|
ROB PATTERSON: Pastor's ministry extends from Galt
to the Ends of the Earth
By Kim Borgwardt
Pastor Rob's personal slogan 'From Galt to
the Ends of the Earth, From the Ends of the Earth to Galt'
could be used to describe his ministry.
He and his wife Cathy came to Galt in 1996 when he accepted the call as
Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church. Since he doesn't have an Associate Pastor Rob has to depend on
volunteers providing leadership roles. "There are a number of highly
gifted people making themselves available to help with the load."
Though the congregation is small, there are fewer than 200 members, it
remains vital and active. Contrary to what others might think, "we're
not an old folks church, we have a real strong, vibrant seniors
ministry." To prove his point the pastor told me, "our oldest
member is 96 and she's still a wonderful contributor to the ministry."
The seniors aren't the only ones who help keep the spirit alive at First
Baptist, "we are a multimedia church service, we have a full band at
both services with teens playing in the band and even preaching."
Music is a major part of Pastor Rob's ministry, a talented singer/songwriter
he recorded a CD in 1998 titled To the Ends of the
Earth.
For more information about First Baptist or Pastor Rob's music visit their
web site at www.fbcgalt.org or attend
one of their services at 653 A Street in Galt, California.
Patterson is currently the church's music leader, a role he'll willingly
relinquish to someone else should they choose to step forward.
Twice a week First Baptist Church hosts a guitar circle, Monday from 4 to 5 p.m. and Friday from 7
to 8 p.m. This event is free and is open to the community,
anyone can come and observe or bring their guitar or other acoustic
instrument and play along. "It doesn't have to be church-based
music" he said.
When the pastor found out that only two of his members are native Galtonians
he told the congregates, "God has brought you here from the ends of the
earth." They indicated that "they're here and they want to do
something in Galt."
What they've done is followed their pastor's lead and gotten involved with
the other churches in the community. They 'share their kids' and take turns
having Vacation Bible School.
The Patterson's four children, 14-year-old Joseph, 13-year-old Jerry,
12-year-old Daniel and 9-year-old Mary have attended youth activities at
other churches and gone to their worship services. "The children enjoy
the differences and grow to appreciate that the differences have
purposes."
Rob stressed "I love our local churches, part of my passion is to help
churches of other denominations." He was one of the clergy members who
participated in the ecumenical service at St. Christopher Parish during their
open house ceremonies.
Every Tuesday he attends the pastor's luncheon meeting at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church.
He also volunteers as a Police Chaplain, a program that was started locally
by Pastor Tim Stevenson of Horizon Community Church. Pastor Tim is the Senior Chaplain and he rotates
monthly shifts with Pastor Rob and Pastor Larry Brand of River of Life
Celebration Center. They assist the police with death notifications and are
able to stay with the families to help comfort them, something the officers
are not able to do.
"I have great teachers in this area with the pastors and
policemen," Patterson remarked, "I've learned a lot from
them."
Another passion of Rob's is missionary work. Teenagers from the congregation,
inspired by his desire to help others, have given up their summer vacations
to go on mission trips to Mexico where they've helped a local community.
When Rob was a seminary student he took his first overseas missionary trip to
Indonesia. In April First Baptist Church was invited to preach the gospel in Estonia along with over 40 other Baptist churches from the
United
States. Pastor and Cathy were among the 11 members of the congregation who
accepted the offer of the missionary trip. The church will be sending a team
to Kenya in January 2001.
The one event that profoundly affected his life was the death of his mother
when he was five years old.
His father worked in radio and then became self-employed; his job entailed
collecting money from pinball machines and jukeboxes and involved traveling
within a 100-mile radius of their hometown of Coldwater, Michigan.
During the 1950s and '60s he was a record producer for little country-rock
acts and Rob would accompany him.
After his wife died he hired a housekeeper to come in and make breakfast for
his five children and get them off to school. His work hours meant getting
home later at night but in spite of that all his children managed to do well
in school.
When his father's second marriage didn't work out Rob said, "I missed
the parent generation entirely, but my grandmothers were there to fill the
void."
With his father gone Rob and his siblings began running wild in the streets,
"but we were never caught." Because he showed promise as a student
a teacher took him aside and tried to help. He was encouraged to enter a
public speaking contest that a vocational educational club called DECA was
sponsoring and ended up winning Student of the Year in Michigan and attended
the nationals in Florida.
Rob vented his creative energies by being in a band in junior high school and
acting in the Community Theater. These talents are ones that he has brought
with him to the pulpit.
His father remarried again just before Rob entered middle school; his new
stepmother was a Christian and she became a witness to him.
At the age of 26 he surrendered himself to Jesus, before that he was living
what he called 'a double life'.
He met Cathy in college and they were married eight months later.
Cathy is a stay-at-home mom and also tutors in the HOST program at Fairsite School. She plays flute, drums
and guitar and accompanies her husband in church and at funerals.
Rob has a Masters of Divinity from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary
and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree from there.
His ministry began at the House of Prayer - Church of God in Christ in
Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he was the only Anglo in the African-American
fellowship. He was baptized by Pastor Ezell Plair and served as an unordained
deacon.
Before coming to Galt he was the pastor at Snyder Lane Baptist Church in
Rohnert Park, California.
Pastor Rob and Cathy now consider this area their home and the First Baptist
congregation their family, "I bought a house here in Galt intending to
stay."
|
