2006 Rev. James C. Yearsley is called as the fifth Senior Pastor of Village Presbyterian Church.
October 2007 Miranda Morrisroe joins the VPC staff as Director of Christian Education and Outreach.
2008 and 2009 A new Strategic Plan is created and adopted. Elders and Deacons are divided into four ministry teams. The Mission Statement "Continuing Christ's Work in the World" is adopted.
October 2008 Members begin stocking a small closet in the pastor's office with canned goods to give to people in need.
February 2009 The Community Food Pantry is launched from a Sunday School classroom with weekly distribution times.
May 2010 Anderson Hall is renovated and the Community Food Pantry receives its own entrance and distribution space. The main building's blue tile roof is replaced with a blue steel roof.
December 2010 Village begins working with A Kid's Place in Hillsborough County.
May 2011 The Community Food Pantry hosts its first community food distribution with Feeding America giving away 7,000 pounds of food in one day.
February 2012 Gary Wirsz celebrates his 25th anniversary as VPC's organist.
March 2013 Brittany Bozeman joins VPC as Director of Music and Arts.
April 2013 First International Mission trip to Nakekela, South Africa.
July 2013 Michelle Blume joins VPC as Director of Discipleship and Missions.
August 2015 Monica Wilson joins the staff as Director of the Community Food Pantry.
September 2016 CFP joins Carrollwood Area Business Association.
January 2017 Community Food Pantry receives its first grant through the Allegany Franciscan Ministries Tau Grant.
March 2017 CFP awarded a 20-foot refrigerated trailer through a grant from Feeding Tampa Bay.
April 2017 First Annual Denim & Diamonds fundraising dinner for the CFP.
June 2017 Holly Kowalczyk joins the VPC staff as Director of Christian Education.
September/October 2017 Rev. Kenneth Shick joins VPC staff as interim pastor when Rev. James C. Yearsley retires as Pastor Emeritus after eleven years of service.
March 2018 CFP chosen by Feeding Tampa Bay as a "model pantry" to participate in a pilot program on how to better serve those in need.
February 2019 Jon Oosterling returns to VPC as Director of Music.
May 2019 Rev. John B. Erthein is called as the sixth senior pastor of Village Presbyterian Church and serves until July 2020.
September 2020 Rev. Dr. Haemin Lee joins Village as interim pastor and serves through December 2021.
December 2021 Village Presbyterian holds in 41st Living Nativity for the community.
January 2022 The Community Food Pantry serves its 5,000,000th meal.
October 2022 Brittany Bozeman returns to VPC as Director of Music.