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November - December 1999 The Sabbath Sentinel

Darrell Estep
BSA Board Member

The Lord blessed me greatly by allowing me to be born into a Sabbath keeping home on Thanksgiving day, 1939. My mother's family had accepted the Sabbath when she was a teenager. My father's family has honored the Sabbath and made it the focal point of their lives for more generations than I know of. Family lore tells us that though the Oklahoma land rush commenced on a Sabbath, the Estep's waited until Sunday to go. As a result, the Lord provided them with good land to homestead.

My father, Art Estep, founded and pastored the Church of God, 7th Day in Port Orchard, Washington. Our children all grew up in this church and we still attend today. I have never wavered in my resolve to observe this Sabbath that was passed down to me as a very special gift.

For many years after my Dad died I shared pulpit duties at our local congregation, even though I have never felt a call to the ministry. I see my role as more of an administrator and parliamentarian. I have also been called upon to speak at camp meeting in Meridian, Idaho and at several congregations around the US and Canada.

It has been a special blessing to me to speak boldly about the seventh day Sabbath and see the acceptance of it by those with whom I share it. After I did a seven week series on The Sabbath from the pulpit, things seemed to change in the congregation. I believe that keeping the seventh day Sabbath is key to accepting the LORD as the Creator of the universe. Establishing the seventh day Sabbath was the LORD's first statute. He rested the seventh day and made it Holy. He never ever took Sabbath away or reduced its significance to mankind.

When the LORD sent to our congregation a Messianic Jew (who was raised orthodox) to be our pastor, nobody was more pleased than I. We had no idea what the LORD had in store for us as a congregation. For me this was a fulfillment of what the Church of God had taught since my youth-Jews and Gentiles worshiping together. Our congregation outgrew our church building in two years. We now meet in the local Nazarene Church on Sabbath mornings. The service is Messianic in style and includes Jewish liturgy. Well studied people from all congregational backgrounds fellowship with us. We are finding that there are blocks of scripture that we have not studied extensively. This we are now doing by following an annual Torah Study schedule.

I married Helen Ellis when I was 20, after becoming acquainted with her at the Meridian, Idaho camp meeting in 1958. She, too, is from a Sabbath keeping home. When she was born, the Ellis family attended the Eugene, Oregon church pastored by Herbert W. Armstrong. Her parents, Claude and Velma Ellis, were musicians for Mr. Armstrong's original radio ministry. Mr. Ellis, also a minister, and Mr. Armstrong parted company in the early 1940's, and in 1944 the Ellis family moved to California. Mr. Ellis also had radio ministries in Eugene, Or., Yuba City, California and in Lodi, California.

Keeping the Sabbath and serving the LORD has been center to Helen's and my household. We raised five children. When they were teenagers and we had six cars coming and going every direction to school, jobs, errands, church, etc.. Friday night was looked forward to, as house rules dictated that everyone was to be home for dinner. We went to church as a family. Today all five are married to wonderful spouses that love the LORD and all their households are doing their best to serve HIM as they interpret scripture. We have thirteen grandchildren ranging in age from one to 13, six of whom have been baptized. We love to be together as a family. Life does not get any better than to have your loved ones close by and enjoy the love they have for each other.

I am now retired from a professional career. After two years of college I went to work at the Boeing Company as a draftsman. I worked in the new business offices of the Aero-Space division, supporting the best engineers and managers in the industry. Later I worked for a vice president and was selected to teach in a company sponsored drafting training program at the community college from which I had graduated. This six month job lasted for nearly three years.

In 1970 I was laid off, along with 70,000 other folks. At this point we had four children aged four to ten. We decided that I would return to college to complete two more degrees. With these in hand, I was hired back at the college as an administrator, 32 years of age, with five children. For the next three years my task was to set up a comprehensive community college curriculum in one of the State's adult male prisons. I then moved to the campus to head the Division of Business and Engineering Related Occupations, also acting as Assistant to the Dean of Instruction.

In 1985 I requested to be assigned to the classroom and taught a comprehensive computer aided design curriculum with up to 100 students. The last two years 100% of my graduates went to work earning good salaries at some very prestigious firms. The LORD sent me the very best students. We shared our love for HIM, if they brought it up. I prayed with them when their brothers and friends were in Desert Storm. I cried with them when they had their personal tragedies. Some of them walked more boldly in their faith as a result. I retired at age 58 with the title "professor." My speciality is engineering drawing and computer aided design, in both two dimensional and solids modelling.

Helen and I just purchased 13 acres of fenced pasture that grows grass up to my shoulders, has a year around stream that puts out a steady flow of water and has an area for a pond. Our goal is to establish a home where we can serve the LORD in a special way.

In my spare time, I draw plans for homes and churches. One of the companies I draw for produces prefab homes using a patented construction system. This company just shipped four homes to China and one to Vermont. Currently I am working on some plans for Mexico. And there is a rumor that Venezuela is on the next task list.

Helen and I attended our first ever Feast of Tabernacles this Fall. Last November we visited Israel and will we never be the same. When I walked out of the plane and placed my foot on HIS promised land, I wept. We are committed to aid in the return of HIS people to the PROMISED LAND and, along with our church, support several organizations who are bringing Jews out of Russia and other countries and returning them to Israel.

Although I have been a member of the Church of God, 7th Day all my life, I consider myself a member of the True Church of God, as outlined in the New Testament. Members of other seventh day fellowships are considered brothers and sisters in the Lord.

TSS

November - December 1999 The Sabbath Sentinel