Hello, I am Pastor Tim Wheeler, and I have had the privilege of being the pastor at Aboite Baptist church since September 1995. Aboite Baptist is truly a special church to minister in. I have found the people very receptive to my teaching and leading, even when they weren't sure where exactly we would end up! I appreciate your taking the time to visit our web site and trust that one day we will have the opportunity to meet face to face.

My Ministry
The scriptures make it clear that God has revealed Himself to mankind through nature, the Bible, God's Word to us, and through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is my primary responsibility as a minister of the Word of God to develop relationships with people into which I can speak the truth of God's Word in a practical and applicable manner. Therefore, I spend a large amount of my time studying God's Word and preparing to teach in any setting (one-on-one, small group, or large group) and on any topic necessary. I preach on Sunday mornings, teach a Bible Study class on Sunday morning, meet with individuals throughout the week, and teach various classes through the week.

I also believe that one of my main ministries in the church is to men. Therefore, I regularly meet with men for breakfast or lunch for check times, as well as teach and lead a men's Bible study on Friday mornings and our once-a-month men's meeting called Point-Guard.

My Background
I was raised as a missionary kid in Japan. My father was a teacher and served in various capacities at the Christian Academy in Japan. In 1977 we returned to the States, and I attended and graduated from Wheaton North High School in Wheaton, Illinois. I attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois for two years, taking Bible and Theology courses of my choosing prior to transferring to Loyola University of Chicago. I received my BA in History in 1984 and from 1985-1988 taught junior high school Social Studies. It was during these years that the Lord impressed upon my heart the desire to pursue vocational ministry, and so I attended Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana.

When I began seminary I had no idea how the Lord might use me, and I was willing to do whatever He desired. During my first year of Seminary I began to miss interaction with kids, and we began to look for a youth minister position. Ormas Baptist Church was looking for a part-time youth worker, and so from the spring of 1989 until December 1990 we filled that position. In December 1990 following the retirement of the current pastor, Ormas Baptist Church asked us to take the pastorate there. We served at Ormas until 1995 when the Lord moved us to Aboite Baptist Church.

My Family
My wife Mary and I were married in 1983, and it was the very best decision I have ever made after the decision to repent of my sins and trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior. God has blessed us with four daughters.

My Testimony
To give testimony is to give witness to what one has experienced in a certain context. I gladly give witness to the fact that as a very young child, after attending church one Sunday night, I was deeply impressed in my young soul of my sinful condition. I knew that I was a sinner and that there was absolutely nothing I could do about it but to trust in Jesus Christ. I understood that Jesus Christ had come to earth to pay the penalty for my sinfulness and that if I were to ever be free of the penalty of my sin, I must trust in His work alone. That night my mother and I kneeled by my bed and I confessed my sinfulness, repented of my sins, and trusted in Christ. But that was only the beginning. From that time on it has been an up and down journey of growing in my maturity in Christ. Through the years I have struggled with various sinful habits in my life, learning just how much I love sin. However, stronger than my sinful habits is the work of the Spirit in my life. I have grown in so many areas of my life, little by little, learning to put off the old ways of life and put on the new, Christ-pleasing ways of life. I have learned that much of the battle of obedience begins in the mind, which is why our thinking must be renewed on a daily basis through the Word of God, prayer, and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 clearly reflects the truth that God is in the business of dramatically changing lives; listen to these verses:

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.

If you find your life bound by habits of sinfulness from which it seems you will never escape, please drop me an e-mail and let's talk. God's Word promises that there is absolutely nothing that God cannot forgive us for, and no habit is so bad that He cannot help us to overcome it. Trust me, I know!

Welcome to my section of the web page. My name is Brad McGuire, and I am a native of the Fort Wayne area. I was born at Parkview Hospital and grew up in northwest Allen County. I graduated from Carroll High School in 1990 and from Ball State University in 1994 with a degree in Accounting. I married my wife, Rachael, in the summer of 1994. At the end of that summer we moved back to Fort Wayne from Muncie because I took a job with the public accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP. I worked at E & Y for three years, and during that time I finally passed the CPA exam. Then in the fall of 1997 I made the decision to go back to school to train for full-time vocational ministry.

God worked out the details to allow me to work at ICON International and here at Aboite Baptist Church during my training time at Grace Seminary. The six-year schedule began in 1997 when I worked five days at ICON. Then in the second year I worked four days at ICON and one day at the Church/going to seminary at Grace. This will continue until the sixth year when I will be phased completely out of my job at ICON and will be working full time at Aboite. My current responsibilities at ABC include teaching the teens, administration of our missionaries, filling the pulpit when Pastor is away, and other miscellaneous items.

My personal testimony begins with me being born into a home that went to church on a regular basis. We attended a Methodist church, and I was confirmed and joined the church in my early teens. But, it wasn't until the summer between my junior and senior years in high school that I was first challenged with the gospel. The girl I had been dating asked me when I had become a Christian. The question hit me cold. I didn't know what to say. No one had ever asked me that question. Before that night I believed God would let me into heaven because I had done more good things than bad. My girlfriend went on to share the truth of Jesus Christ's payment for my sins on the cross and how by faith I could be saved from the penalty of my sins. She told me that I could have a restored relationship with the God who had made me. All I had to do was agree with God that I was a sinner, repent of my sins, and trust by faith in Jesus Christ alone as being the only person who could pay for my sins. I was more than ready to trust in and receive Christ's gift of salvation and eternal life.

At Ball State I joined a campus ministry which continued to strengthen and deepen my faith in Christ. Then during my junior year I became more involved in the campus outreach of the church I attended, Trinity Baptist Church. It was during my four years at BSU that God began to grow the desire to pursue full-time vocational ministry.

Family
Patty and I have two children, Brittni and Nicole. We have been "Hoosiers" our entire life and have been residence of Fort Wayne since we were married in November of 1988. I have been employed by Wieland Furniture in Grabill during the same period.

Faith
I believe that Jesus Christ suffered and died for my sin taking on himself the punishment that I deserved, that he rose to life on the third day victorious over sin and that by God's grace, through faith in Christ I am forgiven of my sins and have peace with God for eternity. Although I can't say for certain the time or place that I believed, I know that at some point early in my life I accepted this great gift and ever since God has been molding me, through good times and bad, into the person he wants me to be. Praise the Lord for my Christian parents who disciplined and taught me from God's word. I pray that I too will be diligent in providing our children with a solid foundation of truth - the truth of God's holy word.

Fellowship
Our family has attended Aboite Baptist Church since 1988, and since 1994 I have served on the leadership team. During these years Patty and I have grown spiritually by leaps and bounds. We have enjoyed the way God has used many individuals and families in our church family to spur us on and I trust he has used us to do the same in the lives of others. We have enjoyed the genuine Christian love that people have for one another and their desire to be obedient to God. We're certainly not perfect and we struggle with all the ordinary things of life, but we love our Savior and have a strong desire to obey him. I trust that we can help others do the same.