Aug 26, 2019
By Darrell Chilson
Darrell was employed by the Adventist Church for nearly 40 years – seeking to bring the story of God’s amazing grace to Adventist congregations all over the United States. Following his retirement, he and Sammy attended the Bay Area Seventh Day Baptist Church in Pinole, CA, on January 4, 2014—the first Sabbath after retirement. The church was welcoming, and Pastor Steve and Becky Crouch almost immediately became friends. On July 6, 2019, Darrell and Sammy officially became members of the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Pinole, CA.
Phoenix, Arizona, is the fifth largest city (1.66 million), AND the fastest growing city in the United States. And Buckeye, AZ (the westerly-most suburb of Phoenix), had the highest rate of growth in the nation (8.5%) last year. People are moving to the Phoenix area by the tens of thousands every year. Yet, there has been no organized Seventh Day Baptist presence in this great metropolitan area—UNTIL NOW!
In March of 2019, my wife and I moved to Goodyear, AZ, a rapidly growing suburb of the West Valley of Phoenix. With no place to worship, we immediately felt a burden to begin a ministry to those in this area who were Seventh Day Baptists, and for others who may be hungry for a Bible-based ministry offered on the Sabbath.
The Phoenix Seventh Day Baptist Fellowship, sponsored by the Bay Area Seventh Day Baptist Church in Pinole, CA, now has a website (PhoenixSDB.com), an email address (WestValleySDB@gmail.com), and a phone number (602-584-7770). Sabbath services will begin at the Chilsons’ home in Goodyear on September 7, 2019.
Already we have a Bible distribution ministry, inspired by Gregory Ward, another new Seventh Day Baptist “transplant” to Arizona; a new relationship with Leland Pike, a long-time Seventh Day Baptist and former pastor at the Lake Elsinore, CA, SDB Church; anticipated relationships with other Seventh Day Baptists and friends of the church, with whom we have different levels of connection; and plans for outreach that we pray will eventually result in a Seventh Day Baptist “church plant” in the Phoenix area.
We solicit the prayers and support of the church at large. In an effort to minimize expenses, we are offering our home for services and fellowship. However, there will be printing costs for advertising, costs associated with outreach events, and costs for our Bible Distribution ministry, which also serves to inform others of our new ministry.
We welcome all requests for prayer, visitation, and other ministry requests by those in the Phoenix area. Further, we solicit contact information for others in this area who may enjoy being a part of a growing ministry for Christ. Again, you may contact us in any of the following ways:
Email: WestValleySDB@gmail.com
Phone: (602) 584-7770
Website: PhoenixSDB.com