FEATURED COLUMNIST
Pastor Fred Says Goodbye T By Fred Hennes
wenty years ago I was a pastor at Santa Cruz Bible Church. Having transitioned from a career in electronic manufacturing, I experienced eight years of spiritual growth, completed my seminary training, and was ready to become the lead pastor at the right church. I had hoped that I would end up “somewhere west of the Mississippi River.” Little did I know that God would provide my assignment here in Scotts Valley, just a short drive from my home in Aptos. I joined GateWay Bible Church as the Senior Pastor on Aug. 1, 2001. Twenty years later I have announced my retirement, effective on my hiring date anniversary. I followed the footsteps of a father-andson duo. Pastor Glennon Culwell was a fixture in Scotts Valley and served as the pastor here for 28 years. His son Chris followed as the pastor for 12 years. Both men had had a significant impact in our community, and I was honored to be handed the baton to continue in their path. Over these years (2001 – 2021) I have come to love GateWay Bible Church and the people living in our beautiful Scotts Valley. I have been blessed beyond measure to be used of God to help people in their journey of faith. I have worked with an incredibly gifted staff and highly dedicated volunteers. We have remained true to our mission and have established significant goodwill in the community. GateWay grew to the size that allowed us to minister to several hundred families and work with people of all generations. I have always felt that a church should be multi-generational as each generation has much to offer to the others. I will always remember baptizing a
92-year-old widow who accepted Christ through conversations that resulted after providentially dialing a wrong number. I recall the recognition from the Chamber of Commerce naming us Organization of the Year. I look back on several years of celebrating Easter with our community by drawing in thousands of people to our Eggapalooza event. And I will never forget the hundreds of children here each summer enjoying our Vacation Bible Camp. But most of all I will remember the amazing people who allowed me to be their pastor. This church is generous and encouraging like no other. Many churches have 20% of the people do 80% of the work (we call this the 20/80 rule). At GateWay I have always seen the number of people giving and serving far outnumbering those who did not. GateWay has been outward focused, sending resources locally and globally. Over my tenure we have invested more than $3.5 million into missions. Our efforts have built churches, evangelized communities, strengthened believers, fed the hungry, provided economic opportunity to the poor, gave eyeglasses to those without access, helped men and women recover from drug and alcohol addictions, aided women in giving birth through unplanned pregnancies, and distributed food weekly here in our city. All of this done with the sole aim of pleasing God. I will miss the monthly gatherings with the other pastors of Santa Cruz County. We have great unity among us as we acknowledge that we are not in competition with each other (just everything else!) It has always been refreshing to pray for each other and offer practical support when needed. As my wife and I will be moving to the Sierra foothills, we look forward to continued
ministry opportunities in strengthening other church leaders. Of course, we both love the outdoors and tending to a few acres, finding the local fishing holes, and building new friendships are things we eagerly anticipate. We also long to spend more time with our family (three married children) and our five grandchildren. I will be leaving Scotts Valley and GateWay Bible Church, but Scotts Valley and GateWay Bible Church will never leave me. They both have a permanent spot in my heart. n
Pastor Fred Hennes and his wife Maredith.
www.tpgonlinedaily.com Scotts Valley Times / April 2021 / 17
