Leadership

Pastor Sam’s arrival in Tulare in January of 2018 felt a lot like coming home. He was raised in Central Pennsylvania, where dairy farms abound. From there God moved him to Maryland where he attended Towson University and met his wife Sarah. They were married in 2002 and within a month’s time Sam was serving in his first vocational ministry position. The Gray’s served in two churches in Maryland before being called to Carmichael, California in 2009. Ordained in 2005, Sam has been pursuing his Master’s of Divinity from Gateway Seminary since 2014. Sam and Sarah have five children, and they enjoy camping, board and card games, basketball, music, and legos. 

Pastor Ted was raised primarily in San Diego . He came to Christ as a 10th grader in May of 1982. During this time, Pastor Ted attended Calvary Southern Baptist Church. He was also attending Point Loma Nazarene College (now University) where he received his bachelor degree.  Then, in 1985, he got his first job in the church as a youth director  at Mission Village Baptist Church. Following this, he was called to move to Santee where he became the youth director of Santee First Baptist. It was here that Pastor Ted was licensed and ordained.  During Christmas of 1998,  he moved up to the Central Valley to be the pastor of Ivanhoe Southern Baptist Church.  He then married his beautiful Salvadorean wife Marta in 2003 and together they have two awesome boys. In  2014, he was called to serve as the children's and youth pastor at  PABC, where he has served since. He also currently is the director of Tulare County Association of Governments. 

Frank Austin was born at Fort Carson, Co. and was a nomadic "army brat" for 8 years. Upon his father's army retirement in 1955, the family settled in Fresno, where Frank attended Roosevelt High School, Fresno City College, Fresno Pacific University, and CSU Fresno, receiving his masters' degree in history and his secondary teaching credential. He taught special education at Tulare Union High School from 1972 to 2010. More importantly, he came to the Lord as a college student in 1968. He joined First So. Baptist Church of Tulare (now Prosperity Ave. Baptist) in 1975, and has been a member ever since, serving in numerous capacities, including deacon, Bible teacher, and music leader. Frank was married to Debbie Austin for 30 years, until her passing in 2005. They had three sons. He has been married to Raquel since 2013.  

Trevor Chapman was born in Exeter, and grew up in the Woodlake. He graduated from Woodlake High School and attended College of the Sequoias. Trevor then  enlisted in the United States Army  and served for 8 years. He joined PABC in the early 2000s and has served ever since. Trevor got married to his amazing wife Christy on April 1st of 2011. Trevor has worked on satellites, cabinets, and as a solider in the army. He is currently an X-ray technician for Kaweah Health. Trevor has  3 incredible kids. He and his family love Legos and boast the best Lego collection and display of any family at PABC. He also loves painting, archery, and is a certified master of laser tag.