New Pastor at PBC July 2009

After almost a year of searching the Poca Baptist Church family welcomes Dr. Michael S. Derry as our new pastor. Pastor Mike comes to us with a great background.

He was graduated from Judson College in Elgin, IL with a B.A., in Christian Religion, attended Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA was graduated with a M. Div. in Pastoral Ministry and he earned his D. Min. through an ecumenical organization of Seminaries in Ohio, called the Consortium for Higher Education Religion Studies, Inc.(CHERS, Inc.),

Prior to moving to Hurricane, WV, in September of 1990, Pastor Mike spent the previous 20 years of his ministry serving the American Baptist Churches of Ohio (OBC). Where in addition to serving four different congregations, he served on the OBC Evangelism Committee, and as consultant and then as Chairperson of the OBC Town and Country Department. He served three terms as a Trustee of the Ohio Baptist convention and served as a member of the Executive Council of that Board.

Since moving to West Virginia he served 9 years as pastor of Hurricane Baptist Church (1990 - 1999) and Area Minister for the West Virginia Baptist Convention (1999 - 2009). He has served on the Executive Board, and the Executive Committee of the WVBC, and on the Commission of Church Leadership, as Chairman. He served a four year term as a Senator on the National Minister's Council of the ABC/USA, and served for three years on the Commission on Denominational Unity for the General Board of the ABC/USA. He served as a regional director on the WVBC Vision 2000 campaign.

He married his high school sweetheart, Vicki and they have three grown children, two daughters and one son, all married and living away from home, who have given them ten wonderful grandchildren.

Mike and Vicki joined Poca Baptist Church on July 5, 2009 and they are a wonderful addition to our church family. And...oh yeah! . Mike is a great preacher and delivers the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in a most assuring manner.

Come visit us. You'll be glad you did.