Dr. Sterling E Walsh, Jr.
Senior Pastor
My wife Janet and I were both born and raised in rural Carroll County Maryland. I was raised in Hampstead and my wife in the small town of Silver Run. I was taken to a small country church from the time I was born and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior at age 11.
I began serving in the ministries at the church in the seventh grade and later, at age 18, I was privileged to become their choir director. Janet grew up in a family that was affiliated with the Catholic Church. Though she was not very involved during her school and college years, she began to search for truth as a young adult and received Christ soon after college.
I felt the call to the ministry while a young teen, but like many others, I thought that God could never use me. I went on to graduate fromWestern Maryland College in Westminster, Maryland (now McDaniel College) with a B.A. in Vocal Music Secondary Education. Janet graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music with a Bachelors of Music Education. We met while teaching music lessons at a local music store. Janet became a music teacher for the Carroll County School System. We were married in 1981 and once I graduated college in 1982, I also taught for the Carroll County Schools until 1988.
We joined the Church of the Open Door in Westminster Maryland in 1983, a thriving independent Baptist church pastored by Dr. Shelton Smith, who is now the editor of Sword of the Lord Ministries and Publications in Murfreesboro, TN. During those years, under the tutorage of Dr. Smith, who is like my father in the Lord, the Lord did many things in our hearts including bringing me to a point that I surrendered to the ministry myself.
In 1990, after two years on staff at the church of the Open Door as an assistant music director and Carroll Christian Schools as a music teacher, Janet and I packed up our son, Sterling III (born 1986) and our daughter, Esther (one month old at the time), and headed to Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point Indiana where I received a Bachelor of Religious Education. Since then, both Janet and I have earned Master’s and Doctorate degrees from Independent Baptist colleges.
We were able to return to the Church of the Open Door in 1991 where I became Assistant Pastor/Music Director. The Lord blessed us in many ways during those years. I was ordained to the Gospel Ministry by the authority and order of the Church of the Open Door, Westminster, Maryland on January 8, 1992. It was my joy to see the music ministry grow to over 100 in the choir and over 40 in the orchestra under my wife’s direction. During our years at Open Door under the ministries of Dr. Shelton Smith, and later with my dear friend, Dr. Norris Belcher, Jr., we were able to gain much experience and training for the ministry as we were allowed to share in the salvation of hundreds of souls. During those years the Lord also blessed us with another daughter, Hannah (1992) and another son, Nathan (1994). We are pleased to have our children serving along side of us in the ministry.
During the last few years at Open Door, the Lord began to impress upon my wife and myself that we were to move on to see God do new things. Knowing that the ministry at Open Door would certainly move on without me (having 9 pastors and a regular attendance of 1800+) I felt the Lord would have us go to a church that had no one.
After much prayer and clear leading of the Lord, my wife, my children and I were privileged to be called to The Lighthouse Baptist Church of Greater York on September 21, 2003. We were voted in by the eleven eligible voters present that day. Since that first day of 28 in attendance, the Lord has blessed in many ways. We now see hundreds come to the campus every week. Even more than the increased attendance, we have seen the folks of Lighthouse Baptist grow into a warm, loving congregation that wants to see others come to know Christ as well.
We are excited about what the Lord is doing. He has blessed us with a good facility to house the ministry and almost 18 acres into which we can expand. He has provided wonderful people to serve here. We have been excited to see God supply so we could begin a bus ministry to bring boys and girls, men and women to hear of the Amazing Grace and saving blood of Jesus Christ.
I believe that the greatest days are yet ahead. We would love to have you be a part of what God is doing. Please come and see what the Lord can do in your life.
If you have any questions concerning the ministries of Lighthouse Baptist Church, or most of all, if you would like to know more about how to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior so that you can know for sure that you have a home in heaven, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone at 717-292-5000 or through the contact form below.