Steve Maul

Steve was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia. His father passed away when he was 14. At 17, his mother sent him by train to attend Abilene Christian College. After earning his degree there, he pursued graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

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I was born in Houston, Texas. In 1965, Pat graduated from high school and began attending the University of Texas, where she met Steve at the Church of Christ Bible Center on campus. They became engaged over Thanksgiving weekend in 1966 and married in June 1967.

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Pat completed her mathematics degree in the summer of 1968, and Steve finished his graduate studies that December. They packed everything into their Corvair and moved to Boston, where Steve spent two years at MIT, and Pat worked as a computer programmer for a small engineering firm. Though they had little money and no children at the time, they made the most of their weekends by camping and exploring New England.

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In the fall of 1970, they moved to Indianapolis. Steve worked for Eli Lilly, and Pat worked at a university computing center. They bought their first home in 1971, and Pat bet her boss 50 cents they’d live there for 20 years—a bet she lost. Pat worked until August 1972, when their first daughter, Lydia, was born.

 

In 1974, their lives changed dramatically. They purchased a beautiful country home, but before they could move in, Steve lost his job. Suddenly, they were responsible for two mortgages with no income. In the months that followed, they sold the first house, moved into the second, became pregnant with their second child, found a new job, and relocated to New Jersey—into house number three. Their daughter Debby was born in March 1975. Thankfully, Steve’s new employer provided an interest-free loan for the down payment on the new home, since house #2 stayed on the market for nearly a year.

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While in New Jersey, they became part of an “Exodus” church—a movement in which Christians relocated from Southern congregations to plant new churches in the Northeast. Around 100 people moved to the area at the same time, forming a close-knit congregation that still thrives today.

After about 18 months in New Jersey, Steve accepted a job at the Butler County Mushroom Farm. Despite liking his current job, the long daily commute had become exhausting, prompting another move.

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In October 1976, they settled into a country home in Kittanning, Pennsylvania. The early days were filled with doubts—they were about 50 minutes from the nearest churches of Christ  in three different directions. One snowy Sunday in February, they managed to attend church in Indiana, PA, where they met Clarence and Eileen McDowell, who were preparing to move to Kittanning to start a new congregation. Steve and Pat were part of Clarence’s first audience on that inaugural Sunday.

Their third daughter, Rachel, was born in January 1981. By then, the older two girls were already in school.

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In 1986, Steve was laid off from the Mushroom Farm. The family lived off unemployment and savings while Steve worked to start his own business, which took a few years to gain traction. In early 1989, Pat joined Lab Chem, a start-up company, working part-time for three years before transitioning to full-time in 1992.

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Steve was appointed one of the first elders of the Kittanning church of Christ in 1985 and continues to serve in that role. Pat has faithfully supported the church in countless ways over the years.

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On January 1, 1994, Lydia married Eric, a devoted Christian she met at Abilene Christian College. They now live near Harrisburg and worship with the Camp Hill church of Christ.

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On December 31, 1994, Debby married Clem Rosenberger III, also a strong Christian. Both are Harding University graduates, and Clem now serves as an elder in the Kittanning congregation.

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Rachel also graduated from Harding University, where she met Sam Garner. They now live in Medford, Oregon, where Sam preaches for the West Main church of Christ.