HOUGHTON, MI – Houghton Baptist Church is the northernmost church in the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM). It sits on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of the state. Even for Michigan, the winters can be hard here. David Whitaker who has pastored Houghton Baptist for 9 years says the story of his ministry and the church is a longshot, but he adds, “I think God is in the business of longshots.”
Whitaker says Houghton can be a lonely place to serve. The church is a long way from other BSCM churches, and it is a more than a ten hour drive from the state convention offices. But that has not prevented state staff from supporting Houghton Baptist and its pastor. Due in part to the gifts of Michigan Baptists to the Frances Brown State Mission Offering, staff like BSCM State Director of Evangelism, Mike Durbin, can make the drive to be there. Durbin says, “We are able to encourage pastors across our state, north and south, east and west, and your gifts make that possible.”
After six years of few professions of faith and baptisms, Whitaker led his church through a difficult transition, and beginning three years ago, things began to change. To learn about that change, watch the rest of the story below.