We have already begun our new study on Wednesday evening. We are focusing on the Epistle of James. We will pattern this study after our Galatians study which introduced different methods of Bible study, ending with an outline and overview of the entire book. Join us and be sure and look at the "Lessons" page to see the notes, audio and PowerPoint slides for the lesson on the Epistle of James.

Remodel of Auditorium Coming Soon

Sometime in late July, 2008, we will begin a remodel of our present auditorium. This will cause us to move our worship services into the basement fellowship hall for almost two months during the deconstruction and remodel. New pews, carpet, lighting, and other odds and ends will be the focus of our attention in this remodel. The exterior of the buildings have been repainted and we thank God for Lively Decorating for such a great job and giving so much back to this work.

Welcome to our new Associate Pastor

We are so excited to have Paul David Brown as our Associate Pastor. He, along with his wife Jacquelyn presented themselves for membership Sunday, May 9th, and were received on promise of letter from Sherwood Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, OK. Paul's father preached for us Sunday morning and it was a wonderful gospel message. Believers were encouraged and we can only hope and pray that any unbeliever present was convicted and convinced of their need for Christ. His sermon is available in audio format on our Sermons page.

Welcome Paul and Jacquelyn. May the Lord bless us and you in our new endeavor to serve and honor the Lord here at Carmichael Baptist Church.

Honoring Andy Stevens
April 3, 2008 W. L. Brown

On November 17th, 2005 I received a phone call that a former member of Carmichael Baptist Church, Andy Stevens, a California Highway Patrolman was killed while making a routine traffic stop. Members of his family are still faithful members of Carmichael Baptist Church. Andy was a young boy while here and many of us watched him grow up to be a kind, warm, and enthusiastic man. Andy was a teen here, attending our Christian Academy, and had a manner about him that was always respectful and caring. Andy knew Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and his faith was evident. Andy was 37 when his life was taken.

I'm writing this because today (April 3, 2008) at a little after 2 pm, it was announced on the Radio, that the jury had reached a verdict of guilty in the trial of the man who shot and killed Andy near Woodland, CA, on County Road 96. His family have been observers of the trial every day. The pain and agony of losing Andy, their brother, son, husband, and uncle was tough enough in 2005. To extend that through today has been a challenge beyond the necessary. Rather than focus on the trial and the two criminals who took Andy's life I'd rather honor Andy by remembering his life, his love and his legacy.

Andy's funeral drew thousands to honor him. Governor Schwarzenegger and other state dignitaries were present at his funeral along with law enforcement officers nationwide and even some from other countries. I had a part in the services and was able to share with everyone present the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the gospel that Andy Stevens believed and had prepared him for entering into eternity. We miss Andy, but we know that in our grief, we do not grieve as others who have no hope. We take great comfort knowing there is a day coming when we too will put off this robe of flesh and be reunited with Andy in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. While God's justice is sure, we are glad that man's justice in this case has been truly just. Please continue to pray for the family and friends of Andy Stevens who have had to endure new wounds and the opening of old wounds during this trial. The penalty phase will begin soon.

A Personal Update from the Hottman Family March 14, 2008, Lynn Elkins (Dan's Sister) 9:49 pm

Dear Friends and Family, all loved ones, For some of you, this will be the 1st communication about the death of my brother, Dan, in an automobile accident March 1st and injuries that his wife and children sustained.  So, please forgive the details for those who were already notified.  I tried sending a mass email update, but my internet provider blocked it wrongly classifying it as spam.  I've done headings so you can skip to what you want to know.  I wanted to get this all down since I haven't had much time to communicate with y'all. 

What Happened:

Dan was driving home Friday, February 29th from a Christian Counseling seminar with his wife, Christie, and their three children, Winston, 21, Hannah, 19, and Erica, 12.  The details that are public can be read in the Conroe Courier.

 Injuries Sustained:

Erica experienced a broken left thumb, some minor burns, cuts from broken glass, and severe lacerations from the seat belt.  Erica had been in a great deal of pain, but was released Tuesday, March 4th.  My mom, sister, and I had a hotel suite close to the hospital and she stayed with us until her brother and sister were released.

 Winston and Hannah had internal damage to their colons from the seat belts and the force of the impact.  Each has had surgery to remove the damaged portion of their colons.  Hannah also has a broken right clavicle.  We've joked that she now has a matched set since the other one was broken when she was born.  They are doing amazingly well and were moved from Surgical Intensive Care within a few days.  Winston was released Sunday, March 9th.

