Photo submitted to Times Observer Calvary Baptist Church’s new pastor Joel Dingeldein, right, and his wife, Linda.

Calvary Baptist Church recently welcomed Joel Dingeldein as its new pastor. He and his wife, Linda, are excited to begin a new chapter of their lives in Warren.

After growing up in Warren and graduating from WAHS in 1975, Pastor Joel’s journey has been varied and broad.

He is excited to be returning to Warren as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church where his spiritual formation began.

His first stop was to earn an engineering degree (LeTourneau University, 1979) and work for a large petroleum company for several years.

Having a passion for spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth and not seeing a pathway for such through secular employment, Joel and Linda went to seminary (Columbia International University, 1986) to re-tool for full-time cross-cultural work. This led them to their first assignment working with a ministry in India where Joel facilitated the growth and development of their U.S. support base. The Christ for India ministry included orphanages, Bible school training, church planting, and other outreach works.

In 1991, Joel and Linda transitioned to a church planting mission focused on unreached people of the world. They served the Canadian support arm and did church planting among Filipinos in the metropolitan Toronto area.

In 1995, they began a five-year term with a team of leaders assisting in a merger with a like-minded organization. Subsequently, Joel and Linda served in the development of structures that allowed for the deployment of missionaries into countries hostile to Christianity.

They moved to the Philippines in 2011. Their time in the Philippines was filled with leading the work in closed countries, pastoral care of missionaries, training, mentoring, and as well as leader development among the missionaries and Filipinos. During this time, Joel did further studies (Fuller Seminary, 2017) to enhance his skills in developing leaders for global ministry.

Joel has a passion for the light of the gospel to shine more brightly by ministering alongside members of Calvary in Warren and beyond.

Yes, this has been quite a journey, but Joel believes in many ways the real journey is just beginning now back here in Warren after 44 years of “travel.”

Calvary Baptist Church is located at 445 Conewango Avenue in Warren. Sunday School is at 8:45 a.m. and is followed by the worship service at 10 a.m. Pastor Joel, Linda, and the congregation invite you to join them this Sunday.