Life Church - Gilbert, Arizona

Ministering at this church pastored by Terry Baughman was especially meaningful for me. When I was 17-years-old, I lived with the Baughmans for nine weeks. I was a participant in a program called Summer Missions Teams, which enabled young people to work in home missions churches. I was sent, along with Dawn Nottingham (who later became Dawn Gibson, my sister-in-law) to Peoria, Arizona, where the Baughmans were starting a church in their home.

It was a positive, eye-opening experience. The Baughmans were gracious and kind to us. We distributed thousands of flyers, avoiding the heat of the day. (That summer, the temperature in the Phoenix area spiked to 122°.) In addition to being a part of the work in Peoria, we went up to the Flagstaff area to work at and enjoy a couple of summer camps. When I reflect on that summer, I view it as good training. I was used to a big church setting, which is a completely different dynamic from home-style ministry. I discovered that I really liked singing, worshipping, and listening to teaching in such a close, intimate setting. I joined two subsequent Summer Missions Teams, going to Massachusetts and Rhode Island when I was 18 and Maine when I was 20.

The Peoria church is going great guns, I hear. We did not have time to visit the church that is now in a big building, and I only provided an extremely miniscule contribution to its beginning, but I’m gratified that it is flourishing.

Since Peoria, the Baughmans have worked and taught at CLC in Stockton, California, started a church in Pleasanton, California, and are now back in the Phoenix area pastoring in Gilbert, across the city from Peoria.

I enjoyed seeing Gayla Baugman’s dad, Brother Bibb. I remember his devotion to Scripture memorization. As a young person, that impressed me a lot. When we saw him last week at a sectional meeting, I asked him if he was still memorizing the Bible. Sure enough, at 80-years-old, he is still at it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out index cards with Scriptures carefully written on them!

We were also happy to see Kim’s parents, the Geisslers, missionaries for many years to South American countries. They are spending the winter at the Gilbert church. The Geisslers are retired from missions work, but still go on short-term trips overseas. Once a missionary, always a missionary! I don’t think the ministry is something we can ever really retire from.

After the service and fellowship with the Baughmans, it was about midnight and our truck ticked 280,000 miles. Had to commemorate the moment with a picture!