The church's bell tower
The Capm Fire did not stop either Easter or Christmas.
On Sunday, December 23, 2018, after a two-month break forced by fire over the ashes of the burnt down Californian city of Paradise, the church's bell rang. This is Scotty, a ringer of the 1st Baptist Church, blow by blow twelve times he pulled a rope tied to the church bell-clapper. This ringing of the bell shortly before Christmas, which had awakened the emptiness of the city, deserted after a fire and located on a mountain plateau, was heard far around and proclaimed that the Church was alive and not burned.
The following Sunday, December 30, Pastor Samuel Walker, with the help of his entire family, held a pre-Christmas service in the gym. By that time, the fire inspection of the entire building was not yet completed and, having connected electricity, it was allowed to use only the gym, but without gas for heating and without water. To this first service, surprisingly to all those gathered, more than 60 people came, almost half of the church members. After the evacuation, many departed to different cities and states, some to their relatives, and some just as far away as possible from the much experienced tragedy. On January 13, 2019, the first service was allowed in the church building itself. By this time, a propane tank for heating and a 200-gallon potable water tank had been installed, but every ministry warned everyone not to use tap water and fountains.
The church's building
The history of this family of Priests is very unique and interesting. Pastor Michael Howard grew up in this California city of Paradise, his parents settled here in 1962. He has not been in these parts since 1974 for 20 years after serving as a security guard in the US Air Force. His last base was in the state of Colorado in the city of Colorado Spring. In the early 1990s, after the opening of the Iron Curtain, the way was opened for a free trip to the countries of the former Soviet Union, and all the churches of America began sending their representatives to missionary training camps. Thus, young Heather, daughter of Michael Howard, was in one of the groups in the Florida missionary preparatory camp. At the same time, Samuel Walker, who was already a youth pastor of the Denver Messianic church, was in the same group there. Once upon a time, the ancestors of Samuel migrated from Russia to Ireland, and then to America, and it was always interesting for him to visit this country.
After completing the training courses, it was time to go on a mission, and each group set off on a separate route. But technically they postponed the flight of the aircraft on which Heather was supposed to fly, and then their group flew on an airplane with a group in which Samuel was. Their groups, starting from St. Petersburg, departed to different cities with a mission, and in Moscow they met again at a general church service and this meeting determined their future together.
Pastor Mike Howard in Center and Pastor Sam Walker behind
Shortly after graduating from college in Denver, Samuel got a job at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where they moved. After the 9/11 national tragedy, like many others, he lost his full-time job and moved back to Denver Colorado, where he and Heather raised their six children.
After retirement, Michael, together with his wife Bobby, moved to California in 2002 and settled in Magalia, adjacent to Paradise from the north, and in 2003 they were joined by Samuel and his family. Being the Messianic Jews confessing Jesus Christ, they soon discovered that there were a lot of Jews in this large populated area, and there was not a single synagogue. In 2006, Pastor Samuel Walker founded the Congregation Harei Yeshua and held services in churches in the city of Magalia and Paradise. Soon Samuel was chosen as the lead pastor of the 1st Baptist Church in the city of Paradise, where on Sundays he holds services for Baptist believers, and on Fridays in the Church of Nazareth ministry for Messianic Jewish believers.
The first major fire occurred in these regions in 2008, in the settlement of Concow, which is adjacent to Paradise from the east. But it was not as devastating as the one that began on November 8, 2018. He was completely succeeded in extinguishing only on November 25, after seventeen days of intensive work by the fire services. He was the most deadly and most destructive in the history of California to date.
Pastor Samuel Walker
After all residents were allowed to return from evacuation, Samuel and his family arrived at their residential address, but saw only the ashes of their home. Here they met all their neighbors, whose houses were also burned, but they were glad that everyone was alive and unharmed. After that, Samuel went to church and found that the fire had not touched the building. The Church of Nazareth also did not suffer.
Samuel Walker, his father-in-law, Michael Howard, their wives and children are doing everything today so that people can, as in previous times, come to church at 6500 Clark Road on Friday at 6:30 pm and on Sunday at 11 am. And the bell ringer Scotty before each ministry, as before, twelve times pulls a rope tied to the church bell-clapper, by proclaiming that the Church is alive.
On April 21, 2019, the First Baptist, Paradise Nazarene, pastor Lloyd Tremain and Skyway Assembly of God, pastor Mike Thompson gathered in this building for the celebration of Easter. And at the end of the ministry, as always, at Easter, everyone participated in the traditional decoration of the cross with flowers, which is especially pleasing to all children.
No, Paradise is not burned, but continues to live reborn from the ashes.
Konstantin Tkachenko
Rock-Land Baptist Church
5132 Elkhorn Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95842