Hannah was released Tuesday, March 11th, after celebrating her 20th birthday on Saturday, March 8th in the hospital.  She is still being monitored and on coumadin for 6 months.  Her aortic artery was crushed from the impact and they need to prevent blood clots so she doesn't have a stroke or rupture anything.

Christie was in the surgical ICU until Sunday, March 9th.  She has broken ribs, a broken right arm, a broken ankle, a broken hip/pelvis bone and a blown-out knee which was in traction.  In addition, she has some 2nd degree burns on her back and side of her face from the fire.  She has more minor contusions and asphalt imbedded into her skin, as well.  The 1st week, a lung collapsed and she required a blood transfusion.  The hip surgery was successful.  The doctor who performed the surgery said that it was his specialty.  He compared it to putting a jigsaw puzzle together and said it was the worst case he had ever seen.  The force of the impact caused the leg bone to break the hip socket into many pieces.  He put it together with 4 plates and 17 screws.  She will not be able to put weight on it for 8 weeks.

She still needs surgery on her ankle to clear bone fragments next Tuesday and will hopefully be released on Wednesday.  She is in a great deal of pain, but has fought for her life the entire way for the sake of her children.

 How Are They Doing?

With that said, they are all hopeful, optimistic, determined, and positive. 

Hannah, upon seeing my sister, affirmed that God is good.  Winston asked me to read Romans 8 and some Psalms to him.  Christie was concerned that she could do nothing for OUR grief over losing Dan and sorrowful about Denis and Alexander losing their Uncle Dan so shortly after growing to love and enjoy him. Erica is, well, bubbly smiley Erica-a joy to all who know her.  They all firmly believe that God is loving and that Dan is in a far better place, in the presence of his Lord and Savior.  There is a distinct lack of bitterness for the driver of the other car and earnest gratitude for all the care they are receiving and have received.  Senses of humor are still intact, although a bit rusty and understated.  I am so proud of all of them in glorifying God in the most tragic of circumstances.

 Now that the 3 kids are out of the hospital, their cousin, Heather, flew in from California to care for them once my mom and I returned to California.

She will stay as long as they need her.  They are staying in a 2 bedroom/2 bath extended stay hotel in downtown Houston until their mom is released from the hospital.  We wanted to avoid long commutes and traffic snarls so they could be close and easily visit their mother.  In the meanwhile, part of the roof in the manufactured home in which they live threatened collapse due to water damage.  The Memorial Baptist Temple church family is taking care of that before they return home.  They have a tremendous support system between family, friends, and church members.

 When/Where Is The Funeral?

Christie has asked that no memorial service take place until the whole family can attend together.  Christie's sister works for a mortuary and they brought Dan's body to the hospital chapel on Monday so Christi and the kids could see him before cremation.  I went in to the viewing Monday night feeling sad and empty and came out feeling rich and full.  Christi's sister, Mori, did an amazing job in preparing tables that reflected important areas of Dan's life.  She even, unaware of the significance, included the Louisville Slugger bat with our Uncle Ken's name engraved from the year he played for the Chicago White Sox.  We pored through the photo albums and the slide show was amazing.  I was struck and in awe of how Dan and I influenced each other's lives not only as brother and sister, but as friends and spiritually, as well.  The photo albums that contained photos I had forgotten about clearly told a story of grace being ministered in and through each of us to the other.  There is discussion of two memorial services when everyone recovers; one in Houston and one in Sacramento.  Both would be weeks from now and depend greatly on Christie's recovery.

 What About Dan?

What greater thing could I say about my brother than that he lived and died serving our Lord?  In spite of being trapped in a burning vehicle, he stayed calm and instructive to his children.  Firefighters extracted Dan and called for a LifeFlight.  When it arrived, Dan had crashed and paramedics were working on reviving him.  So they decided instead to use the LifeFlight for Christie who had started to crash.  I know Dan would have wanted them to save Christie rather than himself.  While they continued to work on Dan in the ambulance, they couldn't save him.  Dan died a godly man; fully loving as Christ himself loved and giving his own life for the lives of his wife and children.  While greatly sickened about the thought of having to see my brother's body, I was equally relieved when I did see him.  For all who know Dan, you know mischief is afoot when his lips start to curl and his eyes start to crinkle.  That is exactly how he looked.  He looked as if he was just getting ready to laugh and joke.

