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Darrel
Lee is the pastor of the Apostolic Faith church. He comments
that among all the aspects he appreciates about the work of
the Lord, he especially enjoys the privilege of.
“working with wonderful people all around me who love
the same Gospel that appealed to me when I first heard it.”
Reverend Lee was born in Roseburg, Oregon, in 1952, and grew
up on a farm in the Roseburg area, along with six siblings.
It was through the conversion of a younger sister that he
first heard about salvation. In his testimony,
he tells how, as a college student, it worried him that an
encounter could be initiated between God and man. After attending
an Apostolic Faith Church service in 1974, he reached out
to God in his own home, and made a connection that changed
his life.
His wife, Debbie Brown, was saved as a child in Medford, Oregon,
where she spent her early childhood. When she was thirteen,
her family relocated to Portland. After graduation, she felt
led to move to Dallas, Oregon, and help in the work of the
Lord there. It was in Dallas that the two of them met, as
Darrel attended the Dallas church during his college years
after his conversion. They married on Valentine's Day in 1976.
They have two children, Alicia and Randy, who both gave their
lives to God as small children. Alicia married Rob Parker
in September 1999, and Randy married Ashley Nichols in July
of 2002. The Lees are the proud grandparents of Jackson, Henry,
and Sawyer, Alicia and Rob's sons.
Reverend Lee preached his first sermon in February 1978. He
was ordained to the ministry in 1987, and his first pastorate
was in Dallas, Oregon. In 1992, he went to pastor the Apostolic
Faith Church in Eureka, California. On June 13, 1996, he moved
to Portland to become the church treasurer. On July 10, 2000,
at the international camp-meeting convention in Portland,
the entire congregation stood to pledge their approval and
support of Reverend Lee’s appointment as leader of the
Apostolic Faith churches worldwide. |
Other
Members of the Ministerial Staff |
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Sam Ajayi is the ministerial staff
member whose birthplace is the most distant from Portland, having
been born and brought up in Igboho, Oyo State, Nigeria. He works
at the headquarters office in the capacity of Africa Executive
Consultant.
In telling of his conversion, Sam comments that he lived a life
far from God, not knowing how to find victory over sin. However,
God led him to a knowledge of the truth and he was converted
in 1975, while a student in college. Sam is enthusiastic about
his privilege of becoming an American citizen (an event which
took place in 1996), but even more thrilled with his opportunity
to be a citizen of Heaven! His favorite season of the year is
Christmas because “it helps me to refocus on the root
of my freedom and how it all started.”
In 1983, Sam married his wife, Shade, and their marriage has
been blessed with four sons: Sam (Samuel), Stephen, Simon, and
Shadrach (who is waiting to be reunited with them in Heaven.)
Sam was called into the ministry in 1991; the family moved to
Portland in 1994. |
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Dwight
Baltzell is on the ministerial staff and served as the
Superintendent General from 1993-2000. He currently serves
as Director of Africa work.
Saved at the age of eighteen, Reverend Baltzell voices his
great appreciation for the spiritually faithful people he
has known who have left their mark on him. You can read more
of his testimony here.
One of the aspects that he particularly enjoys about the Portland
church is “the way God’s people work together
and are so willing to do their part.”
He became a minister in May of 1970, and served as pastor
for Apostolic Faith churches in Chehalis, Washington; Eureka,
California; and Medford and Portland, Oregon. He comments,
“I have had opportunities through the years, especially
during times of travel, to witness the unity and love for
the Truth we enjoy within our ranks. We are extremely blessed
in the Apostolic Faith Church.”
Reverend Baltzell and his wife, Susan, have three children
and seven lovely grandchildren. Their son, Randy, pastors
the Apostolic Faith Church in Van Buren, Arkansas. Their daughter,
Lori, is married to the pastor of the Apostolic Faith Church
in Honolulu, Hawaii. Their youngest daughter, Kelli, is active
in the Portland congregation. |
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Chris Botofan began preaching in 1954
in his homeland of Romania, after being saved in a revival in
1949, at the age of 13. He married his wife, Elizabeth, in April
1961, and they have eight children; they immigrated to the United
States in 1978. Brother Chris carries a great spiritual burden
for the Romanian people, both in the United States and back
in his homeland. He says, “My desire is to see as many
Romanians as possible serving the Lord in the Apostolic Faith
Church. I have committed myself to this cause since 1980, when
Brother Carver [then the General Overseer of the Apostolic Faith
work] entrusted me with the privilege to lead the Romanian meetings
in the headquarters office chapel.”
