Byron Elder

A short bio of the long life of Byron Elder

 

As a pre-schooler, I asked Jesus into my heart at my mother’s knee. Our family of five boys, of which I am the oldest, was raised in NE Kansas on a steady diet of the Word of God. Every morning began with a healthy meal of eggs or oatmeal and a Bible story. Our parents were devoted to the LORD and His Word and seeing that their sons loved the LORD.

            It was always my heartfelt ambition from an early age to preach and teach the Word. This dream became reality when I was licensed to preach by our local church in Kansas, and I was called to the pastorate by a small nearby country church. We---Marcia, my wife, our eight children and I served that congregation for over 13 years. I learned so much of the Word during those years as I studied and prepared sermons.

            The Great Flood (not Noah’s) of 1993 caused our little country church, and another small church that I was pastoring, to close their doors. I worked flood relief for almost a year until “out of the blue” we got a phone call offering me a job on the railroad in Wisconsin. (We call this “out of the blue” the Hand of God!) We packed up our three youngest daughters, our aging cat and the remaining household goods that had not been swept away or ruined by the floodwaters and headed north to Stevens Point, WI. to start over. Railroading had been my full-time employment for many of those pre-flood years including the years of pastoring our little flocks, so it was exciting to be going back to work on the rails for the Wisconsin Central.

            We loved Stevens Point from the very start of our stay, and I enjoyed working the railroad for another seventeen years until retirement in 2011. We began attending Community Church in 2018. It is the joy of our hearts to be part of a church that has a high view of God and His Word and that is eager to introduce Jesus to the world that is so needy for the Good News.

            We enjoy the close fellowship and accountability to fellow believers that we have found in Community Church. It has been a privilege to be part of the Elder-in-training program this past year. Your Elder Board is a group of men who are deeply dedicated to seeing Community Church thrive in Christ and stay true to the Word. May it always be!