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TIM HEATH, Pastor I graduated from Grace Bible College, in 1974 after being married for two years. I have a Bachelor’s in Theology Degree. Judy and I met and were married while at Grace and we have four children, and nine grandchildren, all living in four different states, outside of Washington. Judy and I moved to Riverside, CA after graduating, where we worked with Prison Mission Association for about three years. We then moved to Washington State to work on Alpine Boys Ranch, where we helped build the first group home. After a year or so I began a Bible study in Leavenworth, which grew into our existing church. So in February of 1979, Cascade Mtn. Bible Church began. This was my first experience in pastoring a church. Our family pastored here until 1988, when we moved to North Carolina to work with Grace & Godliness ministries. Our plan was to encourage and work with hurting or burned out pastors and missionaries. The board of Grace & Godliness was in Palm Bay, Fl, so after a year in NC, we moved to Florida and worked in Grace Bible Church as an associate pastor, then pastor for a total of 5 years During the summer of 1994, we moved to a little community north of Spokane, WA. The following year, 1995 I became the pastor of the Summit Valley Community Church, where we stayed until September of 2005. At this time, we were asked to pastor once again the Cascade Mtn. Bible Church and feeling the Lord’s leading, moved back to Leavenworth to become their new / old pastor. We hope to serve this dear church family for many years to come. MY CONVERSION TO CHRIST Tim Heath May 13, 2002 I was born into a Christian home, in the sense that both my dad and mom were saved and involved in Christian ministry. My two older sisters were saved by the time I was old enough to understand about sin and hell and where I would go if I died without Christ. We lived the first few years of my life in the mountains of Northern California. I have 3 sisters, 2 brothers and an adopted Filipina sister. I am the oldest son. My folks told me that I came to know Christ as my personal Savior when I was five or six but I could not remember the situation. So, at a youth camp when I was 11 or 12 years old and being involved in some bad things, I began to question my salvation. “I mean, what if I am not really saved? What if I just think I am and I really am not?” In one of the evening sessions, after the pastor finished his message, on the subject of salvation, I went in a small room by myself. Getting down on my knees, before a chair I began to pray. “Father, I am not sure if I am saved or not. If I am already saved, You will understand. But if I am not saved, I want to make sure right now.” So, at that point I confessed my need for Jesus to become my savior, totally believing He died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins and thanked Him for His grace in saving me. I have never doubted my salvation since. For the past year I have been doing my Devoted time with God each morning for an hour or so, with praying, reading the Word and journaling. I have never had the consistency that I am now experiencing or the blessing. I am learning to verbalize on paper my struggles and the problems that come in ministry and watch God answer those needs. I am also becoming aware that I do not carry the problems anymore but leave them with the Lord. He has led me in sharing needs with people; solving problems or just blessing my time with Him and I rejoice in this time together with my Savior. While in the Philippines, this was one of the key practical things I challenged pastors and people to do – journal every morning as you read and pray! We, pastors, tend to talk a lot about devotions and prayer but pray little and are inconsistent with devotions. I used to try and do devotions after I got to the church but realized that other men who had jobs could not do their devotions at work, on the clock, so to speak. So, I get up at about 5 AM each morning and spend time with the Lord. This time has effected every area of my life. I praise the Lord for it and for Him! MY RELATIONSHIP WITH TCM OVER THE YEARS Tim Heath May 13, 2002 My first contact with TCM was when my folks went to the Philippines back in 1967. I was the oldest child to go and worked on my senior year of high school by correspondence at our house in Lupagan. At that time the missionary families were Hunts, Watkins, Bigelows Andersons, and Shrivers. I had never been on a foreign field but had an Aunt Pearl who had been a single missionary in Africa for many years, so “missions” was exciting and mysterious to me. I remember in high school wanting to go to a mission field but thought that you had to either be in sports or be able to sing to go and I could do neither. After returning from the Philippines after 9 months (1978), I went to Grace Bible College and interacted with