EMS Evangelism

The abrasive sound of the pager went off at about midnight, a sound designed to wake the dead, if that were possible. “Salina ambulance, you are needed at …” Years of working as an emergency medic had prepared me for routine medical emergencies (heart attacks, strokes, broken hips, drug overdoses, etc.). This late-night page would be anything but routine.

This event is part of the narrative of God calling our family to the small, rural town of Salina, Utah, to plant a church in 1982. Chrissa and I had been missionaries with Northwest Baptist Missions since 1975 (and we still are). Salina was a town of 2300 people at the time, coupled with two smaller neighboring communities, which brought the local population to a little over 5000. There was no biblical church of any sort within even a much larger radius, making the LDS Church (Mormon) the only alternative.

Faith Baptist Church was born in 1982 with the American Legion Hall as our first meeting place. This building was in an excellent location but was very old and smelled decidedly of stale beer, hardly a welcoming place for the predominant religious community that was accustomed to the finest of buildings. A realtor in our church helped us find and purchase a property in foreclosure that had a decent modular home on it, which we remodeled into a small church building. Later, with the help of a Mission Trade Team from Bob Jones University, we were able to construct a new auditorium on the property. Finally, we had a place that was modern and welcoming.