Emily Jardon
Reporting Student
Pastor Ron Jones has worked as the pastor at the Temple Baptist Church in El Dorado for 14 years now. The reason he enjoys sharing the truth to people is, “Young people are hungry for something that is real. When they hear the truth, they struggle at first, but as they see it work in their lives, there is hope.”
Originally from Lubbock, Texas, Pastor Jones was raised in a Christian home with a father as a pastor. Then in 1992 after hearing a message in church, Jones surrendered his life to God.
He has been involved in the ministry for most of his life and some of his jobs include music director, youth pastor and more. There was a calling for Bro. Ron to go to Bend, Oregon, in 1996 to work with his father who was planting a new church.
In the fall of 2000, Pastor Jones and his family were called to El Dorado as they were in need of a music minister. Just a few short years later, Temple Baptist felt God’s calling to name Jones as the church pastor.
Assistant Pastor Todd Hoiseth has worked with Pastor Jones for eight years and admitted that he envisioned studying the Bible in an office all day, but that wasn’t the case. Here at Temple, the pastor is always personally challenging you to see what you can do better rather than just settling for good enough.
Being an active member in the church is something both that the pastor and Bro. Todd suggest doing to help your spiritual growth. Not only does going to church help your personal relationship with God, but you also get an entire building as a support team.
“The people of the area and especially the church are the close family I enjoy now,” Jones said.
With the difficult trials that life has to offer, church can be an outlet of encouragement any day or time.
“I honestly don’t know how people make it through life without the church and the Word of God,” Bro. Todd said. “The more active you are in the church, the more you are able to glean from it and the more blessings you receive.”
Now Hoiseth has the opportunity to raise his family at Temple, and a new generation will be brought up in the church as well. The people play an important role in the church and according to Bro. Todd, Temple has some pretty special ones.
“Butler County is a great community to live in,” Jones said. “I use the whole county because no matter where you live in it you are part of the whole.”
Having a variety of ages of people just goes to show the different beautiful stages of life that we all need to be reminded of for encouragement.
“There are so many people here that love the Lord and serve Him with everything they have,” Bro. Todd said. “We have older folks that provide amazing stability and maturity, we have strong families all throughout and we have young families with young children that are moving toward that strength and maturity and stability.”
The benefits about the local churches is that people acknowledge your presence and genuinely want to help you.
“While at Temple, God has allowed me to develop relationships that are life-long, and I can say that it is because of the truth of the Word of God,” Jones said.
Temple has services Sunday beginning at 10:45 a.m. and Sunday evening at 6 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
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