Richard and Becky Yates
“For Ezra had set his heart
to study the Law of the LORD,
and to do it
and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10, ESV).
My name is Richard yates and I grew up in a Christian home in Hoodsport, WA. My mother had been a missionary in China and India before I was born. Professing faith, I was baptized at the age of twelve. At sixteen, I had the ambition to be a professional football player. Failing to make the first-string of my high school team, I sensed my own plans might not work out. During a communion service, God deeply reached me with the fact that God gave His Son for me. God also helped me realize that since God loved me so much, He would lead me down the best path. That night, I committed my life to follow God’s loving path (Prov 3:5-6).
Growing in hunger to know and serve God, My pastor gave me opportunities to preach at Hood Canal Community Church on Sunday evenings. Church members encouraged me to go to a Bible College and Western Seminary. By God’s grace, I had the privilege to help reach and train people for God’s world-wide service for thirty-four years. Fourteen years were filled with raising a family while serving as a Pastor in Canada and pastoring four Conservative Baptist (CB) Churches (Church Venture Northwest). Twelve additional years were focused on equipping students to grow spiritually through understanding and applying God’s word. I recently retired from full-time Christian ministry after serving Community Bible Chapel for eight years in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
My helpmate, Becky, graduated from Multnomah School of the Bible in 1978. She is a congregational style pianist and has taught piano for 40 years. Swimming, boating, historical fiction reads, and playing Ping-Pong are some of our favorite activities. We are blessed with one surviving child, Sadie Plotecher. She lives with her husband in Norway, MI.
We are so excited to be coming on The Ambassador College of Bible and ministry staff and teaching more young people about our Savior!