Pastor Bill’s Story

In its early years the church had a vibrant youth program which was oddly, mostly boys. We went on countless weekend and summer camping trips and developed wonderful memories. During construction the other boys and I helped other members raise the walls on the building that this church still occupies.

When I left home for college in 1965, I was sure that I was off to a life that would seldom take me back to my hometown and to the church that I was raised in. I never, for a moment, dreamed that I would return here. I finished college, served in Viet Nam as an enlisted man in the US Navy, attended and graduated from seminary, served in the Navy again as a Chaplain, during which time I completed my doctorate in Pastoral counseling and Psychology. Yet afterward I seemed to lose touch with my Christian roots. My life had unraveled: I lost my family, my career, and had given up on having any value to the Kingdon of God. 

But God had different plans. In his infinite faithfulness He had never given up on me. He drew me back into fellowship, the recommittal of my life to Him and to Jesus, and to a renewed hope for the future, to a life lived in His light. In 2002 I moved back to Myrte Point after my father died in order to look after my mother. She was attending a Baptist Church in a nearby town, and I started attending with her. I remained there for nearly 18 years, taught adult Sunday School and Bible studies, occasionally preached, and met my wife, Jerilyn, there. But our time at that church had drawn to an end and the two of us were searching for a new place to serve God.

    On one eventful Wednesday in 2020 I was driving by the church and noticed the Pastor, Larry Hebebrand, dragging a trash can out to the street for pickup. I had met Larry before and so stopped to say hello and as we spoke, I commented that “we need to talk about this church and if I can help in some way.” Due to the pandemic and other unrelated losses the church attendance had dwindled to the point that the remaining members were considering if the church could remain open any longer. Later that week when Larry and I met he expressed the hopelessness he had felt through his discussions with the denomination leaders, as their suggestions seemed to further imply that he should consider closing the church. So, our meeting, obviously ordained and orchestrated by God, set in motion a new beginning. Now, rather than throwing dirt over the grave of a dead church we are dusting it off in the hope of setting it in a place where it will again be a beacon to lost and suffering souls. It’s astonishing that God could use something as mundane as a trip with a trash can to result in such an obvious work of grace. (There must be some divine irony in that.) We plan to have that trash can bronzed in memory of that meeting.

    Within two weeks, Jerilyn and I, along with several other couples began attending. We became members, Jerilyn became the new worship leader, and I became co-pastor with Larry. It has been a rough road, but God is prevailing. In the last year and a half, we have lost four members to death, and their presence is greatly missed. But our tiny congregation is slowly growing, and our sincere prayers are that we will draw people new to the faith and not just those looking for a new church. Our local community has grown spiritually dark over the years and several local churches have gone dark. Past years have also presented their challenges with covid rules and the growing isolation they caused. Yet God is still in charge despite what the world says, and we believe that He is still patiently drawing new members to His kingdom and also growing the faith of those who already know and love Him. If you are interested in a church where you can be a substantial part of growing the kingdom then, by all means, give us an opportunity to assist you. As I said at the beginning of this article, this is the story of a church resurrection. We believe that God is more faithful than we can ever be, and we strive to continue in the faith He has given us.

Jerilyn’s Story

I was born on Tuesday – in church on Sunday. My father, a flower farmer, was also, in my early childhood, the pastor of the Community Church in Dora, Oregon. Both my parents were graduates of Prairie Bible College and so my earliest impressions had to do with God and growing things. As happens with many kids raised in church – with Sunday school, Bible clubs, Bible studies, revival meetings, etc. – I, no doubt, “asked Jesus into my heart” many times, but the time it stuck, and I knew I meant it was at a “release time” Bible club where the leader literally scared the hell right out of me. I became clearly aware that “the wages of sin is death (hell) but the gift of God is eternal life (heaven) through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). I knew I did not want to go to hell forever and be separated from God, my family, and all things good, and I did want to go to heaven and be with Jesus forever. So right there, sitting on a neighbor lady’s living room floor at age eight I sealed the deal, asked Jesus to save me and take me for His own – and He did!

So began my lifelong pursuit of knowing God and learning to serve Him. At the end of my third-grade year life changed in a big way. Not only was the little one-room school out at Dora closed and I was shipped into town for fourth grade, but our family began attending a Baptist church in Coquille. I was growing and learning more about who God was. It wasn’t long before I was helping with VBS, teaching Junior church, serving at summer camp and going on my first short-term mission. In school I was a good student with a passion for music and drama. I was also learning to read the Bible for myself and have a real relationship with God.

'/After high school graduation I attended Oregon State University where I became part of a campus ministry called Campus Ambassadors. My time at OSU was a great education in standing firm for the Lord and making my childhood faith a real vibrant, personal experience. If I wanted to be at the Campus Ambassador prayer meeting at 7 AM Friday morning (and I did), I had to get myself there – no one was going to force me to go. The same with all the other activities and meetings. The result was a faith that was not dependent on mom or dad or a pastor or anyone else except a compelling relationship with Christ alone. The summer after my sophomore year I had the opportunity to be part of a mission team in Japan. It was a difficult team for me, but I was learning to surrender to God no matter what the cost. The next year I went with the same organization to Spain. That’s when I got serious training in surrendering my plans to the Lord. At the end of that summer, I signed my life away – late at night, the last night of ministry debriefing – I put my name to a card committing to serve God “whenever, wherever, whatever” It was signed and witnessed by one of my team members (I still have that card).

That commitment led me to full-time work in short-term missions. I’ve served on over a dozen teams on four different continents and trained a few thousand team members to go out on teams serving on six different continents. I was passionately committed to that ministry and felt God’s call strongly on my life. But that ministry came to an end rather abruptly – and it wasn’t my decision. I have never felt more heartbroken. Have you ever wondered what God could possibly be up to and a questioning everything?

So I was back on the family farm pulling weeds and wondering “what next?” “Is there a next?” Could God even use me? Everything seemed like a dead end.

After the end of a year back home, because of an immediate need, I started serving as the secretary for the church I grew up in. I wasn’t feeling particularly passionate or “called” and the last thing I ever wanted to be was a secretary. But there was a bright spot. There was this guy teaching the adult Sunday School class whose lessons spoke straight into my life – he was also attending the same Bible study my dad had roped me into joining. He started loaning me books to read. In 2008 we married.

In the next few years it was discovered that I made a pretty good worship leader. It was news to me, too. While I’d always been involved in music ministry, leading it had never been part of the deal. In 2012 I was hired to be my church’s worship leader. For the next eight years I poured myself into that assignment – and grew greatly in musical skill and confidence.

But once again, the ministry assignment came to an abrupt end – and again, through no decision of my own.

This time I didn’t have to wait long to see God moving us into the next phase of His plan – the “what next.” Within a couple weeks we had two home groups going and the start of a church plant. Within six months we merged with the Myrtle Point Baptist Church to become Living Water Bible Fellowship.

When I signed my life away to serve God “whenever, wherever, whatever” I never expected to find myself back in my hometown as a pastor’s wife. But I often get the sneaking suspicion that the long trail of training which led me all over the world was really preparation for this assignment in Myrtle Point, Oregon. I don’t know all of what God is up to, but He’s working out the details and I’m really glad I signed up to be a part of it.