SHelly Donahue/ViewMime Sandy Scheller entertains first-graders at Tate Elementary School in North Las Vegas as part of the Class Act program, which brings educational arts programs into Clark County School District schools.
Vernon Towne, former pastor of Mountain View Presbyterian Church, reminisces as he stands in the church sanctuary.Jim miller/VIew
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Mountain View Presbyterian Church, 8601 Del Webb Blvd., is saying goodbye to its pastor, Vernon Towne. He has been at the helm of the Sun City Summerlin church since September 1999.
Two industrial-sized garbage cans recently were filled to the brim in his office, ready to be wheeled out and dumped.
"That's the last two," he said. "I filled 10 or 12 of them before this and I'm not really a pack rat."
Towne has presided over a number of changes since coming to Mountain View Presbyterian. He oversaw the addition to the church, which quadrupled its size to 23,000 square feet. When he began his tenure, the church had 350 members, which ultimately grew to 630. The church also has become involved with missionary work, such as building a school in a Third World country.
What will Towne miss most?
"The people," he said. "There are some wonderful people here."
Towne grew up in Seattle and graduated from Washington State University in 1964 with a degree in political science.
He graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1967 and spent 3 1/2 years as a chaplain in the United States Army.
Some of that time was in Vietnam, where he was helicoptered to landing zones to preach and counsel soldiers fresh from the battlefield. With dense jungle cover, he never knew how close the enemy was or when they would open fire on Americans.
"I heard them (bullets) zing over my head as they cut through the air," he said.
With his retirement, the 65-year-old expects to catch up on reading, indulge in his favorite pastime -- watching movies -- and travel.
David Steinman, elder in the church, said he wished Towne would stay. He explained how Towne's wife, Margaret, had a Ph.D. and taught adult education classes as her career.
"It's a shame we're losing her talent, along with Vernon's," he said. "It's a team we're losing."
Until a new preacher is named, services at Mountain View Presbyterian will be handled by Linda Kelly, associate pastor.
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