This is a two-part post of an interview with Gary Baldus, pastor of New Walk Church in Zephyr Hills, Florida.
General Baptist Ministries asked Gary several questions about his walk with Christ, his calling to ministry and church planting, the personal and ministry connections with General Baptists, and the ongoing work of New Walk Church.
General Baptist Ministries (GBM): How did you come to faith in Christ? Who/what influenced your decision?
Pastor Gary Baldus and family
Gary Baldus (GB): It was probably through the death of my wife’s mother. She had been inviting us to a local General Baptist Church all along in 2001 but I had grown up Christian Science. Fortunately I didn’t pay too much attention to Sunday School at the Christian Science Church but I paid enough attention to know something about Jesus. But they so focused on worship of one God and dismissed the Trinity so to them worshipping Jesus as God was a form of idolatry. When I came into a General Baptist Church that centered on Jesus I was dismissive of it at first. I remember sitting in the back of the church one day and as I reflected on the death of my mother-in-law and through the preaching of Pastor Bob Harber, I came to faith in Jesus when I was 29 years old.
The teaching of the word was where it happened to me. Then getting the revelation of the truth of the word and getting the whole truth rather than just the segments of Mary Baker Eddy Christian Science teaching, made such a difference for me. Now, over the last few years I have been able to see several people in my family come to faith in Jesus.
GBM: What are your earliest memories of the church?
GB: My background was not conducive to where I am today. My faith journey has always been a sensitive issue in some family settings. My earliest memories were my parents taking us to that Christian Science church, which was a two-minute walk we made every Sunday.
Some things I learned in that early church experience are a cross over into full-blown Christianity. I got some foundation there but not the whole truth about who Jesus is and what Jesus does.”