August 21 Today in OPC History

The Orthodox Presbyterian Church lost a fruitful minister of the gospel on August 21, 2004. On that date, the Lord took Dwight Hunt Poundstone to glory, ninety-one years after his birth in Los Angeles, California, on July 7, 1913. He was a first cousin of missionary Bruce F. Hunt.

Mr. Poundstone was predeceased by Kathleen, his wife of fifty-three years, in 1993, and is survived by son Donald, daughter Frances Nichols, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He was a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles in 1936 and of Westminster Theological Seminary in 1939. Having received his theological training in the earliest years of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, he was well-grounded in what the Church stood for, and throughout his ministry he bent his efforts to the building of a biblical Reformed church.

Those efforts were focused mainly on three Orthodox Presbyterian congregations, all in California, two of which he started as a home missionary. His first pastorate was the newly constituted Beverly Church in East Los Angeles, 1939–56; then Calvary Church in La Mirada, 1957–65; and El Camino Church in Goleta (Santa Barbara area), 1965–77. Blessed with an always winsome personality, his skills and effectiveness in the ministry grew with his spirituality through the years. When he retired from the Goleta ministry, he left behind a flourishing congregation with a significant ministry among students at the University of California at Santa Barbara. As a pastor, he “wore well.” Later, he served as interim pastor of the English-language Community Church in Alexandria, Egypt, for a year (1980–81).

Mr. Poundstone was characterized by a kind and sunny demeanor. He had a beautiful baritone voice, and was in demand as a soloist for many church-related occasions. His interests ranged from his music to golf (particularly with the late Henry Coray) to (after retirement) oil painting. But preaching the gospel was not only his occupation, but also his chief hobby. He worked diligently in the work of his presbytery, and was moderator of the OPC’s Sixteenth General Assembly when it met in Los Angeles in 1949.

Editorial note: This is the memorial note composed by the Rev. John P. Galbraith as it appeared in the November 2004 New Horizons.