March 31 Today in OPC History

On Friday, March 31, 1967, licentiate Carl E. Erickson was ordained to the gospel ministry. Fifty years later, to the day, the Rev. Carl E. Erickson celebrated not only the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination, but also his retirement as pastor of New Covenant OPC in South San Francisco, California.

On Friday, March 31, 2017, current and former members and friends of NCOPC gathered from near and far (Northern and Southern California, Hawaii, Missouri, and Spain) to pay tribute to Pastor Erickson’s faithful ministry to the saints at New Covenant. Heart-warming tributes to Pastor Erickson’s loving care for the flock were given by many.

At their 2017 spring meeting, the Presbytery of Northern California and Nevada presented a written Commendation to Pastor Erickson for five decades of consistent faithfulness to Christ and His church in both the local congregation and the Presbytery. In addition to his pastoral duties, Pastor Erickson served as chairman of the Credentials Committee for fifteen years and as dean of Family Conference for twenty-five years. During that time, he also served as a trustee for the San Francisco Crisis Pregnancy Center and as a trustee for Westminster Seminary, CA, for several years.

To God be the glory!

Note: While Pastor Erickson served NCOPC for 50 years, he “comes in second.” The Rev. Harold L. Dorman pastored Skowhegan OPC in Skowhegan, ME, for 56 years.

Picture: Carl and Kathy Erickson