Calvary Baptist Church has been working hard for the past few years to prepare themselves for new growth and development. Step one was hiring their current pastor, Tim Abel, in December 2012.
Pastor Tim attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for three years, and then graduated with a pastoral studies degree from Cedarville University in 2007. He has also been employed full-time at Cedarville University since 2007. His current position there is in church relations where he helps to plan conferences and events for pastors, as well as representing the university at events for pastors around the country.
While this is Tim’s first senior pastor position, he has a wealth of experience and a varied background. While he was a student at Moody Bible Institute, Tim was a youth pastor at a Korean church, and he preached regular Sunday services for a senior adult retirement home. He has taught Sunday School for ages ranging from kindergarten through adults. He has served as a deacon in two different churches and he has created and led prayer ministries in multiple churches.
Pastor Tim has a heart for the terminally ill and for their caregivers. For the past several years he has been working on writing a book for pastors. The book will include a terminal illness ministry plan to assist pastors as they minister to the terminally ill and to their families and caregivers.
Tim is a United States Air Force veteran. Over the years he has held jobs as a factory supervisor, a grocery store stocker and supervisor, a doorman in a downtown Chicago high-rise condominium, a publishing warehouse order processor, a floor care specialist, and a campus safety/security officer.
Tim and his wife, Tammy, recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in April. They met at a Perkins restaurant where Tim was the customer and Tammy was the server. They now have three children, Hannah – age 14, Elijah – age 13, and Samuel – age 11.
Step two for Calvary was inviting a mission group from Tennessee to spend a week helping them make updates to their sanctuary and grounds during the summer of 2014. Now that the church has been given a facelift, they are ready to move on to the step three.
Step three involves two parts, getting more involved in the community, and getting the community more involved in the church.
While Calvary has long held deep ties to our community, they have been looking for more ways to serve. They’ve recently been involved with the Fayette Food Pantry, the Life Pregnancy Center, the Ranch of Opportunity, and the Angels Awaiting Maternity Home. Tim has also been involved in the Fayette County National Day of Prayer activities for the past two years.
This summer Calvary is planning an outreach to get their name out to the local community. Pastor Tim noted, “We are a small church with a big heart, and we would love to invite everyone to worship with us.”
Look for more information in your mailbox in the next few weeks. In the meantime, you are invited to Sunday School at 9:30 and the Sunday morning worship service at 10:45. On the last Sunday of each month they share a fellowship meal after the service. Contact Pastor Tim through the church Facebook page at facebook.com/cbcwc.
