Rev. Bowen took the pulpit at Crafton United Presbyterian Church in 2000 and began to build relationships that would make the church an integral part of the community fabric. “It took a long time to get there,” he said. “But I think people came to look at what we were doing as very much out of concern for the community and the kids. What was gratifying was when people would refer to an activity as going on at ‘the church’ they wouldn’t say Crafton United Presbyterian Church. It was taken for granted that people knew what church it was.”
He became a regular at PTA meetings. He organized a youth club and regular dances. He volunteered at school science days, fundraisers, book fairs and end-of-the year carnivals. He started an after-school program and would show up at the end of the school day to escort the children to the church where it was held.
In 2012, Rev. Bowen left the Crafton church for an assignment as pastor of the Bates Memorial Presbyterian Church in Huntington, W.Va. Shortly after he arrived at his new church he received grave news from his doctors. He had cancer and the prognosis was that he might only have a year or two to live.
His thoughts returned to Crafton. In 2013, he established the Rev. Ed Bowen Fund for the Children of Crafton with a donation of $200,000.
A committee made up of school officials and community leaders decides how to spend annual grants according to guidelines that broadly stipulate the money be put toward promoting the education, recreation, or general welfare of the children of Crafton. The committee quickly decided the grants should benefit all local children, whether they attend the elementary school or not.
Rev. Bowen died in Dec. 2016. Read his obituary and learn more about his life and legacy here: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2016/12/23/Obituary-C-Edward-Bowen-Generous-pastor-was-dedicated-to-schoolchildren-in-Crafton/stories/201612230039.