Community to honor Pastor David Morrison

PASTOR DAVE AND LINDA Morrison will be honored at retirement celebration and party on Saturday, June 30 at Pollock Pines Community Church, 6361 Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines. Courtesy photo

Invitations have been extended to all those who have been a part of Morrison’s career path with the church. The list includes those in Southern California; Seattle, Wash.; Des Moines, Iowa; Roseville and other locations.

Morrison, affectionately known as PD, first felt God’s calling into the ministry as a sophomore in high school while attending Summer Youth Camp at Victory Ranch in the San Jacinto Hills of Southern California.

He graduated with academic honors, was a member of the California Scholarship Federation and student body president.

Formative years

After graduation, he was accepted at Western Baptist Bible College in El Cerrito and graduated with honors with a bachelor of science degree in 1966, majoring in Bible and minors in music and Christian education.

As a college student, he spent two years as the pianist for the traveling college quartet. He met and married Linda Lou Witham in 1964 at the First Baptist Church of Woodland.

The couple served for two years under Dr. Guy Archer Weniger at Foothill Boulevard Baptist Church in Oakland and then moved to Seattle right after graduation.

While at Foothill, Morrison developed a youth program called Life Builders and led the choir in John Stainer’s The Crucifixion.

Morrison was also student body president in his senior year at Western.

He and his wife Linda then served for two years at Gatewood Baptist Church in West Seattle, under Dr. Harold Scholes.

Scholes had been Morrison’s pastor in his growing up years at Calvary Baptist Tabernacle in Los Angeles.

Morrison served for two years as minister of music, youth and Christian education. He installed PROTEENS in the youth ministry, with about 60 high school youth.

The Morrison’s first child, Jana Lynn, was born in March 1968.

During the wonderful years in Seattle Morrison studied organ.

The friendships made while at Seattle Pacific under Dr. Winston Johnson were a critical foundation for the rest of Morrison’s ministry.

Time in Iowa

In 1968, Morrison began a dual ministry in Iowa. He taught Christian education at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa, and served that same year as minister of music at Grandview Park Baptist Church in Des Moines.

In 1969, he began full-time at the church as minister of music, youth and Christian education.

He oversaw multiple choirs with more than 200 junior and senior high and college-aged youths.

Linda served in the church Sunday School preschool ministry and church choir.

Morrison also began a masters of music degree program at Drake University in Des Moines, majoring in voice and minoring in organ.

He started the successful Grandview Park Baptist School. He initiated church budgeting, took a significant part in a 40,000 square foot addition, and developed an extensive Learning Materials Center at the church.

His youth choirs took several tours and Morrison sang on the church’s daily radio broadcast for several years. He led statewide combined church Christmas choir concerts in the Des Moines concert hall and performed the complete Elijah role in Mendelsohn’s oratory, “Elijah.”

The couple had three new additions, Jonathan, Joelle and Jodi while in Des Moines.

After 13 years of serving under other pastors, big changes came as Morrison felt God’s calling to enter into pulpit teaching and pastoral leadership ministry.

In 1977, the family moved to Calvary Baptist Church in Citrus Heights and Morrison begin 21 years of ministry as senior pastor. The church grew, relocated to Roseville, and went through four building programs that were done largely with volunteer labor.

The pastoral staff grew to three and Morrison had many blessed years in Citrus Heights and Roseville. During that time the four children got married and Morrison enjoyed adding onto the house, riding motorcycles, building furniture, pursuing photography and playing a lot of racquetball.

Morrison also taught music at Victory Christian School in Carmichael for one year and for several years played the organ at the National Conference of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches.

When Morrison’s ministry came to an end in Roseville, he met with Pastor Dan and Linda Iles at the Conservative Baptist’s conference in San Francisco to learn about First Baptist Church in Pollock Pines.

The church was seeking an experienced pastor to lead worship and education. The Morrison’s made a visit and decide to move to Pollock Pines.

During the 14 years Morrison led the church through an organizational change that included an Elder Council, the church name change to Pollock Pines Community Church, and he completed a master’s degree in worship studies.

He also memorized and spoke seven New Testament Epistles. He traveled to Jordan and Egypt to speak to Christian pastors in conferences and has also been studying modern standard Arabic, and assisting, when possible, with the Arab-American Learning Center in Sacramento.

The Morrisons anticipate a great future for the church and for their continued part in ministry at PPCC in whatever way God would have.

These final years in full-time local church service and ministry have been wonderful, Morrison said.

Both cherish each person in the church body and will be around to continue the many friendships they have made here.

The retirement celebration and party will be held on Saturday, June 30, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the church, 6361 Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines, with tribute and program beginning at 3:30 p.m. The community is invited to attend the festivities.

For more information call 530-644-2133.