Morning light for a lighthouse keeper was good news. The mid-watch meant being up all night checking on the 500 watt quartz iodine main light and scanning for fog banks in case the fog horn compressor needed to be lit off. It was much more difficult for keepers before electricity having to fill and refill laps with oil during the night. As the night wore on I would sometimes read or study to pass the time. One night after reading Joshua I painted a verse from Joshua 24:15 on a piece of drift wood. It became my life verse and still hangs in our home.
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
I must say not all nights on station were calm and a time for reflection. One night on the lightship we lost our anchor in a seething storm that ripped our anchor chain loose tearing a hole in the deck as it disappeared in the turbulent deep. It sounded like a freight train crossing our bow. Then silence as we were carried by the winds toward nearby rocks. We put out an SOS to Port Angeles and frantically tried starting the engine. I was new and assigned to the engine room. The main engine would not start so I said we need to pray; they paid no attention. I prayed and soon the chief engineer, Zorch, recalled securing the wrong fuel valve earlier. It started just in time to steam us away from the rocks in the darkness and back on station. Those kind of nights you learn to pray.
Coast Guard Umatilla Lightship on watch in the Pacific off the north Washington coast.
Morning meant the ship or station would come alive as men began their duties keeping things shipshape. On a land based light the flag would be raised, the watch changed, and work started, On land the duty keeper would prepare to give afternoon lighthouse tours. People came most afternoons wanting to know how things worked etc.. We explained with the key message being we were there to keep ships from disaster.
A church is like that. There is a lot of prep that no one sees before it goes into action. Jesus said, “I will build my church…” (Mat. 16:18). He starts in a man’s heart to call him out of the world and into ministry. That takes time and lots of it. It is that divine calling that you begin to sense and keeps coming back. Sometimes the quiet of the night helps you hear it like the quiet of a mid-watch with only the subdued lapping of water on the beach or on the hull of the lightship while only you are on duty. It is easy to hear the foot steps of God in the sea at those times.
My desire to serve the Master grew during those times as well as in the treacherous Bearing Sea winters. Eventually I answered the call to ministry; the dawn had broken. After seven years of active duty I said goodbye to my shipmates at Kodiak and headed to Western Baptist College (Corban University now) to finish college. Then it was off to Northwest Baptist Seminary in 1977 to do more in-depth study of theology and Scripture. I knew I needed to learn more but my GI Bill was running out. However, that year they extended it just in time for Seminary. Another one of those providential points.
In Tacoma a realtor helped us find a house. Nancy, myself, and my Aunt Bobbie planned for a week to find a house. The first day Nancy and I went early with the realtor while my Aunt had her hair done. Within an hour we found the house we wanted in Gig Harbor. So we signed papers, had lunch with the realtor and returned to auntie’s house. She was shocked when we told her. Our plans after seminary were to return to Alaska to plant churches. God had other plans. I know that because we still live in that house to this day. Unknown to us it was great place to plant a church in 1980 and a place for our missionary kids later to return to as home base. God’s providence is seen once again.
Seminary was a good idea since I had much to learn. We did have godly professors to learn from such as Dr. Charles Wagner who was a wonderful teacher of pastoral ministry. Prof. Glessner was a great encouragement in the early Greek studies and theology. Dr. Herman Austel was a godly example to us all as well as master of Hebrew. Dr. Phil WIlliams was also a godly example and teacher of advanced Greek along with many others. Seminary was far more difficult than college and brought desperately needed Scriptural light to this farm boy/sailor.
As the light dawned it became obvious starting a church here in Gig Harbor was needed. Several people encouraged me. I also learned another seminarian was considering starting a church too. We talked and he felt best for me to do it since I lived in Gig Harbor and he was on the other side of Tacoma. We were attending Nebraska St. Baptist in Port Orchard at the time and my pastor, Dan Wymer, helped me make contact with Pastors George Cox and Darrell Beddoe who were part of Northwest Baptist Home Mission (Now BNN). I was nervous but they evidently thought I was okay and approved me as a Home Missionary in the fall of 1980.
Over the summer I gather a small launch team of seminarians made up of Mark Langford, Jon Mitchell, David Brown, and Marshall Davis. We chose “Discovery” as a name with both spiritual and historical connotations since the HMS Discovery in 1792 discovered Puget Sound while looking for the legendary Northwest Passage. We prayed about a place to meet but there were few buildings available. It became obvious the old Arletta School was it. It was a two room rock and log building made in 1938 by the WPA. It looked more like a rustic lodge and only cost us $90 a month as I recall. A daycare met there during the week and we on weekends. Inside it still looked like a school with the original slate chalk boards, hardwood floor and expandable wood walls so we could easily have around a hundred people total.
The old Arletta School as it stands today. As you can see we have not changed. :-)
Our first service was scheduled for September the 7th 1980. Temple Baptist graciously gave us a list of their people who lived in the Harbor. I visited them and eventually Chuck and Pat Roark joined us with a desire to help. We printed invitation letters to pass out. Chuck became our first treasurer and sound man. Larry (a teacher at Tacoma Baptist Schools)and Judy Gilette also joined us. He acted as an elder and also counted the first offering. Everything we had done so far was out of my pocket. Larry talked with the others and they gave me $100 salary to start with.
Our first service we had about thirty-two present including relatives. I preached from James which emphasizes dealing with testing and the importance of faith and works which is the outworking of faith. The following Sunday we were had fourteen since many were there to wish us well.
Our first service September 7, 1980.
People started coming. Among them was the Davenports, Rolfs, Robinsons and many others who were interested and committed to help us.
At the Arletta building there was an old out-of-tune piano that Nancy played. We were having kids in those years so she played with one in the oven and little Caleb on the bench beside her. One Sunday she sensed labor pains starting. She played on with a towel nearby in case the water broke. I preached on and then took her to dinner at the Davis home in Tacoma. It was obvious we better skip dinner. So we headed to St. Joe’s hospital where at about 2 p.m. she delivered Ezra. It was Mothers Day 1981. What a day the Lord gave us. Later I preached the evening service and called it a “day.” Church growth was happening.
The church was officially organized Oct. 25 1981 with Nebraska Street Baptist being the commissioning church. Our Constitution, Statement of Faith and Covenant were all adopted. Then in 1983 we purchased 2.7 acres on Wollochet Dr. as a future building site. We dedicated it with high hopes. The small old house on the site served as an office/class room.
The ministry went well with as many as 90 at times so opened both folding doors to expand. We had Sunday School, worship and an evening service along with a Wednesday prayer meeting. But the building was old and the roof leaked causing us to have buckets in auditorium. Heavy rain meant flooding and frogs in the small basement where we had classes. It was a unique place but out of the way and far from the population.
Then just in time in the summer of 1988 the Lord directed us to an unexpected blessing which I will tell you about it in my next blog.
Pastor Mark
PRAY FOR BUILDING PROJECT THIS WEEK: Our 7th week of building.
Praise that concrete footings were poured and inspected and approved by special concrete tests.
Praise that basement forms are in place.
Pray for more pouring of concrete next week as most foundation work will be done.
Pray for Dan the building construction supervisor. He a believer and we enjoy working with him.
Continue to pray as they appeal to county to accept a standard asphalt parking lot vs pervious.
Praise that Dave and Linda Christensen got moved to Oregon safely,
Pray for the special Commitment Cards for the 2020 DBC Building Fund Commitment which are due to be turned in this Sunday. See link below for details and how to do that online.