Pastor Jake Bigford
Born and raised in the great city of Santa Fe! We started coming to Alta Loma when was about six years old. Fast forward a bit and I was saved at the age of eight at a Power Team conference when I realized I was a sinner in need of a savior. After that, God began his work in my life molding me into who he wanted me to be. I've never been a procrastinator, and as a result I had my whole life planned out at the age of thirteen. I was so excited about my decision that I came to Sunday School and told my youth pastor what I wanted to do with my life. Little did I know that just down the hall, my Junior High Sunday School teacher was waiting to give a message that she had prepared from Jeremiah 29:11 about God's plans for our life. It still hadn't hit me at that point.
Later on that year I found myself on a mission trip in Mexico where God opened my eyes up to our great need in this world, and I thought, "Maybe God does have a unique plan for me?" It took until my senior year in high school until I finally understood that he was calling me into his ministry. So I changed my plans just a couple of months before I graduated and immediately started serving as the Interim Youth Pastor. After a year in community college I transferred to East Texas Baptist University where I majored in Religion with a minor in Youth Education and graduated in 2011. By God's grace we were able to return home where he has continued to bless ever since.
For the first 8.5 years, I was blessed to serve this great church as Youth Pastor. But in August of 2019, our previous pastor followed God's call in his life to serve him in disaster relief ministry. In that, God began opening doors of opportunity, and urging me to faithfully walk through them...and I did. As of November 10, 2019 it humbles me to say that God allowed me to become Pastor of this wonderful church. I'm eager to watch God move in us as we light the world, know God, and glorify Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6, "For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ."
Of all the plans I had made, the only one that really came into place was marrying my wife, Laurin in the summer of 2009. I had determined that as a ten year old boy that she was going to be the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Now, God's given us two beautiful little girls: Kaizley Cole and Hollyn Grace, both born in August of 2014/18. We sure are one blessed family, and happy to be a part of this great family of God at First Baptist Church of Alta Loma.
Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."