Brother Chris taught a Romanian Sunday school class from 1985
— 1997, and makes regular visits to the Apostolic Faith
Church in Sacramento, California, which is comprised largely
of Romanian immigrants. He says, “How happy I am to see
that today we have young Romanian ministers in Portland, Sacramento,
Medford, and that the Apostolic Faith doctrine also has reached
to many people in my former homeland.” Among the places
where Apostolic Faith works have been established in Romania
is the town of Lovrin, where Brother Chris served the Lord for
several years before immigrating to the U.S. |
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Roy Buss, another member of the Portland
ministerial staff, says that one thing he especially enjoys
about the Portland church is the fellowship of the saints. The
summer season is his favorite time of the year because that
is when our annual camp meeting is held and it gives him the
opportunity to visit with people of God from all parts of the
world. He developed close ties with some of our church members
in Asia, having had the privilege to visit that continent three
years in a row.
Roy was born in January 1928, and saved at the age of eighteen;
he was called into the ministry in March 1957. He married his
wife, Jean Robinson, in September 1949, and they have one son
and four daughters. An experienced construction worker, Roy
has had the opportunity to use his building expertise on a number
of church building and remodeling projects around the United
States, including the building of the current Portland church.
He has lived in four different locations around the United States
where we have branch churches, and pastored Apostolic Faith
congregations in Winfield, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. |
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Erik
Calhoun was saved in 2001 during a time of revival
among the young people, after having been born and raised
in the Portland Apostolic Faith Church . Erik,who is the youth
leader of the church, marvels at the reality of the change
wrought in a heart through salvation. He comments, “It makes
no difference whether we are born and raised in the Gospel,
or just have heard the good news—the heart change is just
as definite.”
Music
has played an important role in Erik's life. He is an accomplished
bassoonist, directs the Portland youth choir and orchestra,
and is an assistant director in the adult music department
of the church.
Erik
says that his most special memory in the Portland church took
place on November 12, 2005—the day he married his wife, Allison,
in a ceremony performed by the Superintendent General, Reverend
Darrel Lee. Among their other duties around the church, Erik
and Allison especially enjoy teaching a college Sunday school
class.
Their family expanded
to three on September 20, 2007, when they welcomed their first
child: Graham Gustav Calhoun. |
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Ryan
Chasteen grew up in Roseburg, Oregon, where he was
taken to the Apostolic Faith Church from infancy. He recounts,
“In the back of the church was a nursery with a big window
and a lace curtain. I can remember going in there during the
prayer meetings after the church services and looking out
through a gap in the curtain so I could see. I knew the Lord
was blessing, and something registered down in my heart, though
I didn't know what it was.” At the age of ten, Ryan gave his
heart to the Lord, and he recounts that there was a real change
in his life, even though he was young.
About
two years later, at the annual camp meeting in Portland, Ryan
was praying with his sister and cousin and the Lord sanctified
him. During his senior year of high school, he received his
baptism during a series of special meetings at the Roseburg
church.
Ryan
moved to Portland and took a job with the U.S. Postal Service.
Initially, that meant a lot of walking, but he says, “That
gave me a lot of time to talk to God, and I am thankful for
that. He is my best Friend!”
On
February 16, 2002, he married Angela Kaady. They have two
beautiful sons, Mason and Jonah, anda sweet little daughter,
Ella. Ryan began preaching in June of 2005. |
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Bob
Downey reflects that receiving the baptism of the Holy
Ghost made a great impact on his spiritual walk. “Afterwards,”
he comments, “I was more grounded and willing to be available
for the Lord's service.” That willingness has translated into
a variety of responsibilities in the Apostolic Faith organization.
