Pastor Bob Hargis

My Testimony

I was not raised in a Christian home. I did not begin attending church until about the age of sixteen. I initially went so that I could date a girl who could only go out with me if I went to church. At some point she and I stopped going out but I knew I was hearing something at the church that I had not heard before. At the age of seventeen I was setting under the preaching of Pastor Jim Garrett of Independent Baptist Church, now Hope Baptist Church on the West side of Indianapolis. It was a Sunday evening and when the invitation began I knew I had to accept Christ but refused to step out. Half way through the invitation the music director came out to me and asked me if I needed to talk. We left the auditorium and went into a side room where I knelt and accepted Christ as my personal savior. After we had finished we went back to the auditorium and they were just finishing a baptism. The pastor asked me what had happened and I told him I had just been saved. He asked me if I wanted to be baptized and I removed a small cast on my left hand, went forward, and was baptized the same night.  I drew close to the Lord in my early days after salvation. After graduating high school I went on to college to study Engineering. After college I went to work for Trane heating and Air Conditioning. I quickly moved up the corporate ladder and enjoyed all of the success the world had to offer.  After eighteen years in Engineering God began working on my heart to go into the ministry to serve Him full time. I knew in 2001 that God was calling me to leave my position and study for the pastorate. I did not heed God’s call and quickly realize that I had left the center of God’s will and I became the most miserable man on earth. I had been discussing all of this with my wife but we both agreed we needed the big salary and perks that my job offered. After a few more months I finally decided to surrender to God’s continued calling in 2002. I promised God that if He still wanted me I would leave my job and go back to college full time and complete the four year degree in three years to get back on the original schedule God had in calling me. So after 18 ½ years in Engineering I left my position as Sr. Design Manager and began to study for the ministry. I completed the degree in three years by taking day and night classes.  It was while in college that God began to lay on my heart the direction He would be taking my life. I walked into the first day of a class on Church Planting and God impressed upon me that I needed to set up front and pay attention. I assumed one day I would take a church and be led to start churches out of that church. Little did I realize that God would have me start a church for the experience. My passion is to see Independent, Fundamental, Baptist churches planted across America.

Intern Aaron Hargis

My Testimony

           I was raised in a Christian home in Indianapolis, Indiana. We went to church and I knew right from wrong as I grew up. As a child my father told me that I needed to be saved so I could go to heaven. I was four years old, but I do not remember this at all. My dad told me that I got saved but as I grew up and got older and older I knew I truly hadn’t because I couldn’t remember it at all, and still don’t today. My family started getting very involved with our new church that we were now going to, and as they did I became more and more involved. I heard hundreds of messages at camps, Sunday School, church, youth meetings, and more. I felt the Holy Spirit deep down tugging at my heart to truly get saved because I knew I had not. I kept ignoring it and became more and more harder to it. My dad surrendered the call to go back to school to be a pastor and I knew that my family’s lives were changing but mine was still all messed up, I had never been saved. By this time I was so hard to the truth I became rebellious inside and tried to ignore the Holy Spirit and I unfortunately did. On November 9, 2005 at a school camp, as I was sitting outside of the tabernacle there in West Virginia, where I wondered if God was even real. The Holy Spirit then hit me, what I believe would’ve been the last time, and I knew that God was there I had just never accepted Him and His Son Jesus Christ as my Savior. I realized that if I didn’t accept Him now I would die and go to hell. I grabbed my administrator of my Christian school and that night I quit fighting and accepted Jesus Christ into my heart to be my Savior. I had the greatest peace I had ever felt, and slept a whole lot better. I shortly after that answered the call to preach.  Now God has guided me to Florida Baptist College where I am currently studying youth and pastoral ministries.  My passion and heart is for kids, specifically teens.  I believe and facts show that more youth will be saved during their younger years than later on in life.  If we can change them young, before it is too late, we can change them for all eternity.  This summer God opened the door through Solid Rock Baptist Church for me to be the intern and train here in my home church. God has truly blessed me, more than I ever deserve or imagined. 

I Corinthians 10:31, I Timothy 1:12