Sherman Driver, Associate Pastor

I was born in Oakland, CA on June 19, 1947 with fairly mild Cerebral Palsy, the only child of Christian parents.  At the age of three, I was in an explosion while visiting Mexico, suffering third degree burns on my face.  This was naturally devastating to my mother in particular, but my parents never allowed me to feel sorry for myself, or treated me differently.  Through their hospitality  to many Christian’s from all over the world, an interest was taken in me by these people, and they taught me many skills that helped my fine motor co-ordination.  Most of all, the love I was shown by our friends, encouraged me to overcome obstacles, both emotional and physical, that may have been impossible otherwise.

I sat under many evangelists during my childhood, and at the age of seven I couldn’t resist any longer, and gave my heart to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  During my teens, I preached out on the street corner in downtown Oakland next to my Dad.  At seventeen years old, I preached in a small church in New Zealand while visiting with my parents, and continued preaching from then on when called upon.

God did something else that I never thought possible, and that was that He gave me a wife!  Rosemary and I were married in 1969, were blessed with four children and now have 12 grandchildren.  Our children and their spouses all have committed their lives to the Lord,  and so have several of the grandchildren.  Rosemary stayed at home to raise our children, and in recent years has led various groups, and taught Bible studies.

I have always sought to serve the Lord in whatever capacity I could, but during the late ‘80’s, I felt a very strong call to fulltime ministry.  I wanted to attend seminary, but at that time it was not possible.  When I was transferred to Virginia, and then to Connecticut from San Francisco in 1996, then God made it possible for me to go to Bethel Seminary of the East in New York City.  

With great rejoicing, I graduated after 5 ½ years in July 2003!  My desire was to get out of the corporate world, and use my last years as a fulltime Pastor.  God answered that prayer in a miraculous way, opening up a position as Associate Pastor at Beacon Hill Evangelical Free Church one month before I graduated, right here in the town we live in! 

All these events put together have given me the unshakeable sense that God has called me to the ministry.  He has taken me on a seemingly long and  “crooked” path, but the training that I received along the way could never have happened otherwise.  One of my favorite verses is “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2  My burning desire is to see others grow and mature in faith, and understanding God’s truth in such a way that they can multiply what they have gained and pass it on to others.  Though I am unworthy of such a call, my answer must be to follow obediently, humbly and faithfully.

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