Never did I think that I would end up living in California! Though a beautiful place with some good people, the mindset and political views of the state did not make it an attractive place for me to raise my family. Yet, God had other plans.
When I was first introduced to the need for churches in Northern California, I said something like, "I'm very happy with where God has me right now." (I was an associate pastor at the time.) "Besides, if California falls off into the ocean, I don't think anyone will care." I had a bad attitude!
Over the next several months, God helped me realize that churches, ministries, and Godly Christians were leaving California. Every time I heard of someone else leaving California, it was like a punch in my gut, and it was as if the Lord would say, "Who is going to share the Gospel there now? Who is going to be a light in the darkness now?" I finally agreed to take a trip there, just so that I could say, "See, this isn't where God wants me. Now I don't have to go back." Instead, God used that trip to show me that, not only was there a great need, but there were receptive people who needed the Gospel, and that God wanted my family to take it there.
When I returned to Washington, I knew that I could do nothing else but return to California as soon as possible. There were lots of details and questions to consider. We needed to be sent properly, which God did through the church where I trained in their Bible Institute right after high school, Grace Baptist Church in Cle Elum, Washington (Pastor Steven Harper). Where would we live? Should we go on deputation? How would we support our family and the ministry to which God had called us?
God lead us to go directly to California without gathering support on deputation. We had some work and housing opportunities in California (most of which fell through), and we had our family business, Watkins Solutions, which provides graphics, websites, printing, signage, and more to small businesses. We also offer the same services to churches and bi-vocational pastors at steep discounts (Local Church Graphics).
Though we thought we had a plan for work, housing, and a place to meet, things did not work out as we planned. We went to the Lord and prayed very specifically, and He answered over and over again! We needed housing, but the cheapest place that would rent to us was about $3500 per month, plus about $1000 monthly for electricity. We prayed specifically that God would provide a farm and a way to control our power.
We found an opportunity in the form of an ad that I almost passed by, telling my wife that it was too good to be true and probably a scam. She reminded me that it was exactly what we had been praying for, and encouraged me to respond to the ad. I did, and God used it to provide us a position as caretaker of a farm. The position came with housing and, being an off-grid farm, we can control our own power and water. What an answer to prayer! This also provides us with the option to grow much of our own food, and have farm animals for meat.
We began to meet in a park for services. God has blessed us with souls saved and baptized. Grace and Truth Baptist Church in Los Molinos, CA, organized and became autonomous in September of 2023.
While we have many needs, God has provided time and time again. The small-town, rural area to which God has called us desparately needs the Gospel. Our approach is to put down roots, build relationships with the people of our area, and use every opportunity to point them to Christ, Who has all the answers. I believe that in time, our church will grow, and from it, we will be able to plant other churches in many of the towns and villages of Northern California.