Our pastor was saved at the Central Baptist Church in Bell Gardens, California, when he was sixteen years of age. Being convinced the Holy Spirit wanted him to yield his dreams of a career in music, he matriculated into Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College and studied four years earning the THG., and B. A. degrees. He served as class president his fourth year at Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College (Now Heartland Baptist Bible College), 1976. He earned the M. A. degree from Liberty University in 1989, graduating magna cum laude. He is now preparing to earn his doctorate.

During his first year of Bible college, he met his bride to be, B. Rebecca Smith.

After a fruitful ministry at Central Baptist Church, with hundreds saved and baptized, Pastor Scheidbach recruited five Christian families to help him launch a tent revival effort in Commerce, Ca. Some California gypsies were attracted to the big tent and began attending the month long revival. Twelve families were baptized at the end of the tent rivival and thus began a three year ministry among the California gypsies that resulted in over 400 adults and teens being saved and baptized.

After Pastor graduated from PCBBC, he served as an associate pastor to John Sparks at the Berean Baptist Church in Orange, Ca. During this time he got some experience in the business world serving as a copy writer for the Camargo Organization and starting and profitably operating two businesses.

Pastor Scheidbach received an invitation to become principal of a private Christian School in the LA basin in 1978. He accepted and served as principal/administrator of Baptist Christian Schools for six years.

Our pastor developed an education system which brought the school to an academic average of above 90% in grades K4 through High School. Pastor Scheidbach's discipline system became popular; and he received many requests to conduct child behavior management seminars and conferences. He offers the child rearing aspect of these popular seminars in an audio CD series titled How to Win and Keep the Heart of Your Child.

On April 28, 1986, Pastor Scheidbach accepted a call to pastor the Wells Road Baptist Church in Ventura, Ca. During his ministry at the Well, he saw the church grow from a membership roll of 35, to above 200. During this ministry, Pastor wrote several books. He completed his MA degree at Liberty, and accepted a position with his alma mater, PCBBC, to teach Theology. He served as professor of theology at PCBBC for three years. Also during his ministry at the Well, Pastor Scheidbach began a ministry in Russia. He founded the Eurasia Baptist Bible College, headquartered in Moscow, and directed by missionary Ron Reasoner. Pastor served as the first president of the college and has traveled to Russia to conduct revival campaigns more than nine times, and plans to continue developing his ministry to the Russian people. Many of his books are used in the college; more than nine Russian pastors have been trained in the Bible College to date.

In April of 1995, Pastor Scheidbach received an invitation to consider taking a young church of six months, which provided some unique challenges and opportunities for someone interested in a ministry on the Central Coast. After much prayer and consultation, it became evident the Spirit was calling pastor Scheidbach to accept these challenges and this opportunity -- In May of 1995, Jerry W. Scheidbach became the pastor of what was then called the Santa Maria Valley Baptist Church.

After some of the unique challenges of the new church were met and the Santa Maria Valley Baptist Church proved itself truly committed to the biblical principles that motivated the founders to begin the church, Santa Maria Valley's LIGHTHOUSE Baptist Church emerged with a clear sense of identity and focused purpose. At this time, Pastor Scheidbach announced it was his belief God would soon provide a facility for the new church.

We were meeting in a store front in Orcutt. Soon after our Pastor arrived in Santa Maria, he began scouting Orcutt and Santa Maria for a facility for the congregation. Every facility large enough to house the congregation that was affordable was unavailable, and what was available was not affordable, or the location was unacceptable. After much prayer, Pastor was driving along Betteravia, west of Blosser, and felt impressed of the Lord that this would be the right area for the Church to locate. He began praying for a facility to become available on Betteravia, and announced to the congregation that he felt God would soon provide a facility for the church. The story of how God brought us to our current location is a wonderful testimony to the hand of the Lord directing the LIGHTHOUSE Baptist Church, and you can read about it in a special brochure we have prepared.

There are many blessings the Lord has already given Pastor's ministry here. Among them, we rejoice in the Lord's provision of our facility, right on Betteravia, where the Spirit told Pastor we would be located; and the good number of souls that have been saved and baptized, even during our "wandering years." Also, we are pleased the Lord has granted that we should have five young men of our congregation called into ministry by the Spirit. The story of Pastor Scheidbach's ministry here is still being written; perhaps you will join us in prayer for God's marvelous blessing upon the LIGHTHOUSE Baptist Church under his anointed ministry.