A personal note from Pastor Dave
At Woodlands, our focus has been on teaching the Bible. In our American culture we are bombarded with a mixture of ideas, philosophies, and opinions that have blurred what are true biblical principals. The Christian worldview is under attack as never before in our country. We believe that we need to study the Bible to discover the meanings and purposes to life; and how to live them out in our deeds and words and be a witness in our community for the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.
You can believe that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified on a Roman cross for the charge of claiming to be God, was either a crazy man or was God in the flesh, Jesus Christ. We believe that He is God. The Easter resurrection that is celebrated around the world is a testimony to His being, “…the way, the truth, the life…” for all mankind.
A little about Pastor Dave...
Pastor Dave Ford first came to the mountain as a camper to Thousand Pines Christian Camp in Crestline in September of 1963. It was while at that weekend camp that he accepted Jesus Christ into his life. God was preparing him weeks earlier at the Billy Graham L.A. Coliseum Evangelistic Crusade. The mountain became his spiritual birthplace.
After military service, Dave attended Chico State University, and graduated with a BA in Biological Sciences and was an employee with U.S. Forest Service until March of 1978 when he moved back to the mountain and began working as a carpenter receiving his Contractors License in 1988. He then worked with the Rim of the World Unified School District as Custodian and Groundsman before taking a position as Pastor of Facilities and Baptisms with a local church in 2003, the week following the Old Fire.
Dave has always had a heart to use his carpentry skills not only to make a living, but to help people in need of assistance in home repairs due to weather damages, or natural disasters. He has assisted in Mississippi with rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina and traveled to Kenya and Uganda to teach pastors and lay people Biblical truths.
He married his best friend, Dwan in 1979 and they have one daughter, Katie. The family lives in their home of 30 years in the Valley of Enchantment. During the years they have lived in Crestline, Dave has taught various Sunday School classes and led home bible studies. As a family, they have traveled to Slovakia in Eastern Europe several times to teach English and bible studies and share their faith in Jesus Christ. They became active in a home bible study held on Sunday mornings in a home that evolved into the formation of Woodlands Community Bible Church in November of 2007, where Dave became part time pastor in July of 2008 and took on the pastoral duties for the church in January of 2009.
