History
THE HISTORY OF BEREAN BAPTIST CHURCH
Est. 1960
The history of Berean Baptist Church began in the late 1950’s. At that time, the Burnie Lindsey family spent the winter in Bellevue, Washington, where they attended a church associated with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC). They liked this church so well that they inquired of the GARBC about the possibility of starting an affiliated church in Kodiak.
As a result, Cletis Leverett, who was a missionary in Kentucky at that time, was called to Kodiak with his wife, Doris, and their children in August of 1960. Berean Baptist Fellowship began meeting in the Leverett home that fall. Pastor Leverett began searching for a more suitable meeting place, and among the people he contacted was DeWitt Fields. Although the Fields family owned several properties and were active supporters of Christian ministries, DeWitt was reluctant to rent his downtown building because it was in serious disrepair. However, Pastor Leverett convinced him that it could be made suitable for church use. This was indeed accomplished, but only after considerable labor. That particular building seemed especially appropriate because it had formerly been a bakery, and the phrase “Bread enough to spare,” from Luke 15:17 was a favorite of Pastor Leverett’s.
When the Lord made land available, the construction of a permanent church building was begun. Salvaged lumber was acquired by tearing down buildings which could be purchased at $10 each from the former Fort Greeley Army Base. It was hard work, but the crews of volunteers were dedicated, and they found Pastor Leverett’s determination and hard work inspiring. Often, when he would locate just the right board for the task at hand, he would smile and say, “Bread enough to spare.” Among the crewmembers who volunteered many hours of labor in this salvage and building work was Bill Bursell, a Baptist Mid-Missions missionary, who is now in Wasilla, Alaska.
The entire lower story of the new building was built with the salvaged lumber, and the main floor and auditorium were constructed from a pre-fab unit, financed in part by a Mid-Missions loan. Construction was directed by Mid-Missions builder, Dave Seldon, now retired. Those who were there note that the church structure was built on a foundation of solid bedrock, and that, more important, daily prayer meetings undergirded all the work. The first service was held in the new church building in the late fall of 1963. The Lord’s timing was evident when on March 27, 1964, the old Bakery Building, where the church services had formerly been held, was destroyed in the tidal wave generated by a huge earthquake. That summer, Dale and Bea Davis, who had started churches in Homer, Alaska and in Anchorage, succeeded Pastor Leverett.
Dale Davis, in turn, was succeeded by three other Baptist Mid-Missions missionaries who faithfully carried on the work as Berean’s pastors: George Blood, Leonard Bunts, and Dick Marsh. Each of these men, along with their wives, brought special talents that furthered the missionary goal of building up the local church to the point of financial independence. Berean’s first official action as a self-supporting church was to call Harold Lewis as its first regular, full-time pastor in July of 1975. At that time, a commitment was made to give 20% of church income to support other missions. Long-time members credit this missionary emphasis with encouraging a number of Bereans to respond to God’s call to full-time missionary service over the past 50 years (1960 – 2010).
During Pastor Harold Lewis’ and wife Nancy’s 14 years at Berean, the ministry continued to grow, and an addition to the church was built in 1989. Jack Johnston served several years as part-time youth pastor and assistant to Pastor Lewis. Harold and Nancy’s son, Nathan, led the music ministry and continued as part-time music minister during the beginning of Pastor Dan Minyard’s ministry.
Pastor Dan and Leila Minyard were called to Berean in August of 1989. Their ministry continued for 15 years and emphasized the family union, worship, children’s and youth activities, and obeying the Great Commission, all of which greatly strengthened Berean. Working closely with the Minyards were Youth Pastor Mark Kernan and his wife, Colleen, who were called to Berean in May of 1995. They served in ministry together until the Minyards relocated in November 2004, to pastor a church in Othello, Washington.
Originally, Pastor Mark Kernan served as Berean’s Youth Pastor for ten years. Though the position then was not yet full-time, his ministry reflected his dedication to both the development of the youth program at Berean, and the spiritual development of the youth as individuals. Working with other youth leaders in Kodiak, in 2003, Pastor Mark organized and launched Oasis, a local Christian youth ministry for high school students, which still presently meets at Berean. Pastor Mark served as interim pastor from November 2004 until he was called to senior pastorship in October of 2005. His many years with Berean helped him to guide the church through that transition period, providing stability, and enabling God’s vision for Berean to continue unhindered. His dedication to the task of shepherding God’s people, preaching God’s truth, and adhering to the call of the Great Commission continues to bear much fruit in the lives of the people of Berean.
Soon after Pastor Mark’s installation as Senior Pastor, Berean undertook the task of seeking, for the first time, a full-time Youth Pastor. Pastor Matt and Bethany Perez accepted the call and arrived in Kodiak in August of 2006. Pastor Matt eagerly came on staff and immediately began building on the foundation laid by his predecessor. His personable style, dedication to service, and unity of focus proved valuable assets to the ministry team at Berean. During his term, Pastor Matt’s discipleship and guidance has resulted in many opportunities for effective missionary outreach, visible spiritual growth among the youth at Berean, as well as the development of young leaders for God’s service in the furtherance of the Great Commission.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
The Great Commission ~ Matthew 28:19-20
