First Baptist Church of Scottsdale's Past - OUR PAST

On July 1, 1920, Rev. Vanderhoof was called as the eleventh pastor for First Baptist Church of Scottsdale. Vanderhoof resigned as Colporter-Missionary from the Publication Society of Philadelphia saying a few years in the pastorate would give him time for study and then he would be more efficient as a Colporter-Missionary.

Rev. V.A.Vanderhoof and group of young people, 1920.
Back row: Mittie Vanderhoof, Z.Sullivan, __? Fred Mathis, V.A.Vanderhoof, __? Earl Mathis.
Front row: Mary Embry, Vada Sullivan, Zena Embry, Alice Holland?

After serving three years as pastor of FBCS, in October 1923 Rev. Vanderhoof was asked to return to the Colporter work and told that a position had been held open for him for several months. He finally offered his resignation to the church to be effective at the close of the last Sunday of the month. He and Jane were asked to step outside the church. They were called back after a time to be informed that the church had voted not to accept my resignation. At the close of the services on the last Sunday of the month Rev. Vanderhoof said, “I am now making my resignation final.” Two deacons rose and said, “If you go, we are leaving the church.” After a conference with the two deacons, they stayed.

After his resignation as pastor, the following paragraph appeared in a November issue of the Arizona Baptist Bulletin

In his autobiographical writings, Rev. Vanderhoof made an interesting comment about one pastor of the church, but neither that pastor nor the years involved were disclosed. His statement rather reminds one of the illustration of the two faithful servants and one unfaithful servant imparted by Jesus in Matthew 25:14-30.

“At one time our church had the longest list of tithers in the state, and mission giving rose above that for current expenses. A pastor who thought that was too much persuaded the church to discontinue individual mission giving and give 10% of all offerings to missions. All offerings dropped so low that the pastor resigned and it took several years for the church to recover.”

On May 15, 1923, The Arizona Baptist Convention wrote to Rev. Vanderhoof congratulating the minister and the church on paying off the church debts and becoming self sufficient. The letter does not seem to be connected with the above incident. Prior to this time, the church had received a stipend from the Convention. All parties were assuredly very happy about the letter and the reason for it.

In the spring of 1940 while he was still serving as a Colporter-Missionary, Rev. and Mrs. Vanderhoof deeded a $500.00 lot to the church on which Rev. Ed Lester and the men of the church built a lovely pastor’s home. The church members also enlarged the church, adding 2 Sunday school rooms to the primary department building and a Junior-Intermediate building which had earlier been built directly behind the church. . A bit later, they added a baptistery, a pastor’s study, a nursery room and a vestibule to the original church building.

Revs. Ed Lester and J.W. Taber, 14th and 15th pastors, circa 1940s.

After resigning as pastor in October 1923, Verner and Jane went back into the Mission work and served the Lord in that capacity until they were retired on May 1, 1942 because of the age limit of 70. In his late years, Rev. Vanderhoof wrote: “I am still a member of the same church [First Baptist Church of Scottsdale.] and am a senior deacon.”

In 1954, he wrote: “Six ministers have gone out from this church. Two of us as Colporter-Missionaries and four girls as wives of Baptist ministers, four girls in mission work. A young man and four more young girls recently dedicated their lives to anything to which God may call them.”

By 1954, a much larger building plan was being worked out, and a Baldwin organ was purchased. The Pastor’s home, first occupied by Rev. Lester, had become surrounded by business buildings. The church sold it for $12,000.00 and purchased a new pastor’s home farther out of town, with more land, and a much finer building for $14,500.