Pastor Alan Day
Senior Pastor
The five words that best describe Alan Day are Pastor, preacher, teacher, Daddy, and Papa. It’s easy to see how much he loves his family, his children, and especially his precious grandchildren. It’s also easy to see how much he loves the Lord and God’s people at Edmond’s First Baptist Church.
Our pastor has an easy laugh and is always ready with a humorous story or joke. He loves Cajun humor and anything that caricatures Baptists, he laughs, “Since I are one.” Alan can no more stop being a Baptist than he can stop being a product of his beloved Louisiana heritage.
When asked about his goals and the focus of his ministry within First Baptist Church and in Edmond, he easily replied, “Leading our church to become focused on loving God and others through Jesus Christ. My personal goals are daily fellowship with Christ; learning and applying God's Word; modeling godly manhood; and developing godly relationships.”
Pastor Alan is well known for his love of reading. Having some idea of how many books he reads, his list of all time favorite books carries a lot of weight. He lists The Biography of John Broadus (a hero of scholarship and discipleship); The Autobiography of Charles Spurgeon (the prince of preachers); Pilgrim's Progress (the greatest Christian psychology ever written); Interpretation of the English Bible by B. H. Carroll (both scholarly and practical); and Heaven's Throne Gift by J. A. Stewart (a great work on the Holy Spirit.)
In 1969 Alan married a lovely young lady named Alice and through the years they have lovingly reared four children: Charis, Cheyne, Richard, and Aaron. As Christian homes have been established for each of these children along with son-in-law, Shawn, and daughters-in-law Misty and Lindsey, God has blessed Alan and Alice with five of the world’s best grandchildren: Cal, Mackenzie, Karissa, Alaina, and Saidie. He smiles at every mention of his grandchildren and is always ready to talk about them. He is happy to report that these five blessings are five of the best things in his life right now. Grandchild #6 is due in October, 2009.
Pastor knows that there are many blessings in life. He loves being on a golf course; he enjoys riding his motorcycle; he enjoys spending time with his wife, Alice; he treasures moments with his children and grandchildren. He laughs with joy every time he looks at their pictures; and he’s crazy about his Sheltie, Heidi. His favorite foods are Italian, Mexican and Cajun - including fish and seafood dishes.
As a child, Alan dreamed he would become an Air Force Pilot or maybe a preacher. Poor eyesight closed the door on his dreams of flight, but God called him to preach, fulfilling his dream of reaching out to a world in need of a loving touch from God.
As he worked toward his goals, he realized how important education is. Even though his high school years were uneventful, he graduated in the top 10% of his class and was chosen for Boy’s State the summer after his junior year. In college, he was selected for membership in the Alpha Chi honorary fraternity. He became an officer in the Ministerial Alliance, fulfilled his required course work in only three years and still graduated Cum Laude.
After college Alan enrolled in New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, earning two degrees: MDiv., 1975, and ThD., 1979, with his dissertation subject: The Concept of Revelation in the Theology of Bernard Ramm.
While in seminary he was chosen as The Most Outstanding Student in the Historical/Theological Division of Studies while he worked on his Masters. He was a fellow, later became a teaching fellow, and then an instructor of theology while working toward his doctorate. He completed his terminal degree in four years but has never stopped seeking knowledge, remaining a self-taught student through extensive reading and personal study. In 1975 he received the “Academic Achievement Award” from the Historical Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
One thing he’s learned recently is that God is never in a hurry, but He's always on time.
Our Pastor first heard God’s call to ministry as impressions which started in childhood. The call was confirmed in the summer of 1965, and he made it public in the spring of 1966 - his senior year of high school.
After extensive education, and a life of service to the Lord in full-time ministry, an ordinary pastor might be looking back at all of God’s blessings and the joy of so many accomplishments, but our pastor is still actively looking ahead, eagerly anticipating many years of faithful service to the Lord, as long as He wills. Pastor’s goals are to be a faithful follower and lover of Jesus; to be a faithful and loving husband; to be a faithful and loving pastor; to be a faithful and loving father and grandfather; and to be a model of godly manhood to the men of our church.
Pastor is most thankful for God’s love in Christ and for God’s choice to call him to be His child. When asked to share one sentence with us that has the potential to change someone’s life for the better it would be, “You can trust the Lord to honor His word in your life; read it; learn it; memorize it; live it; love it; share it.”
Alan Day is a well-educated, much loved, intelligent man who has been called of God to minister to the body of believers known as Edmond’s First Baptist Church. His passion is living for Christ both as a servant and as an example. As it says in his favorite Bible verse, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NASB)