Kirk of Our Savior
Presbyterian Church
OUR PASTOR
Rev. Mike Beckman
The Reverend Michael Beckman has been the pastor at Kirk of Our Savior since 2015.
The son of a pastor, Mike was born in and spent his first 8 years in northwestern Pennsylvania. He grew up in Texas and Oklahoma before graduating high school in Newark, Delaware and attending college there at the University of Delaware. Upon graduation, he moved to Philadelphia and worked a variety of jobs before coming to the ministry: social worker, salesman, daycare center director, and substitute teacher for grades K-12 (among others). Feeling a call to ministry that grew stronger every year, he finally responded by completing his Master of Divinity degree at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Pastor Mike is a lover of nature and an avid sports fan; he is a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Phillies, Michigan Wolverines, and Oklahoma Sooners. He loves Reader's Digest, coffee, the beach, and singing in the car (or the sanctuary) at the top of his lungs.
OUR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Carolyn Marnon
Carolyn has been our administrative assistant since January 2015. A resident of Westland, she hails from Portland, Oregon, where she graduated from Portland State University with a BS in Business Administration. While "being married to the US Navy," Carolyn lived in San Diego and San Francisco with her husband, Bob. They have two children, both now college graduates. Carolyn also writes for The Wayne Dispatch, a monthly newspaper that promotes positive community news in Wayne. In her free time, she enjoys reading, art journaling, and junk journaling. One thing you might not know about Carolyn: she used to be a competitive roller skater.
OUR CHURCH
Kirk of Our Savior began as a mission church named the "Nankin Mission of the Garden City Presbyterian Church,” and the congregation conducted its first worship service on July 7, 1958. This took place at the Cady School, which was on the corner of Cherry Hill and Wayne Road in Westland, Michigan. The members adopted the name "Kirk of Our Savior" in 1960, to honor Scottish tradition (“Kirk” is Scottish for “church”). On Pentecost Sunday, June 5, 1960, the Kirk was constituted and officially organized by the Presbytery of Detroit.
On March 12, 1961, the congregation purchased eight acres of land at the present location of the Kirk on Cherry Hill Road in Westland, and a successful building fund campaign culminated in a groundbreaking ceremony on July 7, 1963. On December 22, 1963, the Kirk held their first worship service in their new sanctuary.
In the 54+ years since, Kirk of Our Savior has maintained its reputation as a family church that is devoted to mission. The people of the Kirk have a lot of love to give; you would be hard-pressed to find a more loyal or generous group of people (loyal to each other and their savior Jesus Christ, and generous to all).
While we are quite fond of the traditional elements of worship with which many of us grew up, the Kirk is not afraid to try new things and seek new ways to glorify and worship God together. We are comfortable wearing our hearts on our sleeves in the middle of the sanctuary, be it in laughter or song; during the sermon or (especially) children’s time. There is nothing wrong with having fun and enjoying fellowship, and every week we do our best to remind one another of exactly that in as many different ways as possible.
But please don’t just take my word for it. Come and see for yourself! :)
Pastor Mike