Our History

When Willis and Adele Loar and their children arrived in Medford in April 1953 to become the first pastoral family for Eastwood, the congregation was meeting at the Odd Fellows Hall for Sunday morning worship. The first annual meeting was held on April 29, 1953 at which time the first church officers were elected.

Construction on the new sanctuary began in July 1953 and with the building nearing completion, the “cornerstone-laying ceremony” was held that September. Dedication of the new church was held on January 31, 1954.

In the summer of 1955, the Loars resigned and Sara Louise Walker was asked to fill in as interim pastor.

In December 1955, Pastor Richard Jones, and his wife Shirley, accepted an invitation as the second pastor of Eastwood. During his tenure as senior pastor, the church enjoyed significant growth in membership. Pastor Jones resigned in the summer of 1959.

In September 1959, the Reverend Clifford Young, with his wife Luella, and three of their five teenage children, accepted the position as the third pastor of the church. After five and a half years of dedicated service, Pastor Cliff and Luella Young resigned in June 1964.

In January 1965, Pastor Robert Murphy, his wife Audrey, and their three children arrived from Hayward, California to assume the pastorate of Eastwood. Under his leadership, church membership grew rapidly to the point where the Board of Deacons began to explore the possibility of building a new sanctuary. From that decision construction began on a new facility adjacent to the original sanctuary and on Palm Sunday, 1971, the first worship service was held in the new sanctuary. In the fall of 1975, Pastor Murphy resigned to accept a new ministry in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In October 1975, the church called Pastor Victor Balla along with his wife, Joan and their two children. In July, 1976, the church called Everett Denniston and his wife Sue to be Associate Pastor. The Dennistons served at Eastwood until 1979. In October, 1980, Steven Heath and his wife Debra arrived to serve in the capacity as Associate Pastor. Steven resigned his position in April 1987 after also serving as interim Pastor for the Eagle Point Church beginning in 1985.

It was during Pastor Balla’s tenure at Eastwood, that the Eagle Point “daughter church” was started in the nearby community of the same name. The Eagle Point 1st Baptist Church later became the Butte Creek Bible Church in November 1995 when the original congregation merged with another local independent congregation.

In 1984, after serving nine years at Eastwood, Victor and Joan Balla left Medford to begin a ministry in Riverside, California.

In September 1985, Pastor George Nye, his wife Sandy, and their two children accepted the position as the sixth senior pastor of Eastwood. During his eighteen years at Eastwood, Pastor Nye became known throughout the community for his weekly “Relationships” column in the Medford Mail Tribune newspaper. He also enjoyed doing radio broadcasts and leading spiritual retreats.

Pastor Nye led numerous trips abroad to such places as Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, and countries in Eastern Europe. One mission trip to the Czech Republic has resulted in an ongoing ministry with a Baptist church in that country. Another mission trip has since formed a bond with a Brazilian church.

In January 1987, Eastwood called Pastor Michael Sayler as the Associate Minister of Christian Education. With his wife Margie and their three children, the Sayler family became an integral part of the ministry of Eastwood. In 2000, the Saylers accepted a position as the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

From 1990 until 1992, Stu Bigler and his wife Mary, served as Director of Youth Ministry.

In May, 1993, Rob Gepford, his wife Becky, and their three children accepted the position of Director of Youth Ministry. Rob and his family served Eastwood until mid-1996.

In October 1998, the Eastwood congregation participated in a ceremony of “burning of the mortgage”.

On July 15, 2002, Pastor Matt Real with his wife Lori accepted the position of Associate Pastor.

On May 1, 2003, after nearly 18 years as senior pastor of Eastwood Baptist Church, George Nye retired.

On June 1, 2005, Matt Real accepted a position as senior pastor of American Canyon Baptist Church in California.

In April 2005, Eastwood called Pastor Randolph T. Miller as Senior Pastor of Eastwood Baptist. With his wife, Leslie, and their daughter Sarah, the Millers officially began their ministry at Eastwood on August 1, 2005.