Pastor Karl Thompson
A little background from the Pastor:
From my earliest days, I have been taught the grace of our sovereign God. By His grace, I have not lived a day when I did not realize that I was under the care of my Father in Heaven. While growing up, my family was very active in the life of the church and my parents worked hard to raise me in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I attended Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and was ordain to the Gospel Ministry in 2003. I served as a pastor in northern Wisconsin for 11 years. Then, in 2014, the Lord called me to serve as the pastor of Faith OPC in Grants Pass. It makes sense for us to come minister at this church, as this is the church that my wife attended through most of her teen years. Our six children are delighted to enjoy the fellowship with the other children in the church! I am deeply optimistic for the work that Christ is doing in His Church, and look forward to all the ways He will bring glory to himself in this Church.
ELDERS
Keith Anderson
I love God’s word, and I love His people; I love serving Him, my family, my church, and community. This is what I desire most in life. I do enjoy playing with bees occasionally, too.
Keith Hansen
I grew up on a ranch, and while in college began my walk with the Lord. Over the years, have served in churches as an Elder and Pastor while continuing to ranch. Now retired, God has continued the opportunity for ministry at Faith and Grants Pass. Marylou and I have 3 married children, 10 grandchildren and almost 3 great grands.
When the opportunity to serve God as an elder was presented, I humbly confess I had a lot more to learn. Our elders have diligently taught me and answered my questions and concerns as I grow in understanding. I am very aware that God will be faithful to use His Word, directed by the Holy Spirit, to bring more wisdom and discernment. I believe, God has placed me as an Elder of Faith OPC to serve Him as He directs for His glory. Praise God, He never gives up. The sanctification process will continue until I am home with the Lord.
DEACONS
Clyde Petty
I was raised in church from the age of four onward. At the age of twelve I realized that there were decisions to be made that involved serving the Sovereign and creator God of all the universe. God, in His electing grace and mercy has brought me through time and space, and my relationship to Him has made all the difference. I have been a man most blessed. I have been blessed by the people with whom God has surrounded me. I had a godly mother who had no greater joy than serving God and her family. God has blessed me with a wife, Chris, who has been my best friend and life-partner , and two children and grandchildren who have become the delight of our lives. (Never a dull moment!) I look forward to serving God and His church and pray that I will use my remaining time on this earth well.
Tom Velasquez
Thomas (Tom) was raised in Shafter, California. He was baptized as an infant and later confirmed at age 14 at the local roman Catholic church which he attended during his youth. While in high school, Tom would meet his future forever wife Cindy. Upon graduation from high school, Tom and Cindy continued to see each other when Tom was on leave and communicated through letters (before the days of email!). In March 1981, they were married in Shafter’s Ebenezer Reformed Church (RCUS), where Cindy attended. Tom received instruction on the Reformed Doctrine and became a member at that time.
After discharge from the nave, Tom and Cindy, along with their infant daughter, Jacqueline, moved to Vallejo, California. They would travel to Novato to attend the Trinity OPC being pastored at that time by Rev. Richard Miller. After a couple of years in the Bay Area, they returned to Shafter and the Reformed Church. Their daughter Jacqueline would later be joined by brothers, Matthew, Zane and Jakob, all of whom were baptized and confirmed in the Reformed church. In addition to their four children, they now have six grandchildren.
In the early 1990s, Tom became more involved in their church, teaching children’s Sunday School and later becoming the Sunday School Superintendent. Tom was ordained as a deacon in 2002 and continued as deacon through 2018. After his retirement in 2019, Tom and Cindy moved to Grants Pass and transferred their membership to Faith OPC in 2020.
Steve Carmack
In 1971 I experienced a genuine Christian born-again conversion entirely by God’s grace and mercy. Our Lord has always been faithful to take hold of this errant, stubborn, rebellious, ungrateful, prideful and arrogant young man and God’s mercies are new every morning. Every Christian will agree that we don’t deserve His goodness and kindness and steadfast love toward us. Only by God’s grace, I finally made it to age 73 and thankfully I’m in relatively good health in many ways.
I was born in Oceanside, California to a working-class family and enjoyed my early years in an idyllic environment living close enough to the beach to visit there as often as desired. Sometimes we just don’t know how good we have it.
Working in my grandfather’s summer garden was my first job starting at around 5 years old.
Reaching the mid to late 1960’s in my rudderless early teens coincided with the perfect storm of a catastrophic cultural sea change in America.
For me, it had a calamitous impact on my morals, my already weak religious compunctions and my self -discipline. All along I thought I was cool, wise and hip. By the time I reached 19 years old I realized the party was over and just how dumb the hippy philosophy really was.
Despite this late start I got serious and in pursuit of answers and came to understand we are each accountable for our choices and actions.
I came to terms with the Lordship of Jesus Christ and how His Lordship transcends the given cultural norms which can grip and sway us in untoward ways.
The constant battle that every Christian must embrace began – put off the old man and put on the new.
Again, by His grace and over the years, the Word of God and His faithful ministers and teachers guided me toward a comprehensive Reformed outlook. Reading theology and Christian apologetics have been my favorite form of devotionals. I started out in Romanism and left that when 13 years old, as mentioned, in 1971 I was called into the Kingdom in a charismatic church, and gradually grew more and more reformed.