PASTOR APPRECIATION MONTH, PART 1 OF 3 - MY PASTORS.

"All My Rowdy Friends Are Preachers!" L-R Dr. Leroy Thomas (Founder & Professor of Pastoral Studies, Southwestern College), Bob Irvine, Dr. Jeremy Couture, Josh Jacobs, Richard Walton, Dennis King, Bill Scott, Mark Mirza (Common Thread Ministries, Bishop Robert Lyons (hospital chaplain), Gary Stump, James Lawson (cartoonist).

How many of you are aware that October is Pastor Appreciation Month? It's fitting that Pastor Appreciation Month ends with Reformation Day. 

The next three days I will develop the theme. Yes, we need to appreciate the pastors in our lives, starting with the men who are preaching the Word of God from the pulpit. But I also want to honor others who fill that role though not the office. Some may be pastors from the past who are pastoring from heaven through their writings and inspiration. Some are current pastors who have no idea I exist but who inspire me through books or TV/Radio ministries. Some have helped pastor me as a teacher or as a friend.

Today, I'd like to start by thanking the pastors I've had in my life (including youth pastors), which I'll do in chronological order. Some I have comments about, and others I will just mention. All are worthy of honor.

1. Rev. Evans, Fullerton Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). I'm trusting my over 60 year old memory for the church's official name and the pastor who was there when I moved at age 9 from the hicktown of Fullerton, California, to the metropolis of Skull Valley, Arizona. I do remember he had a daughter around my age.
2. Merle Heatwole, Skull Valley Community Church. I may not have his name spelled correctly. 
3. Ken Gordon, Verde Baptist Church, Cottonwood, AZ.
4. Ken Kunneman, Manzanita Baptist Chruch, Kingsman, AZ. I'm not sure I got his name correct. While at that church, I was introduced to cults, and an Anabaptist history view. A year later after returning to Cottonwood, Ken taught an elective on future things at camp, which I attended with Ken Gordon's son Tim (who was two years ahead of me in high school).
5. Denny Leeds (Youth Pastor), Verde Baptist Church. 
6. Henry Atkenson, Verde Baptist Church
7. Jim Woods (Youth Pastor), Verde Baptist Church
8. Joe LoMuscio, Cactus Baptist Church, Phoenix, AZ
9. Jim McCormick, Cactus Baptist Church. When I started attending there, he was an associate pastor, and became senior pastor after Rev. LoMusio took the pastorate at Temple Baptist Church, Fullerton, CA. (NOTE- I walked past Temple Baptist on the way to school before moving to AZ.)
10. Joe Magliato, Sonlight Christian Center, Orange CA. One claim to fame - his wife had a brother named Carman. Yes, that Carman.
11. Mark Cola (College/Career Pastor), Sonlight Christian Center.
12. Roger Hosier, Antioch Baptist Church, Orange, CA. Roger had the honor of marrying Becky and I.
13. Bob Irvine, Bethel Baptist Church, Phoenix, AZ
14. Bill Hackett, Valley Christian Assembly, Phoenix, AZ. 
15. Rodger Buck and 
16. Bob Johnson, Bethel Baptist Church, Valley, NE. Rod, Bob, and I were co-pastors.
17. R. B. Adamson, Victory Baptist Church, Bowling Green, KY.
18. Don Finto, Belmont Church, Nashville, TN.
19. Jerry Badgley, Calvary Church of the Nazarene, Nashville, TN.
20. Dennis King, Stonebrook Baptist Church, Nolensville, TN. If you're familiar with Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby wrote it with Claude King. Claude is Dennis' brother.
21. Mike Wilson, Calvary Chapel, Bowling Green, KY
22. Jeff Adler, Simhat Yeshua Messianic Congregation.
23. Jeff Seward, Horizon Christian Center West, Indianapolis, IN. Becky and I attended Simhat and Horizon at the same time. (Also, while I was sitting under the teaching of Jeff and Jeff, I also had a supervisor at work named Jeff.)
24. Gary Stump, Arlington Avenue Baptist Church, Indianapolis, IN.
25. Bill Scott, Hunter Road Bible Church, Indianapolis, IN
26. Richard Walton, Arlington Avenue Baptist Church, Indianapolis. Richard has the honor (or not) of being my pastor for the longest time - 16 years, not counting serving as an associate under Rev. Stump for a year when I had previously been at Arlington.
27. Tommy Johnston, Castleton Community Church, Indianapolis, IN.
28. Dr. Jeremy Couture, Northside Baptist Church, Indianapolis, where Becky and I currently attend.

I would like to thank each of these men for their leadership and for being a blessing to me, and especially their faithfulness to serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

Does anybody else have a pastor they want to thank?