 Thank you all for your love and prayers.  Doug and the boys have been well-cared for in my absence by our Christ Church family.  Your prayers are highly desired and appreciated by my family, not so much that we believe in the "power of prayer", but in the power of God to whom we pray, who delights in drawing us near to Him.  I know that my brother would be honored if even one person came to know Christ through his death, particularly since he invested his life in preaching the Word of God to that end.

 With love for you all,

 Lynn Elkins

Patch The Pirate

              Patch the Pirate meets every Wednesday evening. We have two very fine young people working with those ranging from 1st grade to the 6th grade. Both Jacob Mickelson and Trevor Mickelson are excellent teachers as well as being wonderful spiritual examples. They meet from September through June and everyone is welcome.

Washington DC Trip
W. L. Brown, June 10, 2008

My wife and I recently celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary by traveling to Washington DC and New York City. It was the first time either of us have been back East on vacation. On the second leg of our flight to DC I recognized and introduced myself to Bob Woodward, author and Washington Post Assistant managing  Editor, (left) of Watergate fame in the early 70's. I ended up being able to meet him and the governor of Nevada, Jim Gibbons (right) and took their picture together. Dumb me, I should have had someone else take the picture with me in the middle.

I went crazy with the camera and would bore anyone to tears if they asked me to see them (1,367 photos). Even making a DVD of the trip that won't take an hour to watch is tough. A lot of the pictures didn't come out as well as I had hoped. Most of those taken in the US Archives building, where they display the original Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights didn't come out. You can't use a flash, it was too dark and I am not knowledgeable enough to know how to change all the settings on my digital camera yet.

The monuments were unbelievable and Jefferson's was stunning to see at dusk and then to read the writings of Jefferson inside. Please don't try and tell me our country was founded without a Biblical concept of God. Lincoln's Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the Smithsonian, the Vietnam and Korean war Memorials, as well as the Holocaust Museum filled our days until we moved on to New York City.

I think that our Trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island had to be a high point for both us. Pat was thrilled to find her Grandfather and family names on the wall of immigrants as well as other facts about her family immigration to the US.

It was a thrill to see more of our nation and the history of our nation. So many things moved me and caused both of us to appreciate the marvelous grace of our loving Savior as well as His providential blessings over our country.

Pastor Brown on "Pastor to Pastor," KFIA 710 AM Radio

"Pastor to Pastor" is a Radio program heard on KFIA 710 am at 6:30 am and 11:30 pm on Saturdays and 2:30 pm on Sundays. Pastor Brown was interviewed for the broadcast by Dr. Henry Wells, pastor of fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, it aired on May 31st and June 1st. It is about 25 minutes in length and let others in our community know about our church, what we believe, and what we teach. Thank you to KFIA for this opportunity and to Dr. Wells, for a lively discussion. If you would like to hear the interview just click here.

5th Saturday Meeting @ Carmichael Baptist Church on May 31st, 2008
May 8th, W. L. Brown

Since 1976 the churches of like faith and order in Northern California have been meeting together every 5th Saturday to preach through the old articles of faith we each adopted during our organizational services. On May 31st, beginning at 10:00 am. we (CBC) will be sponsoring the meeting to hear pastors and preachers preach from the New Hampshire Confession, the Philadelphia Confession, or the London Confessions that have saved our churches from irreparable harm. The churches that have stood firm in the faith once delivered unto the saints continue as we have, faithfully defending ourselves against the modernism and modifications that we have seen some bewitched by.

Join us, stay for lunch and the preaching that follows. We should conclude services by 2:30 pm.

*(We finally heard the story from Dr. Royce Smith about how and when these meetings began in November of 1976. They were originally hosted by Dr. R. L. Crawford and the Landmark Missionary Baptist Church of Hayward. We continue the same pattern begun long ago and it has truly been a blessing from the Lord.)

Hottman Memorial Service
April 19, 2008, W. L. Brown

What a blessing to see the church house full of friends, family and supporters of the Hottman family. A slide presentation was shown of Dan and his family that was uplifting, encouraging, and touching. Jay Ross opened in prayer after Amazing Grace was played by Brenda Jackson. Doug Elkins and his sons Alexander and Denis read the opening passages of Scripture that truly spoke to the heart. One of Dan's favorite songs "In The garden" was Sung by Bill Brown and then Ken Hottman, Dan's Uncle, read his obituary and moved us to tears. Jay and Justin Ross read the Remembrances written by many family and friends, including touching words by Christi, Winston, Hannah, and Erica. We all cried and laughed through each one. La Vaonna Mickelson then sang another of Dan's favorite hymns, "Be Thou My Vision." The sermon was preached by Pastor Bill Brown and J. T. Ross closed us in prayer before we filed into the fellowship hall for hugs, farewells, and memories galore. Farewell Brother, we will see you again when we too are called home!

