Thank You to the Pastors Who Blessed Me

This month is Pastor Appreciation Month. And, so, I’d like to recognize those pastors who impacted me. I can’t list all of them. If I tried, this post would be like a long-winded sermon. (OBCers, no comments, please 🙂 ). Allow me to thank…

Pastors in My Youth

• Vinton Williams, former pastor of Trinity Baptist Church and my childhood pastor — now retired
• Ben Sanders, former pastor of then Bethlehem Baptist Church and the pastor who married Jane and me — now with the Lord
• David Perdue, senior pastor of First Baptist of Milford, DE, and former assistant pastor of then Bethlehem Baptist Church (and the principal of the Christian school from which I graduated)

Pastors in My Young Adult Years

• Barry White, current pastor of Park Valley Church and the leader of our young marrieds’ class when Jane and I attended Bethlehem
• Mike Minter, former pastor of Reston Bible Church and my pastor during my late 20s and early 30s — now retired

Pastors Who Helped Me Become a Pastor

• David R. Stokes, former pastor of Expectation Church (formerly Fair Oaks Church, formerly Bethlehem Baptist Church) and the man who called for and pastored me through my ordination (but don’t hold that against him) — now retired
• Jack Creditt, longtime assistant pastor and pillar of Sligo Baptist Church in Wilmington, Ohio (where I first pastored)

Pastors Who Have Helped Me Serve OBC

• Gayle Clifton, my predecessor at Olney Baptist Church and a good friend (he emailed me all his jokes when I came to OBC 🙂 )
• David Lee, former executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware
• Tom Stolle, current executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware
• Ron Blankenship, director of missions for the Montgomery Baptist Association and a man who has been a huge blessing to me during my time at OBC
• Michael Mattar, pastor of Hope Fellowship Church and language church missionary with Montgomery Baptist Association – also a friend and blessing
• Brian Moss, pastor of Oak Ridge Baptist Church in Salisbury, MD
• Charles Bailey, elder at Olney Baptist Church who has been a pillar at OBC for years and who did prison ministry for many years
• Curt Sumpter, elder at Olney Baptist Church and leader of Quest Bible Ministries
• Bryan Arnett, former youth and children’s pastor at OBC, now senior pastor at Burtonsville Baptist Church
• Kyle Engle, former youth and children’s pastor at OBC, now the family pastor at Cross Pointe in FL (pray for the Engles as their region deals with this hurricane)
• Alex Flores, OBC’s family ministry director on the path to pastoral ordination

Dear Friends Who Are Pastors

• Colin Seager, senior pastor of Derwood Bible Church and a dear friend since college
• John Wells, former president and now chancellor of Emory & Henry University, former pastor of several churches in the Methodist denomination (yes, he’s not Baptist, but no one’s perfect 🙂 )

Words Aren’t Enough

This could be long. But it’s fair to say that the men I mentioned above are pastors I’ve worked with, pastored with, or interacted with very closely over the years — or who were very instrumental in my formative years leading up to my ministry.

To all of you listed (and those I failed to list)… please accept my sincere thanks and appreciation for all you’ve done for me, for others, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

For more of my writing…

• “A Pastor’s Heart”
• “8 Things I Wish For as a Pastor”