Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly.
STAFF CHANGES
Rebecca Driscoll, to First Baptist Church, Attleboro, Mass., as pastor. She has served as a women in ministry intern and then minister for creative justice for the American Baptist Churches USA.
Ryan Gabel, to First Baptist Church, Lebanon, N.H., as associate pastor.
Tad Hardin, to West Lynchburg Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Va., as associate pastor of worship.
Katy Reed Hodges, to First Baptist Church, Arlington, Texas, as minister of congregational life. She has served there for the past 6 years as college minister.
Warren and Maureen Howell, to First Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C., as minister of music and organist/music assistant respectively, effective July 1.
Kyle Nieman, to First Baptist Church, White Settlement, Texas, as pastor. He comes from Eagles View Church, Saginaw, Texas, where he was connections pastor.
Kelly Nolan, to Sawyers Creek Baptist Church, Camden, N.C., as assistant worship leader.
Tim Sharp, to Immanuel Baptist Church, Nashville, Tenn., as minister of music. He recently retired as the executive director of The American Choral Director’s Association, based in Oklahoma City.
Taylor Shippy, to First Baptist Church, Gibbon, Neb., as pastor.
Andrew Reisberg, to Brookneal (Va.) Baptist Church, as pastor.
Todd Weber, to Crescent Hill Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky., as pastoral intern.
RETIREMENTS
Jim Fuller, retiring after 27 years as senior pastor at Calder Baptist Church, Beaumont, Texas.
Leslie Holton, announcing plans to retire as senior pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas, effective the end of 2021.
ORDINATIONS
Laura Bethany Buehleiter, ordained to ministry on May 23 by University Baptist Church, Bloomington, Ind.
Corinne Causby, ordained to gospel ministry on June 6 by Knollwood Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Holly Hatton, ordained to gospel ministry on May 23 by First Baptist Church, Memphis, Tenn.
Mark Stafford, ordained to ministry by Green Ridge Baptist Church, Roanoke, Va., where he serves as children’s minister.
DEATHS
James A. Scott, died May 15 in Newark, N.J. He had served as president of the American Baptist Churches USA and for 37 years he was senior pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Newark. He was an associate professor of urban education at Rutgers University in Newark. He is survived by his wife, Muriel; children, Lindal Scott Foster and Kimberly Scott; stepchildren, Lisa and Clayton Gregory; a great granddaughter; and four step grandchildren.
Horace H. Stoddard, 80, died June 1 in Pine City, N.Y. He served as pastor of First Baptist Church, Lancaster, N.Y., from 1965-1974. He was then called as pastor of Pine City (N.Y.) Baptist Church where he served from 1974 to his retirement in 2007. He served on the church development board of the American Baptist Churches of New York State. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; two daughters, Amy Lybarger and Jill Dombroske; a son, Scott; and three grandchildren.
KUDOS
CHURCHES
First Baptist Church, Longview, Texas; 150 years; June 13.
First Baptist Church, Maryville, Tenn.; 150 years; June 6.
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In case you missed them:
Transitions for the week of 5-2821
Transitions for the week of 5-14-21
Transitions for the week of 4-30-21
Transitions for the week of 4-16-21