Don Shirk retired from Grace Baptist Church, Batavia, New York, Jan. 31. He had been pastor of the church for 35 years.
Don’s tenure at Grace Baptist included overseeing a 2.7 million dollar building project in 2012 and adding three associate pastor positions.
While serving as pastor, he was also a Regular Baptist chaplain, serving with the Batavia police department for 22 years. He retired from the chaplaincy January 9. Zack Dawson, an associate pastor at Grace Baptist, has been sworn in as the new police chaplain.
Grace Baptist dedicated the month of January to honoring Don and his wife, Claudia. Events included a formal retirement banquet, attended by the Shirks’ five children, their spouses, and all 14 grandchildren.
Jeffrey Bartz became pastor of the church Feb. 1. He had been an associate pastor at Grace Baptist since 2007. Like Don, Jeffrey is also a Regular Baptist chaplain. Jeffrey serves in the Air National Guard and Genesee County (New York) sheriff’s office.