He preached his first sermon in March of 1979, and has pastored
churches in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Fort Smith, Arkansas;
and Dallas and Medford, Oregon. Currently serving as Director
of North America work, as well as participating on the Portland
ministerial staff, Reverend Downey appreciates the opportunity
he has had to visit over 45 of the Apostolic Faith churches
throughout the United States and Canada in recent years.
Reverend
Downey was raised in a Christian home, and spent his growing
up years in Chehalis, Washington. He firmly committed his
life to the Lord in 1971, when he was 21 years of age. In
August of 1972, he married his wife Cheryl, and they have
two sons (both married), one daughter, and three beautiful
grandchildren—including a set of twins!
After
moving to Portland in 2007, Reverend Downey and his wife have
enjoyed working at the headquarters office. Three of the things
Reverend Downey most appreciates about the Gospel are, “looking
to the Lord for guidance and direction in my life, the hope
of Heaven, and being able to provide a spiritual foundation
for my children.” |
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Al Friesen comments that the day he
was saved in August of 1966, he felt as though “a 200
pound weight was lifted from my back.” Reverend Friesen
preached his first sermon in October, 1972, and was ordained
on November 13, 1990. He pastored three Apostolic Faith churches
(Denver, Colorado; Chehalis, Washington; and Medford, Oregon)
before moving to Portland in June of 2001.
When asked what circumstance or event had the greatest impact
on his spiritual life, Reverend Friesen pointed back to experiencing
the divine touch of God when he was suffering from diabetes
and chronic kidney failure while he was pastor in Denver. In
a Sunday night service, the Lord performed a miracle, and the
condition was reversed. He reflects, “I had some very
special spiritual experiences during my times of illness, and
I want to always remember those times.”
Reverend Friesen and his wife, Deana, have three daughters and
one son, and are proud grandparents of ten grandchildren and
one great-grandchild. They have enjoyed making several trips
to Asia to visit Apostolic Faith churches in Korea and Japan,
thus fulfilling a life-long dream. |
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Roy Frymire, born in 1917, holds the
honored position of most senior member of the Portland ministerial
staff. As a fifteen-year-old boy, he asked God to forgive his
sins and promised to serve Him the rest of his life. That prayer
went up to Heaven seventy years ago! In a recent testimony,
he referenced Psalm 68:19, which says the Lord “daily
loadeth us with benefits,” and observed, “If I had
only one benefit per day through these years, I would have had
more than 25,000 benefits. But the Lord says he daily loadeth
us with benefits! I can’t count the blessings God has
given me through these years!”
About four years after he was saved, Reverend Frymire felt the
Lord talking to his heart about going into the ministry. After
his discharge from the military, at the close of Word War II,
he was called into active ministry. He married his wife, Lois
Dubs, in 1951 and they had two sons. In 1952, he assumed his
first pastorate, in Eureka, California. Over the years, he also
pastored in Port Angeles, Washington; Minneapolis, Minnesota;
and Tacoma, Washington, before his retirement.
Reverend Frymire says that one aspect of the Gospel that he
particularly appreciates is his hope of Heaven. Following the
recent passing of his wife, he comments, “I love the friendship
and fellowship of the saints of God, and this has a greater
meaning to me in the past year than ever.” |
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Ed Habre began serving in a ministerial
capacity in 1981, after feeling God’s calling him in that
direction when he was just a very young man. He gave his heart
to God at the age of seventeen. Having lived in the Portland
area most of his life, he comments that one of his special memories
is the time when construction of the Portland church was completed.
He had the privilege of preaching the last Friday night meeting
in the old tabernacle, and preaching in the first meeting in
the new youth chapel.
Ed’s current responsibilities in the Portland church include
serving on the committee for the Higher Way magazine, and participating
as a member of the steering committee for the through-the-Bible
devotional project currently being produced.
Ed and his wife, Kim, have been married since May, 1976, and
he says that Kim has always been an encouragement to him as
he has attempted to follow the leading of God in his life. They
have four sons. The oldest two, Joshua and Jared, are married.
