Pastor
Mike Watson
REACH Pastor
What
do you do at Grace?: I have the joy of
keeping the church focused on things happening
in lives outside our walls. We strongly believe
that Jesus would have His church engaged in the
lives of people who do not know Him. My teams
work primarily on ways to get the news of Christ
to people outside the church. I also oversee
our guest services teams. These are the people
who make our guests, whether it be at a weekend
service or one of our many events feel welcomed
and appreciated. I also work with our local,
regional and global missionaries.
How
long have you been at Grace? 22 years as a
member of the
church family and 7 years as an associate Pastor.
Family
Information: Annie, my wife of 32 years and
our three daughters. Paula-27, Ellen-25 and
Laurel-21.
Son-in-law John and new grand daughter Allison
Education: High School then directly into ministry.
Pretty crazy huh!
Fun
Stuff:
If you were an animal, what would you
be (why)? Whitetail Deer because of the
complexity of
the creature. They have amazing grace
mixed with
an ability to outsmart man at every level.
I want to live a life of Grace and have
that keen
sense of out maneuvering the enemy of
my soul.
Favorite
color: Khaki
Favorite
Food: Fresh cooked chicken/shrimp & veggies
on a Mongolian grill.
Pet
Peeve(s): People who don’t take full advantage of their faith
in Christ.
Hobbies: Hunting-fishing-writing-cycling-MUSIC
If
you had 24 hours to live, what three things
would
you do?
• Contact as many people as I know who have yet
to accept Christ
• Have one last great conversation with my wife-girls
and son-in-law
• Rock Allison on the backyard swing.
Tell us about
a few influential (or favorite)
books you’ve
read:
• The Gutter-Craig Gross
• The Other Guy Blinked-Roger Enrico
Spiritual
Stuff:
Tell us a little bit about your spiritual
journey: I come from a deep Catholic
background. My uncle was the Bishop of the Erie dioceses while I was
growing up. I am named after
him. In my late teens (January 4th 1971) I received a piece
of literature while exiting a rock concert that
changed my life. It was the
book of Romans done in a contemporary style highlighting mans plight.
When I read “all have
sinned and fall short of
the glory of God” I
crumbled under the news.
That explained the war that
was raging
within me. I knew something
was terribly wrong inside
but could never identify
the reason. I
was apart from God and living
a life so substandard to
what He wanted for me. I
received Christ on
the telephone while talking
with my girlfriend (now my
wife of 32 years) about what
I had read
in that piece of literature.
I was instantly put on a
fast track of ministry. I
became a leader
for a church comprised of
hundreds of teenagers meeting
in a YWCA. It’s been
an adventure ever since.
What
did you do before you started working at Grace? I spent years as a host of
a nationally syndicated
radio program heard all over the US. I spent
15 years in national/international
marketing working as VP/marketing
for CMI Los Angeles, Welwood International/
Albuquerque and
Filmhouse/Nashville
Why
are you passionate about church and ministry? Because I’m passionate
about Christ.
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