Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly.
STAFF CHANGES
Daren Barnett, now serving as pastor of First Baptist Church, Winnebago, Minn.
Joe Bumbulis, concluding his tenure as minister to students and missions at First Baptist Church, Austin, Texas.
Joshalyn Estrada, concluding her tenure as minister of youth and families at First Baptist Church, White Plains, N.Y.
Roy N. Ford Jr. to First Baptist Church, Gretna, Va., as interim pastor, effective March 19.
Eric Hoheisel, to American Baptist Churches of New Jersey, as associate regional pastor.
Wes Hunter, to Masonboro Baptist Church, Wilmington, N.C., as associate pastor.
Matt Snyder, to First Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga., as pastoral resident for young adult ministry.
Lianne Wright, to American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky, as manager of mission and finance.
RETIREMENT
Virginia Holstrom, announcing plans to retire as executive director of American Baptist Women’s Ministries, effective March 1, 2018. She has served as executive director of the ABWM, based in Valley Forge, Pa., since 2001. Prior to this she was director of communications for the Board of Educational Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA.
ORDINATION
Randy Van Osten, ordained to ministry on Jan. 22 by First Baptist Church, Pitman, N.J., where he serves as pastor.
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DEATHS
Samuel Benjamin Hamblett III, 81, died Feb. 11 in Derry, N.H. In over 35 years of active ministry with American Baptist churches, he served as pastor of Crown Point and Third Baptist churches in Strafford, N.H., First Baptist Church, Wolfeboro Falls, N.H., Water Village Community Church, Ossipee, N.H., First Baptist Church and Hanover Center Congregational churches in Hanover, N.H., First Baptist Church, South New Berlin, N.Y., Gilbertsville (N.Y.) Baptist Church; and First Baptist Church, Ogdensburg, N.Y. He is survived by his wife, Mary; two sons, Malcolm and Philip; a daughter, Helen Langford; and seven grandchildren.
Edward Steele, 95, died Dec. 29 in Portland, Oregon. He was one of the first institutional chaplains ministering to Portland’s city and county jails and its police personnel. He was a pioneer in the field of law enforcement chaplaincy and peer support programs. He served on staff of several churches, including visitation pastor at First Baptist Church, Portland, for 15 years. He is predeceased by his wife, Zelma. He is survived by daughters, Karen Meyer and Shirley Deardorff; three granddaughters; and 13 great-grandchildren.
KUDOS
STAFF ANNIVERSARIES
Edward Bolen, 20 years as senior pastor of Milledge Avenue Baptist Church, Athens, Ga.
Danny Crosby, 20 years as pastor of First Baptist Church, Cleburne, Texas.
In case you missed them:
Transitions for the week of 02.17.17
Transitions for the week of 02.10.17
There were no Transitions for the week of 02.03.17