May 11 Today in OPC History

Frank J. Marsh was ordained by the Presbytery of the Midwest to serve as associate pastor of Spencer Mills Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Gowen, Michigan, on this date in 1990. Two years later, he became the pastor of the congregation. In 2008, Frank was installed as pastor of Covenant OPC in New Berlin, Wisconsin, a position he holds today.

Born on January 16, 1957 in New Jersey, Frank graduated in 1980 with a BA from Nyack College in Nyack, New York. On August 15, 1987, he married Deborah Van Ess, who had grown up worshipping in Bethel OPC in Oostburg, Wisconsin. Frank graduated with his master of divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1989. They have four daughters, three of whom were adopted from China. The eldest, adopted in the United States, lives in Texas.

While Frank was pastor of Spencer Mills OPC, they helped to start a daughter church ten miles away in Rockford Springs, Michigan. The church sacrificially sent forty of their members, including two elders and two deacons, to support the work. Although Frank had concerns about losing that many members from his congregation, the Lord blessed Spencer Mills by sending seventy new people to the mother church!

Covenant OPC in New Berlin showed their love for their pastor and foreign missions by supporting Frank when he stepped in to replace a furloughing missionary in China for four months in 2014. Frank and Debbie took their three daughters back to the land of their adoption. As a pastor and missionary associate, he taught conversational English and shepherded our missionary associates.

While the Marshes went to China to support our missionaries and missionary associates, Frank wrote for the OPC.org website in 2014 that the family learned to trust God and love those who are culturally different—which helps as they minister to their Wisconsin congregation.

Picture: Frank Marsh and family.