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Pastor feels called to Newberg |
Ken Bjorge is so new to his position at Chehalem
Baptist Church he has only once held services there as pastor.
Bjorge (pronounced be-your-gee) moved to Newberg Nov. 1 to begin
ministering to his new congregation after an eight-year stint as
pastor at Robert Gray Baptist Church in Longview, Wash.
 An
evangelical minister who worked as a carpenter for 25 years before
being called to pastor at the Longview church he attended, Bjorge
said he was again called by God recently to make a change. About six
months ago, he said, God told him to relocate to a different church.
Soon after the calling, he said, churches began to seek him out.
Newberg’s Chehalem Baptist Church was one of them.
“They have a great search committee, very thorough,” he said.
Congregation members stopped by his church and listened to a sermon,
then invited him to perform services in Newberg in September.
Now that he’s moved into the area, he will make changes only in the
style of ministry and leadership because the church is already a
“healthy” one, he said.
“I may refocus the direction with input from others,” he said.
Mission work, beginning in the community and spreading nationally
and internationally, is mindset common to Southern Baptists and will
factor into that focus. “Mission work starts out at home; that’s
where it begins.”
As an evangelistic pastor Bjorge is open to opportunities to share
Christ with others, he said. But doing so must be intentional. “You
can’t just let it happen,” he said.
All he has to wait for to be completely moved into Newberg is the
sale of his Longview home. His wife, Joyce, will remain in
Washington until the house is sold.
A father of two and grandfather of five — the sixth grandchild is
expected in December — Bjorge is living in the guest house of one of
the church congregation’s members.
Bjorge said he has yet to explore Newberg, but complimented the
clean streets, nicely appointed businesses and apparent pride
community members take in their town.
“The old part of town has a hometown feel,” he said. “That was the
main attraction of Newberg.” |
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From
Nov. 12,
2005, Newberg Graphic
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