The
elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially
those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 1 Timothy 5:17
October is Pastor Appreciation
Month. We are so blessed here at North
Side Baptist Church to have so many great pastors on staff. Every one of them loves the Lord with all
their heart and strives to serve Him in every way. They love this congregation too and it shows.
Van Houser –Senior Pastor.
He is an amazing man of God who has remarkable ways of sharing God’s
word and reaching the congregation on Sunday mornings when he speaks. He is funny, witty, down to earth, but
serious when the situation calls for it.
People love his authenticity. God
continues to use him in a mighty way here at North Side.
Keith Warren – Executive Pastor.
Keith not only is an awesome preacher and teacher, but if you have a
problem no one else can fix, he most likely can. He is the one who knows everything. He is the go-to guy. But you have to catch up with him first! He stays very busy.
Gary Wood – Worship Pastor. Gary
knows music and he knows how to lead people to worship with music. He is a seasoned minister of music and has
been at North Side for 28 years. He has
seen many choirs over the years and is still directing 3 choirs and leading
music for the Blended Worship Service on Sundays. God has given him a beautiful voice that he
uses in service for Him.
Caleb Lain – Contemporary Worship Leader. Caleb brought big changes to the music
ministry when he came to North Side in 2008.
He added a contemporary flair that suits many of our congregation. He has incredible talent and musical
ability. He leads the 9:30 Contemporary Service
on Sunday mornings in worship and is pastor to the college and career
group. He also is in charge of foreign
missions.
Donnie O’Fallon and Kerry Patton – Pastoral Care Pastors. Donnie and Kerry are the two pastoral care
pastors here at North Side Baptist Church.
These guys are the ones that keep up with all the real care of the
congregation. They are aware of the
illnesses and difficult life issues that our families here at North Side are
going through and they are the ones passing on prayer requests, calling, and
visiting people in the hospital. They
also help with benevolence of church members and non-church members as well as
all kinds of counseling. Kerry writes
many of our devotionals and is also involved in music and our radio
ministry. They really never clock
out. They are pretty much on call 24/7. My guess is that they wouldn’t have it any
other way.
Eric Adcock – Middle School Director. Eric, otherwise known as “Bro”, has been on
staff here for a little over a year. He
is our dynamic and extremely talented middle school youth director. He is blessed musically and he knows how to
handle the kids of this age, as he has three of his own, and connects with the
kids on their level. This year he took a
group of middle school kids on the first ever middle school mission trip. Our youth are so blessed to have both Eric
and Jim.
Jim Garner – High School Youth Pastor. Jim came to us a little over a year ago as
well. Both Jim and Eric are amazing with
the kids. Our youth department has been
transformed into a well-oiled machine thanks to them (and God’s direction). They are committed and devoted to the
kids. Jim has four kids and has an
understanding of how they operate and what they need. He and Eric are visiting kids during
lunchtime at schools and are involved in their lives in many other ways as
well. They are building relationships
and connecting with the kids in any way they can. Jim also has brought the opportunity of youth
involvement in foreign missions. There
is a mission trip planned to Honduras for high school students in the summer of
2014.
Tamra Gutierrez - Preschool Director -. Tamra is the Preschool Director
and Director of North Side Christian Preschool.
She has the thankless job of making sure all the little bitty North
Siders are taken care of each Sunday and Wednesday. She has to find teachers and volunteers and
often does not make it to church herself because she is making sure everyone is
taken care of. She and Brian organize
Vacation Bible School every year as well which involves finding more volunteers
and organizing classes.
Brian McKay - Children’s Pastor.
Brian is the pastor to children 1st through 6th
grade. He works every Sunday and
Wednesday with the kids and goes to camp each summer. He takes the 6th graders on a
local mission trip each summer as well. He
works with the kids on salvation, offers new believers class and has special
baptism services through the year for kids.
John Dennie – Education Director.
John is responsible for overseeing all the adult discipleship
classes that take place here on campus.
He previews all curriculums and leads some discipleship classes
himself. He is also responsible for
local mission projects, does some counseling and helps with benevolence when
needed.
Donald Thompson – Senior Adult Pastor.
Donald is the pastor to our senior adults. He keeps up with all their needs and prayer
requests. He takes the senior adults on
several outings a year and many big trips as well.
Jeff Carr – Media Director. Jeff
has a very important job. Many people
depend on him and other media volunteers.
From the choir to Brother Van and even the congregation, we all depend
of the words on the screen to be there for us when we need them. Also, the amount of time and effort that Jeff
puts into special media projects, like Easter for example is endless. The results are always amazing and enhance
the sermon or program phenomenally. He
also handles any video or announcement we need done and slide shows of
different events as well.
Lance Gibson – Worship Assistant.
Lance works with Caleb and Gary in planning for the Sunday morning
services as well as arranging music and even writing some music. He plays guitar and sings in the 9:30 worship
service just about every Sunday. He also
assists in media production. He greatly
enhances the music and media programs and is extremely talented.
Perhaps you had not realized how many ministers were on staff here or
how many ministers it takes to meet the needs of a congregation this size with
so many diverse groups. God gives us
pastors to help guide us and lead us. Mark 6:34 says
When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt
compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He
began to teach them many things. A flock of sheep without a
shepherd is a bad thing. They go all
over the place, wandering without direction.
They are in great danger of wolves and other predators. They have no one to lead them to green
pastures and still waters. Shepherds
take care of their flock. They invest
their lives in them. Pastors are called
to be the shepherds to the flock of God.
They are called to teach and serve.
Take time this month to tell our awesome pastors here at North Side
Baptist Church how much you appreciate them and how much they mean to you.
Scripture to Claim:
Then I will give you shepherds after My own
heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. Jeremiah 3:15
