When Charles Brannon first came to 西拼搏体育, he had no idea what God had in store for him.
The future first class president of PBA came to West Palm for baseball, not college.
His goal was to try out and earn a spot on the Mets. One fateful night, he heard the teaching of Dr. 穆迪在前海边教堂. Charles Brannon was compelled to listen and hear what Jesus was about.
田野之外的呼唤
He began attending First Baptist Church (FBC), 现在被称为家庭教堂, still intending to play professional baseball. Charles got saved at First Baptist, later receiving his call to ministry too.
“I had never truly been called into ministry, it was never a thought,” Charles said with a laugh. “But one Wednesday prayer night at FBC, I heard God’s call. 我回答了.”
On January 18, 1967, Charles was licensed to preach by Dr. 穆迪，标志着他的魔法生涯的开始. 与此同时. Moody announced the founding of Palm Beach Atlantic College.
“I knew I would have so many tremendous opportunities t在这里,” said Charles. “所以，我决定报名.”
Summer of 1968, Charles taught in his first ministry as the youth pastor at Terry Parker Baptist. Here, he met his “beautiful and perfect” wife, Sally. The couple would continue dating as his classes began in the fall of 1968.
在完成第一年学业后, 两人于7月3日结婚, 1969, just a few months before Charles was ordained. They moved down to West Palm permanently in 1970.
Foundations of Faith and 领导 at Palm Beach Atlantic
查尔斯继续上课, 莎莉当秘书, supporting her husband during the school year. Over the summers, Charles would work various jobs also to provide.
Palm Beach Atlantic College (as it was known then) had a large impact and on the Brannons, 无论是个人还是学术上. Not only did Charles receive his first college degree and find his calling into ministry at PBA, 但他的第一个孩子也是在这里出生的.
“当时我实际上在教堂里, 就像你们今天一样, when I got the call that Sally was in labor with our first child,他说.
The couple also made lifelong connections, supporting them as Charles began his ministry.
“The people I connected with made a big difference, 我不仅得到了妻子的支持, 而是来自第一浸信会的成员.”
Charles also became the first class president at Palm Beach Atlantic, unbeknownst to him that he had even been nominated.
“When they called my name, I didn’t even expect it. I didn’t have a speech prepared,” Charles said. “I said something like this ‘We are 在这里 at PBA with all walks of life. We have people to see, places to go, and things to do.就这样，我赢得了这个职位.”
After he graduated in 1974 with his bachelor’s in religion, Charles briefly served as a pastor at Canal Pointe Baptist Church by Lake Okeechobee. 后不久, 布兰农一家搬到了沃斯堡, 德州, w在这里 Charles would complete his seminary degree.
服务和影响的遗产
Following seminary, Pastor Brannon began to pastor at Bethesda Baptist Church in Georgia. In 1976, the family moved to Fort Lauderdale, w在这里 Charles began pastoring at Riverland Baptist. Riverland Baptist was the first of a couple of churches Pastor Brannon would lead in 南佛罗里达. 包括博因顿海滩的第一浸信会教堂.
“We had a lot of great memories during our time t在这里,” said Sally Brannon. “Chuck even was honored by the President of PBA at the time.”
God was not done with Pastor Brannon and his ministry, 叫他建立自己的教堂, 现在被称为盖特威教堂.
“We started the church as Heaven’s Gate Church,” said Sally. “We thought it was perfect since we would be leading people to Heaven’s Gate.”
“However, we obviously had to change it,” Chuck laughingly chimed in.
Gateway church was founded in 1991 and has continued to serve for Christ.
“We have had numerous baptisms, sometimes even in a pool at someone’s house,” said Sally. “We just have so many great memories and friends who are truly like family t在这里.”
While Chuck and Sally’s life has had many changes over the past 55 years of marriage and ministry, they feel that PBA has remained almost the same.
“While the campus is more diverse now, the world is more complex. T在这里 is no doubt the preparation is the same though,”查克说。. “The preparation is simple: a Christ-led education of God’s word and Jesus’ love.”
Pastor Charles Brannon stayed involved as much as possible as an alumnus, 担任受托人委员六年.
“我希望能更多地参与其中, but God has called me to be involved in ministry and, 好吧, 那让我很忙,”查克说。.
Pastor Charles Brannon and his wife have learned a lot of wisdom during their time at Palm Beach Atlantic and during their ministry.
“Here is what I think is the most important to remember that I learned in my time;”查克说。. “一定要确信你是真正的皈依者, living in God’s light and get to the place w在这里 you accept your calling.”
“并且爱上你的家人. 这些都是关键因素。.
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