Ed and Kim are the proud grandparents of Lola and Cash, children
of their son, Josh, who is also a minister in the Portland chuch. |
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Josh
Habre, a youth minister on the ministerial staff,
grew up in Portland, as the oldest of four boys. His dad,
Ed Habre, is also a minister in the Portland Apostolic Faith
Church, and Josh had the privilege of being raised in a Christian
home. He was saved in 1999, when he knelt beside his father
in his bedroom and gave his life to God.
Josh
comments that a revival among the young people, which began
during a youth retreat in 2001, was something that had a great
impact on his spiritual life. The way the young people drew
together and supported each other in prayer touched him deeply
and helped him get grounded in his Christian walk. Josh has
been active in the Sunday school work, and he currently leads
the Beginner's Department. He preached his first sermon in
February, 2004.
On May 29, 1999, Josh married Katie Chasteen, whose father
is pastor of the Apostolic Faith Church in Port Angeles, Washington.
They have one daughter, Lola, born in June, 2003, and welcomed
a son, Cash, in January of 2007.
Among
the special features of the Portland church that appeal to
Josh is the diversity of ages and experiences represented
by members of the congregation. He appreciates the opportunity
to draw from their support, and says, “There is never a dull
moment with such a large family!” |
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Jim
Maxwell is not only on the ministerial staff at the Portland
church, but he also serves as leader of the music department.
Raised in a Christian home, he gave his life to God in his
own home as just a young child. An accomplished trombonist,
Jim often mentions the role music has played in his church
involvement. He started taking music lessons at the age of
six, and began playing in the church orchestra when he was
eleven. As a young man, he felt led to focus his education
in that area, and received his degree in the field of music
from the University of Puget Sound. During his college years,
he made a definite choice to consecrate his musical talent
to the Lord. He directed music in our Tacoma and Yakima, Washington
churches, and also was youth leader and music director of
the Portland young people for fourteen years.
In December 1974, Jim married his wife, Arlene Phillips, and
they have three children. Their children are all married.
Jim and Arlene have four grandchildren, with one more to arrive
in the summer of 2007.
Jim began preaching
in 1972, and was ordained in 1988. After pastoring in Grants
Pass, Oregon, for three years, the Maxwells returned to Portland
in 1997 where he became involved once again in the music department.
In January of 2000, he assumed the responsibility of orchestra
and choir director. |
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Steve
Mixer currently leads the Sunday school work of the
Portland Apostolic Faith Church. He counts that a privilege,
because Steve himself attended Sunday school classes in this
church from his earliest memory.
Steve
points back to youth camp 1977 as being a turning point in
his life. There, the Lord talked to him about his need of
salvation, and on the Sunday night following the close of
camp, Steve gave his life to the Lord.
In
1998, Steve was called into the ministry. At the time, he
and his family lived in Murphysboro, Illinois, and he says
that serving God in a small branch church made a tremendous
impact on his spiritual life. “It was there I began to understand
that being faithful and having a willing spirit were great
spiritual assets, and I reconsecrated myself to the Lord.”
He
and his wife Merrill celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary
in 2005. They have a son and daughter who are both Christians
and actively involved in the music ministry of the church.
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John Musgrave, who serves as treasurer
of the Apostolic Faith organization, was born here in Portland
in 1962. He tells of how he strayed far from the Lord as a young
person, but in January of 1984, his life did an about-face when
he turned his heart and future over to God. He particularly
appreciates the fact that the Gospel has always worked, no matter
what or how difficult the situation.
Just a year before John’s conversion, God opened the door
for a family in Romania to immigrate to Portland. The oldest
daughter of that family, Rodica Marincus, became John’s
wife in May of 1987. Their home has been blessed with three
children: Jessica, Kayla, and John Jr.
