David Carson letter

Dear Christi,

Monday evening, the day of your dad’s memorial service, my brother, Bill phoned with this story. I am re-telling it to the best of my ability as I thought you and some others in your family would be interested. I have added some Bible verses and commentary.

The Story:

In 1958 my brother Bill was a senior at New Kensington High School [aka Ken Hi]. He had his life figured out pretty well… He planned to go to Westminster College and become an engineer. Our family was in the United Presbyterian Church and Bill knew kids from his youth group who were going there.

Earlier that year, On College and Career Day, Bill went straight to the classroom marked for Westminster College. Unfortunately, the room was full – all the cool kids from school were squeezed in there! He couldn’t get in the door! There would be opportunity for another session that evening, but what to do in the meantime? As he turned reluctantly from the doorway, he saw the sign for Geneva College and decided to kill some time there until a space opened up in the Westminster Room. Bill hesitated at the door, noting that there was not one student in the room, but the young man [David Carson] representing Geneva College, welcomed him into the room before he had a chance to think about moving on.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. Romans 8:28

It is the momentous events of life that most often cause thoughts of the Providence of God to come to mind. Births, deaths, disasters that occur or are averted, give us pause, but it is important to remember that ordinary, everyday happenings are just as important to God’s eternal plan.

How different things might have been in our family and in David’s if one of the events of this story were changed!

Another person in David’s shoes, seeing that only one boy was coming to his presentation, might have felt that he was wasting his time. David, however, believed that God puts circumstances and people in front of him for a reason. Therefore, he sat down with Bill and talked to him about his beloved Geneva College. He was charming and gracious as well as knowledgeable. Bill changed his mind that evening and decided to go to Geneva College.

At Geneva, Bill was in Bob Tweed’s Bible class. Prof Tweed suggested that Bill check out a Reformed Presbyterian mission work that had begun near his home.

When Bill came home for a weekend visit, he found that our family was not attending church for an unusual reason. In 1958 the road in front of our house was torn out to be replaced by a bigger, better road. It was a true dirt road and so dusty to travel [Back then, we did not have air conditioning in the car, so the windows had to be down on a warm day.] that when we went anywhere, we arrived covered with yellow dirt. We had actually gone to church once, but arriving in that dusty condition was very embarrassing!

Bill suggested trying the new, local Reformed Presbyterian Church which was much closer. I was the only one interested in going with him and I loved it! I loved the friendliness of the people and that everyone was participating in the singing, though I did think the “hymns” were strange. I recognized some tunes, but the words were all different. A seminary student taught my Sabbath School class – it was wonderful! I wanted to go back. No one else, however, was very interested in the family, even though we could get there without getting very dusty.

My dad’s car broke down and we could not go anywhere. I heard my mother say, “ We should have been going to church.” I said that the little church near us had a bus. The next week we all went to church in that bus and we never went back to the United Presbyterian Church. My dad invited his brother Bob and his sister, Mary Jane.

Aunt Mary Jane was faithful in bringing her 3 kids and her second husband’s 5 kids for as long as they lived at home. They joined the church, but as they married they either lost interest or moved away.

Carol, Aunt Mary Jane’s daughter, moved back home with her two young children, Bill and Renee, Bill and Renee grew up in the Reformed Presbyterian Church and both went to Geneva College. Somewhere along the way, Bill and Christy Carson, daughter of David Carson, fell in love and married and presented him with three beautiful, talented grandchildren.

Now, let’s just go back to College and Career Day in 1958 at Ken Hi…

David Carson was only acting as the godly man he was. It probably did not seem like a big deal to him to do his job well. He was a conscientious, responsible Christian man. I never knew him not to be kind, generous, gracious and charming. He had no idea what he was setting in motion that day. He had no idea how many lives would be changed and blessed including his own!

The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Ps. 37:23

As Bill told me this story I was particularly struck by the way God used little, ordinary things to nudge the story along. Everyday we “cast our bread on the water,” when we chose to please the Lord and refrain from evil. Everyday we are blessed, but we don’t often see such far reaching effects in our personal lives, and we often do not, or cannot, look back and see so many connections. This story is not just about your dad, it is really about God using your dad – and the boy who arrived too late to get into the presentation he wanted, and the torn up road, and the broken car, and the new mission work, and etc. to work out His plan to bring His people into the fold and to bless your folks and you and me and many others. Of course, it is about your extraordinary dad, too. Your parents taught me so much, just by being themselves.

Much love,

Jane Imm