Eddie Childers was born in 1956 in Ohio and was converted at a very young age at a Missionary Baptist Church in Akron. Eddie remembers telling the Pastor before he was baptized that he was a sinner and needed Christ to save him from his sins. He clearly remembers the Pastor replied, “That is all you need to know, my son.” Eddie attended public school and lived in Akron for 20 years. After graduating high school he studied Biology at Kent State University and Theology through Moody Bible Institute. Eddie moved to Virginia in 1978 attending Virginia Tech where he earned Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Wildlife Science. Eddie served as a Deacon at Alleghany Baptist Church for 10 years under the ministry of Harold W. Taylor in Blacksburg, Virginia. There he learned much about the Puritans and the Doctrines of Grace. Eddie moved to the northern Virginia area in 1988, working as a Wildlife Biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and becoming a member of Grace Community Church. He met Patricia L. Taylor in 1989 at a Reformed Baptist Family Conference. They were married in 1991. Soon after, Eddie accepted a position with the National Park Service and moved his expecting wife to Indiana in 1992. Their daughter Hannah was born in September and a son Caleb was born in May of 1994. The family moved to northern California working at Redwood National Park until 1999. Eddie continued his study of the Greek language during this time period with a retired Pastor. He also served as pulpit supply and Sunday School teacher when needed at Covenant OPC in Eureka, California. In 1999 the family moved to the Badlands of South Dakota, where Eddie and Patty became members of Providence Reformed Baptist Church of the Black Hills. In April of 2007, Eddie was ordained as Elder at Providence Church. He currently works full time at Badlands National Park as a Wildlife Biologist/Wildland/Structural Fire Fighter and serves as the sole Elder at Providence Church. Eddie is very excited and encouraged about the future of the Providence Reformed Baptist Church of the Black Hills.
