John Adams began his journey at Faith Baptist Bible College uncertain of where God was leading him. He enrolled in 1965 intending to stay only one year (a promise kept to his mother), but after a rocky start that included being asked to leave for rule and attendance issues, he returned the following spring semester. That return changed everything.
It was at Faith that John met Marsha, the woman who would become his lifelong partner in life and ministry. John graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science in Christian Education and Music.
Though John never envisioned himself as a full-time pastor, a missionary’s challenge during his senior year settled the question. He prayed, “Wherever you call me, I will go.” Within three months, John and Marsha and their young daughter loaded up their belongings into a U-Haul and headed to Rochester, Indiana.
That prayer launched a ministry spanning ten positions and the length of the country, including pastorates in Iowa, California, and Illinois, a chaplaincy at the Illinois Veterans’ Home, and a season on Faith’s own staff.
Through every move and every transition, Marsha’s faithfulness made the road possible. John and Marsha walked through deep loss together — two of their three children, both sets of parents, and Marsha’s sisters. Through it all, their anchor held. “People you love leave you, many by death,” John reflects. “God always is there to hold you up and to give you a real sense of His presence.”
Today, John and Marsha press on, with John still pastoring a small church and both of them committed to finishing well. The Lord has given them the joy of living near their daughter and family which includes four grandsons and one great-grandson. His life verse says it best: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
