Founding Pastor Byron Singleton
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The Northwest Regional Christian Church called Rev. Byron Singleton from Houston Texas to pastor a new church start project in July 2000. He arrived in Tacoma with his family to begin the new work. New Creation Christian Church had its inaugural worship service the first Sunday in October 2000 at the old South Tacoma Christian Church facility (56th and Pine). From this first worship service a core group of 10 persons evolved. As a part of its call/mission, New Creation had two other minority churches nesting in its facility: a Korean Disciples congregation and a Gypsy Full Gospel congregation. When New Creation Christian Church moved to its present worship location at Tahoma Vista Village, the membership of New Creation wanted to be in charge of its destiny and voted to stand on its own regarding church leadership, mission/vision. The church changed its name from New Creation to Amazing Grace Christian Church and held its first worship service under the new name on Easter Sunday, 2002. When Rev. Singleton stepped down as pastor from the project, the Rev. Kim Hastings became the pastor during the transition period. Pastor Singleton went on to enter a Clinical Pastoral Education residency at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle and pastored East Side Christian Church part time while serving Amazing Grace Christian Church as a pastoral advisor. He left the NW for clinical chaplaincy. Byron answered the call to chaplaincy at the Alexandria VA Medical Center in Alexandria, LA in March 2005. He currently provides pastoral care/counseling to addiction and mental health patients, medical/surgical patients, nursing home patients, and Home-Based Primary Care patients. His work at the VA involves visiting patients and families at the bedside, completing spiritual assessments on patients, interdisciplinary treatment planning, providing on-call coverage, preaching and leading weekly chapel services, end of life planning, grief/loss ministry with patients and families, and facilitation of addiction, mental health, and spirituality groups, He is also involved with the Clinical Pastoral Education (C.P.E.) program in Alexandria teaching didactics and mentoring C.P.E. residents and interns. He is a member of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Pineville, LA. He and his wife, Brandi, of 12 years came to Alexandria with their children, Brittany (10) and Brandin (6), Breanna (4) and Benjamin (2). Byron earned his Bachelor of Science degree (summa cum laude) in 1990 from Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, OK. He earned his Master of Divinity degree (cum laude) in 1995 from Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, OK. He was ordained to Christian ministry in Oklahoma City in July 1995. Byron also has been trained at the School of Urban Ministry in Atlanta, GA and at the New School of Urban Ministry in Queens, NY. While in NY, he served as a student intern for a new church start in Brooklyn. He also has been trained for new church ministry through the new church boot camp program, an ecumenical church training program. Byron has pastored congregations in Freedom, OK; in Louisville, KY; in Houston, TX, and 2 congregations in Tacoma, including a new church start (Amazing Grace Christian Church) which continues to grow and strengthen. He has taught for Jarvis Christian College (Hawkins, TX) in the Emmitt J. Dickson Institute training ministers who were in the formation process for Christian ministry. Byron recently completed a 2-year residency training with a specialization in mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addictions in Clinical Pastoral Education at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle. His future plans involve becoming a Board Certified Chaplain, an A.C.P.E. Supervisor to train other ministers in C.P.E., and to earn his Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling. Byron briefly served as a staff chaplain at St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island, NE upon completion of his residency training until he was able to return to working with veterans in the VA Healthcare system. |
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