GARY WARNE - ELDER

I was born in Seattle and raised in a Christian home, so church was always a part of my life as I grew up. At age 12, I professed faith in Christ, although I had no real relationship with Him.

As I continued through college and early married life, I drifted further and further from the Lord. It was the death of our infant son in 1971 that changed the course of my life. Although I had drifted from the Lord over the years, He never let go of me. He used that death to draw us back to Himself.

In 1991 we moved to Enumclaw where we started a home Bible study which continued for the next 28 years. In 2006 we came to Lake Tapps where my daughters Leeanne Needham and Laura Sutherland and their families all attend.

In 2012, after 50 years of marriage, my wife Linda contracted acute leukemia and went to be with the Lord. As I now look back I see how our Lord has faithfully walked with me during those times I was rejecting Him and during the valleys of loss and the mountain tops of spiritual fellowship. My spiritual journey has taken me through a number of churches where I have served as a Deacon, Elder, teacher and Church Board Chairman.

In the coming year as we continue with the transition process, develop additional elders and search for a new pastor, I am humbled by the opportunity to serve the body for another year as one of your elders. I am confident the Lord will continue to lead and support our church as He has done in the past.

Gary can be reached at gary@laketappscc.org