Transitions for the week of 01.26.18

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly.

STAFF CHANGES

Kent Berghuis, to First Baptist Church, Dayton, Ohio, as lead pastor. Previously he was senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Trevor Brown, to First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Texas, as associate pastor. He comes from First Baptist Church, Round Rock, Texas, where he was minister to students.

Larry Fields, to Oakwood Baptist Church, Knoxville, Tenn., as pastor.

Kim Gunn, concluding her tenure as minister to children at New Highland Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, Va., effective Feb. 28.

David Hughes, to First Baptist Church, Augusta, Ga., as minister to students, effective March 5. He recently served as youth minister at First Baptist Church, Easley, S.C.

Gina C. Jacobs-Strain, to American Baptist Women’s Ministries, as executive director, effective Feb. 1. She is department chair of the Division of Student Success at Nyack College, Nyack, N.Y., and associate regional pastor for Women in Ministry for American Baptist Churches of New Jersey.

David Jordan, to First Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga., as senior pastor, effective March 11. He comes from Providence Baptist Church, Charlotte, N.C., where he was teaching pastor.

Suzette Mason, to First Baptist Church, Norman, Okla., as minister of discipleship and children. She comes from First Baptist Church, Tallahassee, Fla., where she was minister of children.

Enrique Newman, to North Scituate (R.I.) Baptist Church, as interim pastor.

Scotty Robertson, to First Baptist Church, Middletown, Ohio, as pastor. He comes from the pastorate of Mill Creek (Ind.) Baptist Church.

Todd Tenaglia, to Karl Road Baptist Church, Columbus, Ohio, as children’s director.

Hal West, to First Baptist Church, Walterboro, N.C., as transitional pastor.

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RETIREMENTS

James E. Bennett Jr., retiring as minister of music and worship at First Baptist Church, Aiken, S.C., where he has served since 1997.

Randolph Miller, retiring as pastor of Eastwood Baptist Church, Medford, Oregon.

ORDINATIONS

Linsey Addington, ordained to ministry on Jan. 21 by Church at Ponce and Highland, Atlanta, Ga.

David Klock, ordained to ministry by Colonial Park Community Church, Harrisburg, Pa., on Jan. 7.

DEATHS

William S. Fairhurst III, 86, died on Jan. 5 in Oneonta, N.Y. He served American Baptist churches in Millers Mills, Weedsport, Meridian and Rose in New York, as well as churches in Maine and New Hampshire. He is survived by his wife, Mary Louise; children, Deborah Cooper, Cynthia Ploutz, Jennifer Bowdoin, Patricia Fairhurst and William Fairhurst; 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Dale Lee Gore, 83, died Jan. 18 in Grand Prairie, Texas. He had served as pastor of these Texas Baptist churches: Baggett Creek in Gustine; First Baptist in Whitewright; First Baptist in Goldthwaite; Trinity in Sherman; First Baptist in Denison; and Elm Grove in Belton. He was director of missions for Grayson and Austin Baptist associations. He served on the executive board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, the Texas Baptist Children’s Home board and the Howard Payne University board of trustees. He is survived by his wife, LaVerne; two sons, Dennis and Jeffrey; daughter, Jane Cluck; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.