Eldred and Bev Sidebottom occasionally. In fact, on my way out to GBC, I had an accident near Flagstaff Arizona, got the car fixed but ran out of money. I made it to Colorado and was able to get some money from my folk’s account, which was a blessing for me. Back in 1978, I worked with four pastor’s sons and sent them to the Philippines, to be with my parents and work in the schools. One of those youth is on the mission field today – Ken Kemper. Throughout my ministry I have seen the value and worked at sending youth and adults to foreign fields to be a part of what God is doing in other lands. In each of the churches where missions have been an important part the church has grown. During my 4th year of college, Judy and I had been married not quite a year and Vernon Anderson challenged us to go to Europe and pass out tracts. After praying about it for several months a team emerged and six of us went to England, and stayed with Mike Buttery. After several weeks, we were given Vernon’s Van and headed out to Europe. We went for 8 weeks, then returned to England for two more weeks, during which time we went to Scotland and Ireland. We called ourselves the European Collegiate Crusade. After graduation, I worked with PMA for 3 years, then went to Washington. In Washington I was asked and joined the TCM board and stayed on it until I became the director with Grace & Godliness Ministries. At that point, I chose to step down from the board, so I would be more free to work with any mission and their missionaries. However, it was during this time that I made a trip to the Philippines with a group of relatives, in 1989, and put on the seminar on “Faith” and “What is Godliness” or what we also called the “Christ Formed in You” Seminar. I spoke at the national conference and had a great time with the pastors and Bible women. In the church in Florida and now here, I have worked on sending teams to foreign fields and have mostly gone through TCM. I went to Bolivia by myself, under GMI to give the seminar with Frosty Hansen and took a team of youth from Florida to Curacao to help with the church there. April 23 – May 9, 2002 Judy and I left on Monday, April 22, for Seattle with a good send off from our church. Our fellowship was very much behind our trip to the Philippines and gave money, to help couples come to the Marriage seminar without having to pay. We had heard some would not be able to come, due to the costs (About $2.50). We had our longest layover in Seattle (from 8 PM until 5:30 AM) before heading out to Taipei and then on to Manila and down to Davao. My mom met us in Seattle and we traveled together the rest of the way. We arrived Wed. night and relaxed some on Thursday, then began the seminar on Friday. It was at an air-conditioned conference center. They served refreshments and lunch. It was very nice. I spoke for 2 hours before lunch and then about 4 after lunch. People were very encouraged to hear teaching on marriage and the family. Because some were not able to make it, they asked if we could do it again the following Sunday. We agreed whole-heartedly. Saturday we went into Davao and had a birthday party for Steven Indino. I spoke and basically gave the Romans road to the youth. It was a good time and the need for salvation was made very clear. Good time with everyone. Sunday we were in the Davao church and I spoke in Sunday School and then in Church. That evening we spoke in the Penabo church. They have a very enthusiastic music ministry and Pastor Amlon is applying principles of church growth from the book, “The Purpose Driven church.” He and another pastor will teach these principles at a seminar sometime this year. Monday began the youth conference with over 400 youth attending. I began the conference on Monday night and then spoke or taught another 9 times during the conference. The conference closed on Saturday and Mario, Ella, Judy and I went to another church for a ladies retreat. My mom spoke first while I was preparing what to say in the jeep. Then I spoke on not allowing little problems to become big and rob us of joy, peace and hope (Rom. 14 & 15). Sunday, May 5, we were in the Tagum church where I began teaching the marriage material in Sunday school and church. We had lunch at a man’s house that was a birthday party and a baby dedication, which they asked me to do. We went back to the church after lunch and I spoke another 3 hours, then went to another birthday party and simply has a good time talking with a number of the youth that had come, who had also attended the youth conference. Judy had become sick early Sunday morning, so she rested that Sunday and missed the fun we had at the church and in the homes of the people. I rested some on Monday, since the leadership retreat for the school was canceled due to rain. We headed home on Thursday tired but blessed abundantly by the commitment and love of the people. Pastor Tim Heath |