THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 21, 1994 TAG: 9412200106
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Jody Snider
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
For Baptist minister Dan Gray, Christmastime is the season for reflecting on a year of blessings and to express his gratefulness for those around him.
And this year, Gray is especially grateful for the new church of which he is pastor in the Smithfield area.
Gray, 42, said Calvary Baptist Church was started in Smithfield in August 1990. The group met in the Carrollton Ruritan building for four years while raising money to purchase 10 acres on Turner Drive and then raising more money to construct the 4,800-square-foot building.
Construction on the new building began last April. The doors opened Aug. 28, and 235 people attended the first service there, Gray said.
Gray said half of the building is used as a worship center, while the remainder is for Sunday school classes.
The reason the church was formed, he said, was a desire to maintain a missions program. Gray said the church now supports nine families at $125 per family per month.
``We also want to get a strong youth program going,'' he said. ``That's one reason we bought so much land - to get recreation programs going. We want to be a total family church - from the crib to senior adults,'' he said.
Name: The Rev. Dan E. Gray.
What brought you to Isle of Wight? Church ministry.
Hometown: Spartanburg, S.C.
Birthdate: July 6, 1952.
Occupation: Pastor.
Marital status: Married.
Children: Greg, 23; Sharon, 22; Jennifer, 13.
Favorite movie: A Bob Jones University film called ``Sheffey.''
Favorite magazine: ``Partners in Ministry.''
A book you wish everyone would read, why? The Bible. It really gives principles of truth for successful living. It has answers to all our questions.
Favorite night out on the town: Friday is our family night out to our favorite restaurant or maybe to a high school basketball game.
Favorite bar or restaurant: George and Steve's.
Favorite food and drink: Ribeye steak cooked medium well on the grill with plenty of iced tea.
Few people know . . . that I am a shy person.
What's the best thing about yourself? The best thing about me is that Jesus lives in my heart.
Worst habit: Biting my fingernails.
First thing in the morning: Spend time in prayer and in the Bible, reading so that our thoughts will be established for the day.
Pets: None.
Hobbies: History. I really enjoy American history and the birth and growth of our nation.
Ideal vacation: A tour of the Holy Land with a stopover in England to visit Spurgeon's Tabernacle.
Pet peeve: Not being well-prepared for the job at hand or others not being prepared.
First job: Picking peaches and working in a peach shed.
Worst job: I have had several jobs that were not glamorous at all. Yet, I've learned some valuable insights about life and people.
What achievements are you most proud of? I am grateful for my wife, Myra, and our three children. The Lord has blessed us with a good marriage and wonderful home. We are also extremely grateful for our church family at Calvary Baptist Church. It was a tremendous joy to see people work together to build our church on Turner Drive.
What would you like on your epitaph? ``But by the grace of God I am what I am: And his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Baptist minister Dan Gray and his wife, Myra, are grateful for the
new church building, which opened in August.
by CNB