Dan Hottman, with the Lord March 1, 2008, W. L. Brown

Brother Dan Hottman, Associate Pastor of Memorial Baptist Temple, Montgomery, TX died as a result of injuries sustained in a head-on collision Friday evening (Feb. 29th) as he and his family were returning home from a Christian Seminar near his home. His wife Christi was taken to Downtown Memorial Hospital in Houston by life-flight and sustained serious injuries and was placed into the critical care unit. Their three children, Winston, Hannah, and Erica were with them. Winston and Hannah also sustained serious injuries and have undergone surgery.

(Hottman family & young boy)

(As of Thursday, March 6th, Erica has been released from the hospital and staying with Dan's sisters and mom near the hospital. Christi is improving after a collapsed lung, many broken ribs, and hip, ankle, pelvis, and arm injuries. She is expected to be in the hospital a total of 6 weeks. Winston and Hannah are improving and now up and walking and hoping to be released soon. There are no present arrangements for Dan at this time.

As of March 07, Friday Christi is moving up to the floor with Winston and Hannah and out of intensive care. She is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday, March 11. Pray for continued healing.

As of April 3, 2008 Well praise the Lord that Christie has been released from the hospital. She cannot put any weight on her right leg but she is home and able to get around by wheel chair or a walker. The family is still grieving and we encourage everyone who reads this to continue to lift them up in prayer for physical recovery and spiritual healing.)

Brother Dan Hottman was a member (1985-1996) and a missionary sent out by Carmichael Baptist Church to Brazil. He was ordained by Carmichael Baptist Church in May of 1986 and soon after left for Brazil. He returned from the field after feeling the Lord leading him to work with his father-in-law, Brother Winston Wheeler, and the church of which he was pastor, Memorial Baptist Temple in 1996. Please remember Christi, Winston, Hannah, and Erica as they recover and as they deal with the loss of husband and father. Remember the Hottman family here in California, the Wheeler Family in Texas and elsewhere. Also remember the church in which he ministered. Pray for God's grace, comfort and healing. Brother Dan Hottman was my friend, we went to school together and worked together in the Lord's service. He will be greatly missed. Dan was only 46 years old. He is with the Lord he loved and served.

(I think this was taken in 1993)

(While young missionaries in Brazil, Winston, Christi, Dan, and Hannah)

Carmichael Baptist Church
2007 Bible Conference - Preachers

(From Left to right)
Brother Jason Williams - Alisal Baptist Church, Salinas, CA
Pastor T. P. Crawford - Landmark Missionary Baptist Church, Hayward, CA
Pastor Michael Carling - Free Grace Baptist Church, Yuba City, CA
Brother Joey Jaco - Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Sacramento, CA
Pastor James McDowell - Heritage Baptist Church, Elk Grove, CA
Elder Arthur Mellon - Clover Road Baptist Church, Tracy, CA
Pastor Chris Silvey - Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Sacramento, CA
Pastor Royce Smith - Bethel Baptist Church, Choctaw, OK
Pastor William L. Brown, Carmichael Baptist Church, Carmichael, CA
Pastor Dewayne Harris - Salisal Baptist Church, Salinas, CA
Brother John Bunyun Crawford, Grants Pass, OR
Elder Wayne Camp - Central Baptist Church, Grenada, MS
Pastor Dennis Riddick, Twinbrook Hills Baptist Church, Hamilton, OH
Pastor Paul Little, Cool Baptist Church, Cool, CA
Pastor Gene Plaskett, Greenfield Baptist Church, Greenfield, CA
Pastor Frank McClanahan - Meadow Thorpe Baptist Church, Lexington, KY
Pastor Dean Robinson - Bethel Baptist Church, Lawton, OK
Pastor Lane Lawless, Clover Road Baptist Church, Tracy, CA
Pastor J. C. Settlemoir - New Testament Baptist Church, Brownsburg, IN
Pastor Bill Downing - Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Morgan Hill, CA
Pastor Larry Banks - Fellowship Baptist Church, Winslow, AR
Pastor John Vondoloski - Liberty Baptist Church, Medford, OR
Pastor Don Akins, Moreno Valley Baptist Church, Moreno Valley, CA