SUDDEN VALLEY - Gabriel Powell says he received two calls to his first pastorship; one from God and one from the founding pastor of Sudden Valley Community Church.
At 29 years of age and 6-feet, 5-inches in height, the Sehome High School graduate is among the youngest and tallest ministers in Whatcom County. He conducted his first service Sept. 11 at The Barn (inside Gate 2), the regular site of the church's services.
Powell and his wife, Rachel, have three children: Noah, 7; Chloe, 5; and Caleb, 2.
The son of Billy and Elsa Powell of Bellingham, he graduated from The Master's College in Santa Clarita, Calif., with a bachelor's degree in computer science in 2003 and a master's of divinity in 2011.
Question: How did you find your way to Sudden Valley?
Answer: Pastor Cal Hanson founded the church about two years ago; it's the only church in Sudden Valley. He's 84 and he's the pastor who founded Trinity Western University, which is now the largest Christian university in Canada. When he decided to retire, he knew I was finishing up at seminary and contacted me to ask if I was interested in accepting a call. He's known my parents for 15 years and so I had met him.
Q: What did you think?
A: I felt Pastor Hanson's interest in me was a great honor. I have nothing but respect for him and all he has done in 60 years of service to the Lord in the ministry. Rachel and I talked it over and agreed we wanted to return to Whatcom County. I went through the church's search committee, preached a couple of services, and was voted in by the congregation.
Q: Are you surprised to be back home?
A: I was ready to go anywhere for my first pastorship, but I did feel I wanted to return to Whatcom County where I grew up. I worked for Logos Bible Software for three years as a systems administrator before returning to The Master's College for seminary.
Q: What are you looking for as a young pastor?
A: More than anything else, this is humbling. There's still a lot I need to learn from so many of the wise people in our church. I certainly don't come in feeling I have the answers to everything. There'll be a lot of give and take, and I'm looking forward to learning from local pastors. I'm also still working toward a master's degree in biblical counseling.
Q: Are there any special goals for your church?
A: We're a small, independent evangelical Protestant church. The way I see it, we're learning about what the Bible teaches us about how we can be more like Jesus Christ. I don't have any tangible goals, but three years from now, I'd like to be able to say we're more like Jesus.
As a church, we want to love the community and be here for them. We want to be able to minister to people, especially those going through some of the darkest days of their lives.
Q: When did you first feel your call to Christ?
A: I attended Northlake Community Church in my teen years. I became serious about church when some friends and I attended a Bible camp in North Dakota when I was 14. That's when I gave my life to the Lord.
