Hello, my name is Erik Baldwin, and I currently serve as Church Administrator for Vineyard City Church. I spent 9 years of my childhood growing up in Côte D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in west Africa where I developed a heart for the African people and a love of learning about other cultures. After completing middle school and high school in the Redding area, I attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Information Systems, and met Julia (who is now my wife).
Upon graduating from Point Loma, I served as the IT Manager for the Bangui Evangelical School of Theology (BEST, or FATEB in French) in the Central African Republic for a year during which my love for the African people deepened, and I learned a lot about trusting in the Lord during difficult times. After returning to the United States, I got reacquainted with Julia, our relationship grew, and we married on July 3, 2011. We now have two children: Madeleine who was born in 2014, and Silas who was born in 2017.
In 2019, the family and I moved to Senegal in west Africa to serve long term as managers for a camp facility used by missionaries as a place of rest and renewal, and by Senegalese churches for trainings, retreats, and youth camps. Our tasks included managing the facility's calendar, maintenance, and day to day operations. We were still in the process of learning language and culture when in March of 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic reached Senegal, and the government began closing the internal borders. The internal travel restrictions made it difficult to address some medical needs, so we decided to evacuate back to the United States in April 2020, and we landed in Florida to be close to my parents. We made the difficult decision to not return to Senegal, and this chapter of our lives abruptly closed.
After two years of regrouping in Florida, our hearts ached to be back with our church family at Vineyard City Church, other family in the Redding area, and the beautiful mountains, so we decided to move back to Anderson where we have our home. I am now a full time home management specialist (stay at home parent), and since late 2022, function part time as the church administrator. I am honored to serve the church in this capacity, and feel well suited to the responsibilities. Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a bit more, and I look forward to getting to know you better! - Just as an FYI, I have low vision which means it is difficult for me to recognize people by sight, so feel free to identify yourself when you see me.
Upon graduating from Point Loma, I served as the IT Manager for the Bangui Evangelical School of Theology (BEST, or FATEB in French) in the Central African Republic for a year during which my love for the African people deepened, and I learned a lot about trusting in the Lord during difficult times. After returning to the United States, I got reacquainted with Julia, our relationship grew, and we married on July 3, 2011. We now have two children: Madeleine who was born in 2014, and Silas who was born in 2017.
In 2019, the family and I moved to Senegal in west Africa to serve long term as managers for a camp facility used by missionaries as a place of rest and renewal, and by Senegalese churches for trainings, retreats, and youth camps. Our tasks included managing the facility's calendar, maintenance, and day to day operations. We were still in the process of learning language and culture when in March of 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic reached Senegal, and the government began closing the internal borders. The internal travel restrictions made it difficult to address some medical needs, so we decided to evacuate back to the United States in April 2020, and we landed in Florida to be close to my parents. We made the difficult decision to not return to Senegal, and this chapter of our lives abruptly closed.
After two years of regrouping in Florida, our hearts ached to be back with our church family at Vineyard City Church, other family in the Redding area, and the beautiful mountains, so we decided to move back to Anderson where we have our home. I am now a full time home management specialist (stay at home parent), and since late 2022, function part time as the church administrator. I am honored to serve the church in this capacity, and feel well suited to the responsibilities. Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a bit more, and I look forward to getting to know you better! - Just as an FYI, I have low vision which means it is difficult for me to recognize people by sight, so feel free to identify yourself when you see me.