A Church on Fire

On December 15, 1950, the First Baptist Church of Colusa was established. It began meeting in a store-front building in downtown Colusa, and in the mid-50’s built a sanctuary in the middle of the block on Lafayette Street, between 6th and 7th streets. Later, a parsonage was added, followed by an educational building.

Over the years, the church grew and declined in membership, with the pattern repeating itself again and again. I am the present pastor, the 21st, and have been pastor since the fall of 2000, thus giving me the distinction of having the longest pastorate to date. I have no intention of leaving anytime soon! Plus, I have been here before. I joined this church as a teenager in January of 1964, married my high-school sweetheart, Ann Bowden, in June of 1965 (in the church sanctuary), and we had the privilege of being the youth ministers for the next four years (while I completed college) until the Army “got me.” Two years later, we returned to the church and again became youth ministers. The following summer I felt God calling me to go to seminary to prepare for ministry. The church licensed me to preach shortly after that. During most of my three years at seminary we commuted back to Colusa on weekends to continue working with youth and music, now as Associate Pastor. The church ordained me to the gospel ministry during this time.

Then we were off to begin pastoring in Ripon, Merced, Indio, Lincoln, and Marysville over the next 25 years. Coming back to Colusa was truly a homecoming for us. We love Colusa and we love the church we have the privilege to pastor. Almost three years ago, we celebrated a 40th anniversary renewal of vows in the same sanctuary we were married in.

Almost a year ago, we discovered that powder post beetles and termites had teamed up to destroy the substructure of our beloved sanctuary and it was unsafe to meet in anymore. So we moved into the educational building, taking over the social hall for our worship center. It has taken all this time since to get to the point where we are now.

The Colusa Fire Department plans to do a controlled burn of our sanctuary tomorrow, Saturday, May 10, the day before Mother’s Day!  It will be both a sad day and a glad day for us, because it will not only mark the ending of a building filled with great memories, but the beginning of a new phase in the life of the church. We have a building contractor who has been very helpful in getting us to the point where we are ready to rebuild as soon as the remains of the burned structures are cleaned up.

We are looking forward to a new, improved, modern worship center in which to begin making new, wonderful memories!  Now, to the title of today’s article – “A Church on Fire.”

The church is not the building, but is the people who meet in the building. The fact that the church building will be literally on fire tomorrow, then nothing but a pile of ash and rubble, means little in the scheme of things. The people who make up the local church called First Baptist will survive and continue to minister, worship, serve, love, fellowship, witness the glorious truth of God’s gospel.

It is my hope and prayer that we will truly be the “church on fire” with the zeal and passion of a called-out bunch of Christians who are Spirit-filled and Spirit-led and who make a positive impact on our community and county as we minister life, truth, and love to those we have the privilege to serve.

Pastor Samuel can be reached at 696-0563 or 701-6668 or sskrouse@succeed.net