Like the people of Berea during the time of the apostle Paul, members of the Berean Baptist Church are trying to demonstrate the "love of Christ and other people."
Members of the church, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in the Salt Lake Valley, are "very compassionate. They try to . . . minister to needs. The people are very diligent in searching the scriptures and in not only knowing but applying what the Bible says," says the Rev. F. Wesley Clem, founder and pastor of the church at 60 E. 8640 South.The unusual name of the church (pronounced Ber-ree-an) comes from a reference in Acts 17:11. The word has been used to describe some of the people of the biblical city of Berea who, according to the scriptural account, eagerly welcomed the word of God and who daily examined the scriptures to see if Paul's teaching was correct.
The name was chosen for Berean Baptist Church in the hope that members would, throughout the church's history, reflect the example set by the first-century believers.
The church held its first services on June 28, 1967, in a two-story maroon brick structure built in 1921 and formerly occupied by the Sandy LDS 2nd Ward.
"Only four people were present. My wife was ill that Sunday. So it was me, my two children and one visitor," said the Rev. Clem, a soft-spoken clergyman who kindly greeted children visiting the church during a Deseret News interview.
When the church was organized, Sandy was a community of only about 7,500 people. It has grown to a population of approximately 80,000. Membership in the church, an independent Baptist congregation, has fluctuated through the years, pushing 100 in 1985 but now totaling only 38 people, including three children. Yet attendance averages between 50 and 60 on any given Sunday.
"We've had members from as far away as Bountiful. We now probably have a higher percentage of the membership from Sandy than ever before," said the Rev. Clem, a native of Grand Junction, Colo., who was reared a Presbyterian and who "accepted the Lord" when he was 16. He was baptized at 20.
His work in the ministry began after he graduated in 1957 from Denver Seminary. He first was associate pastor of Bible Baptist Church in Phoenix and subsequently served at Central Orchard Mesa Community Church in Orchard Mesa, Colo., and as interim pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Grand Junction. He started Rustic Hills Baptist Church in Colorado Springs before coming to Sandy in 1967.
The church has a strong missionary program and owns two mission homes that house an indigent family and a missionary couple. The missionaries, Christine and Dan Grings, and their four children, emigrated last February from Zaire in central Africa.
To become a member of the church, one must "accept Christ as their personal Savior." To a member, being baptized by immersion is a witness of a belief in Christ. Church members testify of their beliefs during church services. Those who accept Christ as their personal Savior are "assured of eternal life, which is life with God," the Rev. Clem said.
A number of members of the church are serving lifetime missions. They include Patti and Paul Karpenko, who have been in Israel for six years; Mike and Elva Farrell, who have been in France nearly nine years; and Steve and Lori Sundburg, who started a church for English-speaking Canadians and lead a church for Korean-speaking families.
The missionaries receive "no promised salary. They simply rely on the Lord to burden churches and individuals for their support," said the Rev. Clem, whose wife, Joanne, teaches a weekly Bible class for women and Sunday School. She oversees a "Voyager" program for children and is in charge of the church music program.
The 58-year-old pastor said he and his wife also are "faith missionaries," relying on a "$350-a-month donation from the church for our support. The rest comes as the Lord supplies."
Members of the church voluntarily give "tithes and offerings, but I don't know who gives or what they give. It is entirely up to them and the Lord."
He said, "When (numbers in) the congregation dip, the income for operations isn't all that great. There are times when I tell the treasurer not to take out any funds for me."
Reflecting on charitable acts, the Rev. Clem said one church member, unemployed for 18 months, had to go to Nevada for job inter-views.
"Another family, who didn't have much themselves, noticed that the unemployed man's car tires were bald. They went out and purchased another set of tires so he could get to the interviews."
Of his congregation the Rev. Clem said, "We enjoy a family atmosphere that is very special. Even when people leave the area we still consider them family members. We maintain close ties with them."
Members meet Sundays at the following times: - Bible study, 9:30 a.m.; morning worship, 10:45 a.m.; "Voyagers," 11:15 a.m.; evening worship, 6 p.m. They also meet Wednesdays for prayer meeting at 7 p.m. and Bible study at 7:45 p.m. The public is invited.