Calvary Baptist Church, Evart, Michigan, honored its pastor, Scott Farrell, for 20 years of ministry at the church. In July he will have been serving in Regular Baptist churches for 30 years.
“This family of five coming twenty years ago to our town, and to this church, has made a lasting impact for Jesus on hundreds if not thousands of lives who have been touched by the gospel message,” says Curtis Rider, associate pastor of student ministries.
Scott and his wife, Mechelle, met at Baptist Bible College in the late 1980s. Scott was finishing his undergrad degree, and Mechelle was just starting there as a freshman. They married in 1988, and that fall he started his MDiv program at Baptist Bible Seminary.
In July 1993, with two kids in tow, they moved to Parkersburg, West Virginia, where Scott would serve as an intern at Bible Baptist Church under the leadership of nearly retired Pastor Don Matheny. After Scott’s internship, the church called him as associate pastor. And when Don retired in 1995, Scott accepted the role of pastor.
Bible Baptist Church was “very generous to us,” Scott says. “They gave us our first opportunity at ministry” and were “a blessing to our family.”
When Scott felt it was time for a different pastor to lead Bible Baptist Church, he sent his résumé to Calvary Baptist, which was looking for a pastor. He wrote to Calvary Baptist, “We submit this résumé with a desire to know God’s will for our family. Being that you are receiving this, your church is also in a time of searching for that will. . . . Pray for wisdom. God will make it clear to us both . . . if this is His perfect plan unfolding.”
“We know now that God’s perfect plan indeed was unfolding,” Curtis says.
Calvary Baptist called Scott to serve as pastor in February 2003. The next month, members of Calvary Baptist drove to West Virginia to help the Farrells pack their belongings and then drove back to Michigan to help the family move into their home.
On March 23, 2003, Scott preached his first sermon as pastor of the church, a sermon titled “Up and Running” from Hebrews 12:1–3. The church installed him as pastor on March 30.
Scott and Mechelle “have so faithfully served the Lord” at Calvary Baptist, the church says.
Mechelle has led junior church and the nursery, helped in VBS, and served in community outreach through her clothing shop in Evart, and so much more. Just a few of Scott’s ministries have been leading projects and trips big and small, teaching Sunday School classes, and praying countless hours for the church.
Celebrating Scott and Mechelle’s ministry anniversary “is a true joy and honor for us as a church,” Curtis says.
Scott and Mechelle Farrell and their family
