Sharing love, joy: Vaught has been senior pastor since Jan. 2

The Rev. Chris Vaught describes Jackson First General Baptist Church, 1506 S. Farmington Road, as a "dynamic ministry for people of all ages who want to know God." The Beechmont, Ky., native has been serving as the senior pastor since Jan. 2. After a year of praying, Vaught was convinced that Jackson First General Baptist was where God wanted him to serve. Now he hopes to equip and send members of the church for community service projects, share the love and joy in Christ with others and help deepen the knowledge of God's word.

Question: When did you decide to go into the ministry?

Answer: To be honest, God made that decision for me. I thought I knew the career path I would follow. However, at age 18, I felt an incredible inward calling that God wanted me to serve him as a pastor. That call on my heart was thrilling and intimidating all wrapped up together, and it still is even now in my nineteenth year as a minister. I love it.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

A: The most rewarding part of my job is twofold. First, it is when a person comes to faith in Christ. The joy on their face when they know beyond all doubts that they have been forgiven and brought into the family of God is priceless. Second, when a person falls in love with the Bible and they begin to understand it and apply it to their lives. It's like watching children open their gifts on Christmas morning. The Bible is a precious treasure. That is awesome.

Q: What would you say has been your greatest achievement since taking this position?

A: After only being here for four months and having over 500 names to memorize, just connecting some names to faces has been a great achievement.

Seriously, I would say my greatest achievement thus far has been to start building relationships with the congregation. It's always a daunting task to move to a new area and get to know a totally new congregation, but to do that and follow such a wonderful pastor such as Luther, who was here for 25 years, is a huge task for me and the church. But the people have been great. They have been just as interested in getting to know me and my family as I have been to get to know them.

Q: What is the most difficult part of your job?

A: The most difficult part of being a pastor is trying to help people carry their burdens to Christ. If you have a heart for people, you hurt when they hurt. You want them to find peace and strength in Christ. When they do, it's fantastic. When they go a different way, your heart breaks for them.

Q: What do you hope people take away from a visit to your church?

A: When a person visits First General Baptist Church, my hope is that they experience a place where people gather to celebrate and express their love for God, a place of encouragement, a place where God's word is taught in a way they can apply it to their lives, a place of hope.

Q: What is your favorite thing about this church?

A: My favorite aspect of this church is the people's excitement for what God is doing and their anticipation of what God is going to do among us. There is an excitement in the air here. When the people gather on Sunday, there is an electricity in this place.

Q: What is your favorite verse and why?

A: Zephaniah 3:17, "The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." NKJV

One day as a young Christian, I came across this passage and it revolutionized my love for God. I knew God loved me, but I never thought about him loving me so much that he would sing over me. Think about it, before you got out of bed this morning, God was singing over you. I believe this is why 1 John 4:19 says "We love Him because He first loved us."