Leadership

As a child I was brought up in the Lutheran church.  In fact, my grandfather was a Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor, but I never had a chance to know him because he died shortly after I was born.  My mother was faithful in taking me to church until I was in middle school, but I don’t remember my dad going to church at all.  I experienced catechism class and confirmation, but I did not make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ.  My mother was diagnosed with cancer while I was in high school, and that helped me to start thinking about spiritual things again.  I started attending church, but I also dabbled in the new age with some of my friends.  This continued for several years, and when I was a sophomore in college I met the woman who was to become my wife.  She invited me to attend a Baptist church, and it was shortly afterwards that I made my profession of faith and was baptized.  Soon after that I felt God’s call to preach, and, because of Valerie’s mixed experiences growing up as a pastor’s kid, I asked her to marry me again.  She still said yes!

 

Our journey since that time has been incredible.  We’ve been to four schools, six different churches, and I’ve managed to get three degrees along the way.  God has also blessed us with two wonderful children and a new son-in-law and daughter-in-law.   We are also very excited and very thankful to be back in the Midwest to minister.  My wife and I were born about 200 miles from Sister Bay, in opposite directions!  God is good!  All the time!  God is good!

 

We are looking forward to God doing great things through the ministry of First Baptist Church in the years ahead.  “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Elders