Meet Randy Howard

I was blessed beyond measure to be born into a Christian family. I don’t mean a family that ‘went to church’, but a family that loved God and actively served Him and His people. My mom and dad, and grandparents on both sides of the family were elders, deacons, Sunday school superintendents, or musicians in church.

Our pastor had a ‘faith class’ that I attended when I was 9. I knew enough to know I was a sinner and I accepted Jesus as my personal savior (and got a cool red Bible). My first exposure to doctrine was in my teens when my mom (a women’s Bible teacher) asked the pastor how to interpret a Bible verse and he said, “we don’t believe that part”. Our family immediately left the denominational church and went to a church that held to the authority of the Bible. This made a deep impression on me. So, our family has always sought a church with a good mix of solid scripture-based teaching and opportunities for living in community with fellow believers.

Growing up, I was involved in church youth activities and choir until college and then “took some time off”. I focused on school, work and fun, didn’t attend church regularly and didn’t serve in any way. I was looking for achievement to meet my need to feel valued and significant. When Betty and I got married and had kids, God used 3 women - Betty, our daughter, and my sister to help me see my life was not on the right track and lead me back to church and a personal relationship with God. Interestingly, my sister pointed me to the book of Ecclesiastes.

Something I always wanted to do but “never had the time” for, was to go to seminary. After I retired, I enrolled in Dallas Theological Seminary. I went to gain knowledge and become a more competent teacher for the people I taught, but something surprising happened. The academics became secondary to a deeper relationship with God and learning to love His people in a way I hadn’t before.

I love serving as an Adult Community teacher, small group leader, and Elder, and the ways I get to love on God’s people here. On the flip side, we have been the recipients of the love of the FBC family through Betty’s recent cancer treatment, and we love and appreciate this church and its people so much!