Meet the Pastor
Dr. Gary Crawford, Senior Pastor
Dr. Gary Crawford has served Westside Baptist for 29 years. Over the years at Westside Baptist, the Lord has called more than 100 persons into Vocational Ministry and Missions, serving in more than 15 countries and 9 states. Westside has multiple partnerships around the world and Gary has served on mission trips to numerous countries including Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Peru, Africa, England, Sweden, Russia, Asia, and Niger. Gary was born in Lake City, Florida. He was married to Freda Mangle (deceased) in 1970 and has two children, John (married to Tina Rakes) and Christa (married to Bill Latham), and five grandchildren.
In this world, we are going to get stuck in places that are uncomfortable.
On a recent trip to Atlanta, a few of us got stuck in the elevator of our hotel. Some became a bit anxious pretty quickly. One person beat on the door...
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Our Summit begins this Sunday!!! Don't miss it!
Our Summit begins this Sunday! Please keep your schedule open from the 13th - 23rd to be available for the services. I really believe you will want...
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Christians, like light, should create a godly environment by our mere presence.
INFLUENCE: Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) specialized in communication theory and remarkably predicted the Internet three decades before it was invented...
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What most influenced my life was not a particular topic, or a specific illustration, but rather the genuine love and concern our teacher had for us – for me.
When I was a teenager, my family attended church, including a Bible Study class, but it was sporadic. It was now and again. Sometimes I would arrive l...
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“Fasting” is one of the spiritual disciplines.
“Superficiality is the course of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is...
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The fact that Jesus Christ believes in us should inspire faith within us and compel us toward our best.
BELIEF: In 2010, Tony Blair wrote, A Journey: My Political Life. In this memoir, the former British prime minister (1997-2007) chronicled his “spi...
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This Sunday is RESURRECTION SUNDAY – a day of gratitude and celebration!
Cheryl and her mother-in-law were driving home from the food store with the windows down on the beautiful spring day. Wouldn’t you know, a...
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Resurrection Sunday! A day of gratitude and celebration!
Cheryl and her mother-in-law were driving home from the food store with the windows down on the beautiful spring day. Wouldn’t you know, a bee flew ...
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It is good to remember that when we extend our hand of welcome to our guests, we are extending God’s hand of grace.
One of our guests said to me recently in the Guest Reception, “We have never felt so welcomed by a church family.” As you suspect, that remark m...
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Sunday will be another GREAT day at Westside!
This Sunday, Byron Paulus will be with us to help us prepare for our Life Action Summit, May 13-23. Please join me in giving him a warm welcome.
Ou...
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