Walker Baptist ChurchChurch, Community and Pastor Profiles

We are currently seeking the man God has called to become our next pastor. Our current pastor, Pastor Jim Ricks, will be retiring June 30, or earlier if God wills.Thank you for your interest.

OUR CHURCH

Walker Baptist Church, S.B.C., has been in continuous fellowship since 1965. Around the mid-80's, we filed for a name change to Walker Baptist Church, Inc., from 1st Baptist Church, Walker, Inc. Because of the distance to regular California S.B.C. meeting places, we have, since our inception, been aligned with the Nevada Baptist Convention, Sierra Baptist Association. The church does not have a parsonage.

Our congregation consists of 30 covenant joined members, with approximately 5-15 regular attending non-members. Sunday meetings have on average 33 attendees, including both young families with children and retirees. Our sanctuary seats 70 at full capacity.

We have a junior church leader during service and rotating volunteers for nursery workers. Our worship team consists of keyboard and guitar and song leader. We set aside the 3rd Sunday each month for our church family pot-luck, with a monthly business meeting on the 4th Sunday.

We are currently in the process of re-thinking our on-line worship influence. We have been using Facebook.

We currently have 3 weekly meeting and study opportunities – Sunday night Zoom study using Lifeway curriculum, a seasonal Tuesday afternoon women's study and a Wednesday evening study at the church.

Church email –[email protected] website – walkerbaptistca.org

OUR COMMUNITY

Little Antelope Valley, California is home to about 1500 people. It is located in Northern Mono County, approximately 13 miles south of the Nevada border. The valley sits at 5400' elevation and is surrounded by mountains...snow in the winter. It is a rural area of cattle ranches and farming. Lake Topaz sits on the border and is a popular destination for boating and fishing. The Topaz Lodge is a restaurant/casino motel. The Mono County seat is Bridgeport, California, and is approximately 35 miles south of Walker. The towns of Gardnerville and Minden Nevada are about 30 miles north and are the main shopping areas for our community.

In Walker/Coleville, there are 2 small markets, a gas station, several motels, and 5 eating establishments. We have a community center which hosts many popular events, a senior center and a thrift store. Northern Mono Chamber of Commerce meets in Walker and the Antelope Valley Lions Club is our main community service club.

Walker Baptist Church is located in the center of the town of Walker. There is a Mormon church, Catholic church, and a small community church located in Walker/Coleville.

Coleville is home to Antelope Elementary School (K-8) and Coleville High School (9-12). The Elementary school has approximately 107 students and the High School has around 47 students. The U.S. Post Office is located in Coleville, hence all mailing addresses in the valley are Coleville, CA.

Fire protection is provided by the Antelope Valley Fire Department, a volunteer fire company. Law Enforcement is provided by the Mono County Sheriff's Office and the California Highway Patrol. Both entities have their offices in Bridgeport, CA. There are several Law Enforcement officers who make their home in the valley. A paramedic unit is also located in the valley with emergency medical help nearby 24/7.

Carson Valley Medical Center/Carson Valley Health is our nearest local hospital and located in Gardnerville. Barton Memorial Hospital in So. Lake Tahoe is the closest California hospital, located approximately 60 miles north and west of us. Medical and dental offices are located in Gardnerville and Minden.

The closest International Airport is Reno/Tahoe Airport in Reno, NV, 80 miles North.

Our valley is honored to be home to the United State Marine Corps, Mountain Warfare Training Center (MWTC), Pickle Meadows, and the Coleville Military Housing. Established in 1953, MWTC is an elite cold weather and mountain warfare training facility for both American and international armed forces.

Local ethnicity is mostly Anglo, Native American and Hispanic. There is a small but vibrant community of Paiute Indians here and in Bridgeport.

OUR PASTOR

Thank you for your interest in our church. We have been told that there are far more churches looking for pastors than Pastors looking for churches, so we are grateful for your inquiry.Our present, and soon to be former pastor, Jim Ricks, has been a faithful shepherd for the last 15 years. Jim has agreed to stay on as pastor until June 30, unless a pastor is called by the church before then.

We are looking for a sinner like us, saved by the grace of God. We are not looking for a perfect man to be our pastor. At the same time, we must respectfully ask that you seek elsewhere if you are looking for a perfect church. We are looking for a man who will unashamedly fear the Lord our God in his ministry, but who will be bold to stand for our Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of a changing culture and world. We desire to find a man who is being transformed by God's Word himself, as he leads our congregation to be transformed by God's Word as well. As a Southern Baptist congregation, we are in agreement with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and we would expect our pastor to be in agreement with it as well.

We seek to be in fellowship with a pastor who will be easily approachable, skilled in relationship building and humbled by the awesome privilege of leading a congregation in discovering the mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We seek a man who will steward well the authority of the office of pastor for all matters of final say. We seek a man who will value the insights of long-time pilgrims on the narrow way; and yet who will have the spiritual maturity to make biblical decisions concerning the direction of the church and communicate them with grace while leading gently over time.

If he has a family, we desire communion with a man who will put God first, his family second and the church third. We desire a pastor who models faithful leadership in the home and allows that to overflow into his leadership at church.We are a church with approximately 30 members and 10 to 15 regular attending non-members. Our congregation is faithful, but small, a consideration that must be taken into account.

CONTACT:Chuck Evans, 2190 Eastside Lane, Coleville, CA [email protected], WBC Pastor Search Committee

Church address:95 E. Mill Creek Rd., Coleville, CA 96107