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 Vance L. CatlinSenior Pastor Pastor Vance L. Catlin was born in Alma, Michigan on October 10, 1946 to Mr. & Mrs. John H. Catlin. While in elementary school, Pastor Catlin's parents answered to call of God to full time service and his father became a church planting missionary with Hiawatha Land Independent Baptist Missions, (now known as Continental Baptist Missions). Pastor Catlin spent his teen years in Curtis, Michigan where his father pastored Curtis Baptist Church.
Pastor Catlin accepted Christ as his
Savior after an evening chapel service while attending Summer Bible
Camp as a 16 year old teen.
After graduation from high school, Pastor Catlin satisfied his military obligation with service in the United States Marine Corps.
After his discharge from the military,
Pastor Catlin came to Tampa, Florida to visit some friends and while
in Tampa, applied to become a police officer with the Tampa Police
Department and was hired after a few weeks.
Shortly after being hired by the Tampa Police Department he met his future wife, Sandra. They were married on September 6, 1968. Pastor Catlin and his wife have one son, John daughter in law Erika, and three grandchildren, Julia, Haley and Jack Pastor Catlin has said his role model in life was his father, who never had to chance to hear him preach as his father went home to be with the Lord in January of 1972, but his mother Elaine was very supportive and encouraging to him until she went home to be with the Lord in 2003. Prior to founding Harmony Baptist Church, Pastor Catlin and his family was active in Good Shepherd Baptist Church where he served on the Deacon Board, taught Sunday School, served as music and choir director for several years, it was during this time that the Lord began to deal with him about full time ministry and after surrendering to whatever the Lord wanted him to do, the Lord called Pastor Catlin to Preach in 1992 and he was ordained in April of that year.
From March of 1994 until June of 2000,
Pastor Catlin held down a fulltime job with the Hillsborough County
Sheriff's Office and also pastored Harmony Baptist Church. But in
June of 2000 after over 30 years in law enforcement Pastor Catlin
retired to become fulltime pastor
Pastor Catlin's life verse is Philippians 2:16 "Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." |
