Pastor Timothy Beam
Senior Pastor - Elgin Bible Church in Elgin, Illinois
I was born and raised in the state of Pennsylvania. I am no stranger to the outdoors as from my earliest recollections, the woods were my playground. Being born into a pastor’s family where I was the fourth of seven children, I experienced many of the “little” towns and boroughs of that state which are surrounded by wooded hills and state game lands.
I tracked my first bear at the age of ten. It was in the western Pennsylvania town of Cooperstown where a mother bear and two cubs would come down out of the hills to do night raids on the garbage cans. One morning after a light snow fall, the tracks were calling me to follow them and I obliged. After following the tracks for more than a mile through the woods, my father realized I was in danger and caught up to me before what could have been a very disastrous encounter. Later on I would also encounter my first bobcat at that very same home while camping out in our back yard.
It seemed like I was always bringing animals such as bats, squirrels, chipmunks, frogs, fish, etc… to my father who would then use them for children’s sermons during our worship services. I have had many pets at different times in my life such as snakes, gerbils, dogs, cats, and even black widow spiders when I lived in North Carolina for a short time.
I began hunting at the legal age of twelve with my father and brothers. Though not very successful in those early years, I was able to get next to some very experienced hunters who taught me many of the skills necessary to become a decent hunter. I have taken many different types of small game, upland birds and waterfowl while also being successful at taking deer with a rifle, shotgun, and compound bow. I have not yet had the opportunity to hunt elk, bear or moose, but I am in the process of planning a Colorado elk hunt in 2010.
I have been the pastor of the Elgin Bible Church since January of 2004. I have a passion for men’s ministry and seeing men discover a passion for Christ that turns them loose to be a powerful tool in His hands. John Eldredge’s book Wild At Heart is the theme for the ministry of our church.
I am ordained with the Evangelical Covenant Church which is a small denomination but also the fastest growing denomination in the U.S. I love the Lord and I have served Him in full-time ministry since 1988. That service includes being a full-time youth pastor at the Evangelical Free church in McKeesport, PA and at Bethel Grove Bible Church in Ithaca, NY. Then I served as a church planter in Holland, MI prior to me coming to the Elgin Bible Church where I continue to serve now as the Senior Pastor.
I attended college at Geneva College where I played on the basketball team and majored in pre-ministerial studies. I then attended Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL where I graduated with a Masters of Divinity degree and spent much of my summers training to be an Air Force Chaplain. My focus of study in seminary was in pastoral counseling.
I have been married to a great woman, Gloria, since 1981. Together, we have raised two daughters who have been a great joy in our lives. Elisabeth graduated in 2008 from Indiana Wesleyan University and is applying to graduate schools for marriage and family therapy. Christy will graduate in 2009 from the same school where her focus is in athletic training.
In our free time Gloria and I love to spend time with other people and have them over to our home for visits and meals, Gloria is just too good a cook to keep it to ourselves! I also started an archery club for the men of our church which I shoot in regularly and I still hunt deer here in the Illinois state parks, which has not yielded much success. Living in the Chicago area doesn’t provide much opportunity for hunting, but my passion doesn’t fade, it just gets re-focused. I also continue to take trips back to PA and NY where I hunt with my friends and family.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Timothy Beam
To hear some of Pastor Timothy Beam's sermons click here and than click on the "worship service" tab.