John was called into the ministry in January of 1995. In the
past few years, he has made several trips to Romania, where
a growing Apostolic Faith work is emerging. |
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Earl Phillips recently moved back
to the Portland area after serving as pastor in six Apostolic
Faith churches on the West Coast. Another Portland native, Reverend
Phillips was born in this city in October of 1929. He often
tells how his mother, who was a devout Christian, faithfully
prayed for him. His father, who was not converted until six
weeks before he died, lived a different kind of life. As a young
boy, Earl chose to follow in his father’s footsteps, but
the Lord was faithful to call after his heart. As mentioned
in his testimony,
in 1947, a doctor told him he did not have a chance to live,
and that news caused him to begin thinking about his soul’s
welfare. During the summer camp meeting in 1948, burdened with
Holy Ghost conviction, Earl gave his life to the Lord. The young
lady who was later to become his wife, Sylvia Magel, was saved
that same day.
The Phillips were married in October of 1950, and the Lord blessed
their home with four children. Today their family has grown
to include nine grandchildren (and one in Heaven), and
fourteen great-grandchildren. They are happy to be back in Portland,
close to all of those beloved youngsters! Reverend Phillips
works part-time at the Headquarters office. |
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Will
Rozmaity was born in Kiev, Ukraine. As a child, he
attended a school where the existence of God was denied. However,
while in his mid-teens, Will began to wonder if there was
an alternative to atheism. He started attending church, and
there he learned that he needed to give his life to God. When
he realized that eternity is forever, he repented of his sins
and trusted Jesus for forgiveness. In a few months, the rest
of his family became Christians also.
Will
loves to tell how God led him to pray through to a definite
experience of sanctification before he even knew about that
experience. He deeply appreciates the fact that, after moving
to the United States in 1995, God brought him into the Apostolic
Faith Church. He comments, “We are glad we are part of a church
that holds to Biblical doctrines, and good people who really
believe in them.” He enjoys teaching a High School Sunday
school class, where he has the opportunity to share Biblical
principles with young people of the congregation.
A
special blessing in Will's life is his wife, Anna, who he
proposed to on New Year's Day in 2000. They were married the
following April, and God has blessed their home with four
beautiful children, two boys and two girls. Will says, “We
just want to keep serving the Lord and walking closer to Him.”
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Ivon Wilson is a veteran of the Apostolic
Faith work, having been a minister of the Gospel for fifty years.
He and his wife, Hazel, have served the Lord together in a number
of Apostolic Faith churches—he pastored in Puyallup, Tacoma,
Yakima, and Port Angeles, Washington; Grants Pass, Oregon; and
Denver, Colorado. In addition, they have been blessed with the
opportunity to make several missionary trips. Reverend Wilson
served on board the missionary vessel, “Lower Light,”
which made many trips some years ago to Alaska to bring the
Gospel into remote regions.
Though the Wilsons have lived in many places, Reverend Wilson
says that because he was born and raised in Portland, this location
feels like home! His childhood home was less than a block away
from where the Portland church now stands; he currently lives
just a few doors down from the church. Though officially retired,
Reverend Wilson devotes many hours of his time to answering
correspondence at the International Headquarters office.
The couple has two sons, Howard and Clark, two daughters-in-law,
and five grandchildren. Their son, Howard, pastors the Apostolic
Faith Church in Seattle, Washington. |
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Clark
Wolfe is a youth minister of the Apostolic Faith
organization. A native Portlander, Clark grew up around the
Apostolic Faith Church —he is the fourth generation in his
family to be actively involved in various phases or the organization's
outreach. Some of his earliest memories revolve around the
church campground, where his father and grandfather spent
many hours in the campground restaurant. His other grandfather
led the Portland music department for forty years, so Clark
also recalls sitting in on orchestra and choir practices at
a very early age.
In
his childhood, Clark resisted the call of God, but today he
expresses his gratitude that God continued to strive with
his heart. During the camp meeting of 2002, at the age of
18, he prayed through to salvation. God later sanctified him
and he recounts that God “put a song in my heart.” In 2005,
a group of young men visited the Apostolic Faith branch church
in Yakima, Washington, and during that trip, Clark began to
think of all the things God had done for him—how He had saved
and sanctified him, had healed him, and helped him in different
situations. He recounts, “I was just praising the Lord will
all my heart, and He came down and filled me with His Holy
Spirit.”
On
February 25, 2006, Clark married Sumin Moen. They currently
lead the Primary Sunday School Department. Clark began preaching
in January of 2007, and he is also active in the missions
work.
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