Stretching nearly eight hundred miles from north to south, the sheer size of California gave us cause for concern when the California Association of Regular Baptist Churches unanimously affirmed Ron’s appointment as the state representative. Considering that CARBC churches are located not only in California but in Oregon and Nevada, the job description was formidable: to encourage CARBC ministries, assist with pastoral placement, support new works, and add established churches of like faith and practice to the association.
Our personal goal to know the pastors and churches well enough to help them through a crisis or transition and our desire to sleep on our own pillows at night prompted us to liquidate 98 percent of our possessions and move into a used motor home. Knowing that phone and e-mail would be critical means of communication, we had a satellite dish installed on the roof of the motor home and reconfigured our cell phone plans.
We set up our small space so Ron would have an area to study and correspond with pastors while I would have a spot to do some freelance writing and keep the books for the CARBC. The task was quite a challenge. Pairing a packrat with someone who can’t stand clutter can be like putting a fox and a badger in a barrel; there were definitely moments of despair.
We laugh about the constant reorganizing; the things we remember having but can’t find (really, how many places are there to look?); and the bathroom dance we do every morning to work around each other.
Every town is a new adventure. After we’ve determined how to get to the next church, we call the pastor and ask, “How much of an obstacle course is between us and the parking lot?” When you are maneuvering a forty-foot motor home through narrow, winding streets, sometimes after dark, it becomes profoundly important that you don’t miss a turn or get into an extremely tight spot.
Other logistics, too, are challenging: mail, banking, laundry, haircuts. When Ron gets a haircut it’s no big deal. But when a perfect stranger starts cutting my hair, I have to close my eyes, take a deep breath, and pray. And shopping! We will soon be able to give you the location of every RV supply store and Staples store in the state of California.
Logistics aside, the ministry has been rewarding. Every church has a unique personality. But at every church we find a hardworking, godly pastor and a core of faithful, loving saints who remind us that God is still using His church to reach the world.
We thank God for the ministry He has given us. While our housing might not be conventional, it has definitely helped us connect with churches in the unusual state of California. And wherever we go, we are always at home.
Sally Schrock ministers with her husband, Ron, who is state representative for the California Association of Regular Baptist Churches.
