Pastor: Dr. Chris Atkinson
I was raised in a good, moral family in Cape May, New Jersey. We regularly attended a Methodist Church in my growing up years. In 1972 I joined the Army and served three years in the states and three years in South Korea. Being discharged in 1978 I returned home to New Jersey.
Up to this point I felt that I was living a decent life. I was a good citizen, helped others any way I could, and was generally an all around “nice guy.” I met my wife after I got home and knew immediately that I had found the woman I’d been waiting for! She was a born again Christian and I assured her that I was one too. We attended pre-marital counseling sessions at her church and it was through the Pastor that I realized my lost condition and my need to accept Christ personally as my Lord and Savior. So, I asked the Lord to forgive my sins, come into my heart, and save me (Romans 10:13). Later I was baptized and dedicated my life to serving Him
In 1981 I became the Youth Director at Faith Fellowship Chapel as a layman. In the fall of 1989 the Lord called me into full-time service for Him. After praying about it and sharing it with my wife, we decided to sell all to make a total commitment to the Lord’s call. We moved to Pensacola, Florida so that I could attend Pensacola Christian College.
While going to college and after graduation I served as the Youth Pastor of Smyrna Baptist Church there in Pensacola, Florida. Then in March of 2000 we moved to Meriden, Connecticut so that I could Pastor Meriden Hills Baptist Church. I pastor that church for the next 16 years. Presently the Lord has me Pastoring Tabernacle Baptist Church here in Bassett, Virginia.
My family is also very important to me and to the best of my ability with God’s help, I see to it that they also receive the spiritual guidance, love, and encouragement they need. I have been married to my first and only wife Nancy for going on forty-one years now. We have two beautiful grown children that we adopted from South Korea. They both have made professions of faith. God has truly blessed us as a family and I praise Him continually for it.
Tabernacle Baptist Church 