Apr 24, 2013

     

 

The Pastor’s Retirement Fund provides monthly support to retired SDB pastors or their widows. The following provides some background on Pastor John and Joyce Conrod.

 

John Conrod was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1940. He accepted Christ at a young age at church camp and decided he wanted to be a missionary—inspired by Elisabeth Elliot’s book Through Gates of Splendor recounting her husband’s diary entry, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

John worked at the Chicago Rescue Mission while in his teens. While at Northern Baptist Seminary he served the Chicago SDB church (part-time) 1957-59. He graduated with a BA in business in 1961 from Seattle Pacific University, where he met Joyce. They married in 1961. They had two children, Michael and Philip.

John and Joyce wanted to be more involved in church ministry so they accepted a call to serve at the Kansas City SDB Church 1963-64 (part-time). John obtained his M.Div from Eastern Baptist Seminary in 1969. He completed his SDB Summer Institutes during that time.

He served as student pastor at the Washington, D.C., SDB Church (1964-65), and the Salemville, Pa., SDB church (1965-66), and then full-time at the Marlboro, N.J., SDB Church (1966-69) where he was ordained. They accepted a missionary call for a minister and accountant to serve in Malawi, Africa from 1969-72.

John studied linguistics at the University of PA and then both attended the Washington School of Missions before leaving for the mission field. While in Malawi, John wrote a series of Sabbath Recorder articles about their work, and translated a tract “It is Your Decision” that he wrote in 1964. Joyce home-schooled their children, wrote Malawian Youth lessons for one quarter, and several articles about her experiences.

John was appointed Field Pastor of the Pacific Coast Association, serving 1972-74. He then accepted the Denver SDB Church call to serve full-time 1974-76. Joyce enjoyed teaching at camp, Vacation Bible School, Sabbath school and giving children sermons.

After serving in Denver, John worked full-time and part-time in various accounting positions for secular and Christian organizations. He wrote the tract “I Have a Hole in my Heart” in 1976, edited a revision of “You and Your Church,” and wrote various lessons for the Helping Hand. John and Joyce wrote the Week of Prayer booklet for the World Federation in 1982. They became SDB Missionary Society ambassadors to promote the Society’s work in 1982.

After John’s Multiple Sclerosis confined him to a wheelchair, he together with Joyce wrote two computer Bible game books (1983-84). They volunteered on the Colorado Disabilities Community internet bulletin board. In 1995 the Mid-Continent Assn. of SDBs sponsored the Conrods’ “New Covenant Ministries” evangelism on the internet. He became a cyber-scribe for the Savior with extensive Internet sites for Seventh Day Baptists. John had a mailing list of about 300 persons at the time of his death in 2005.

John felt, “This could be the very reason I have MS as I do not like being this limited physically, and the Lord knew this would be the only way I could serve him in this unique way.” Joyce did the graphics for all the websites and set up the accessible computer equipment for John.

Joyce cared for John and her invalid father for many years, and then her mother until her death in 2012. She worked with her son Mike in electronic repair business for several years. She has four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Joyce now lives in Wheat Ridge, Colo., and does volunteer visitation at a nearby Baptist Nursing home. She participates in as many of her retirement community activities as her health permits.

 

Your generous gifts can help support those who gave so much. Please make your check out to COSAR, with “Pastor’s Retirement Fund” in the memo line. PO Box 1678, Janesville, WI 53547. Or we can arrange a monthly automatic gift. Contact the SDB Center at 608-752-5055.