I have been asked to write to you a short article introducing myself to you. I am looking forward to serving you wonderful people as your Interim Pastor.
Basic biographical information is this. I was born and raised as one of six children in Philadelphia, PA. My family moved to California after WWII. I attended high school and college in Fresno, California. Following college graduation, I went to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. I was ordained as a minister of Word and Sacrament in 1963.
For the next 5 years I served Churches in Elko County. Then for three years I served the churches in Incline Village, Lake Tahoe. Following that great experience, I was offered the position to serve as the first full-time chaplain within the Department of Prisons for the State of Nevada. I stayed in this position for 28 years and loved this ministry. I used to brag that I served the fastest growing "church" in the State of Nevada. We grew from 550 people to over 1,000 when I retired from the prison in 1999.
Since I retired as chaplain, I have served as an Interim Pastor in churches such as Minden and Elko Nevada, Twin Falls, Idaho, and most recently for the last 2.5 years in Burley, Idaho.
I have a special style of leadership. I consider myself in partnership with leaders in the church. This style of leadership came to me because ministers, elders, and deacons all take the same ordination vows, this enhances our ability to work together to discover our gifts and talents to do the ministry God has called us all to do.
I am married to Dorothy and you will especially enjoy her. She has skills as a social worker in drug and alcohol issues. She has a passion to work with domestic violence victims and also as a hospic volunteer.
Both of us are eager to serve you and work with you until you find your next called pastor. We will have an exciting and fun time together. Let us work together in becoming friends and being the kind of people God wants to be in Baker City.
May God richly bless and use us!
Pastor Al Fry
