Pastor W.B. & Mrs. Kathy Murdock
Pastor Bill Murdock was born and raised in Crawfordsville, Indiana. When he was sixteen years old a friend convinced him to visit Eastside Baptist Church on a Sunday morning. There, he found a warm welcome in the youth department and an engaging senior high Sunday School teacher, Gene Gleason. Unknown to either of them at the time, this dedicated Sunday School teacher would become Bro. Murdock’s lifelong friend and mentor.
Bro. Murdock attended Sunday School and church for several weeks, then on a Sunday morning in April, 1972, Bro. Gleason asked him to remain after class. Fully expecting to be reprimanded, and most likely told not to return due to his horsing around in Sunday School, Bro. Murdock says that he was “shocked to the foundation of his soul” by what Gleason had to say that morning.
Once all of the other young people had left the room, Bro. Gleason looked at him and said, “Bill, I want to ask you a question. If you were to die today, are you 100% sure you would go to heaven or do you have some doubt?” Stunned by this remarkable and unexpected question, this suddenly troubled teenager replied with the only answer that he could come up with, which he hoped would stop this line of questioning, “How can you know something like that?” he asked. Instantly, Bro. Gleason opened his Bible to 1 John 5:13 and read These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Bro. Gleason concluded with the comment, “When you’re saved, you know it.”
After a few seconds of thought he answered saying, “Mr. Gleason, I know a lot of things, but I don’t know that.” Gleason then asked him, “If you could see from the Bible what God wants you to know so you could be saved, would you be interested in seeing that?” to which he replied with an immediate “Yes I would.”
Pastor Murdock says, “That morning I received Christ as my Saviour. I did not feel any special feeling or see any heavenly vision, but in my soul, I knew for the first time that I was saved and going to heaven when I died! From that day to this, that knowledge has never escaped me; and if I know anything, it is that my Heavenly Father loves me and has forgiven me”
That day, Bro. Murdock became actively involved in church ministry, attending services faithfully and inviting his friends to church with him. Following his high school graduation Bro. Murdock moved to Lafayette, Indiana to work and started attending Greenbush Street Baptist Church. In 1975, while on a trip to Warsaw, Indiana, with some friends, he saw signs advertising the Billy Sunday Museum. Having heard of this famous evangelist of days gone by, Bro. Murdock and his friends stopped in to take a tour. As he was looking at a Bible which lay on a podium, the curator stood beside him and pointed out the stained and smudged verse on the page before them. She said “This is Mrs. Sunday’s Bible. Billy always had it on the podium opened to his life verse and when he was preaching from the podium, he kept his finger on that verse, Isaiah 61:1.” She then read the verse loud, The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; As she spoke those words out loud, the Spirit of God spoke to Bro. Murdock calling him to preach the gospel.
In early May of 1976, a new girl, Kathy Lockwood, came to church on one of the buses. Bro. Murdock saw her and was immediately smitten. Eventually they became friends and then in late July Bro. Murdock told her “I’m going to marry you.” Kathy’s replied, “Oh, you are, are you?” In February, 1977, Bro. Murdock followed through on his prophesy and married Kathy, the love of his life.
In 1978, the Murdock's left for Bible college and following college the family, now including 3 children, Byrl, Becky, and Beth moved to Kissimmee, Florida to work there in youth ministry. After 5 years in Florida and 2 more boys, Ben and Bob, the family came back to Lafayette, eventually working as Youth Pastor at Greenbush Street Baptist.
In 1997 Bro. Murdock, with the blessing of his pastor and church, established the Lighthouse Baptist Church in Lafayette. This ministry has grown from a humble beginning of just a few people meeting in the Murdock’s home to 63 in attendance there three times a week. At which time Mrs. Murdock told her husband “Please get a building.” The church then moved to the old, worn out and closed Biltz Restaurant on Sagamore Pkwy and 52 and then a year later to their present location on Lafayette’s south side. It was here that God blessed the Murdock’s with three more children, Josie, Brian and Nelli.
In 2011, Pastor Murdock’s son Byrl, came on staff as assistant pastor overseeing several different areas of the ministry, primarily the youth department. Their close working relationship has been a great help to the church and has freed Pastor up to focus on additional aspects of the ministry; such as the development and oversight of our home for at-risk youth, Still Waters Christian Boarding School for Young Men in Mississippi. Pastor Murdock travels often between Lafayette and Union, Mississippi and maintains a busy schedule preaching every Sunday and Wednesday, teaching his Foundation Builders Sunday School class, and is actively involved in training, discipling, and counseling plus planning, directing and working with his staff and volunteers.
Bro. Murdock attended Sunday School and church for several weeks, then on a Sunday morning in April, 1972, Bro. Gleason asked him to remain after class. Fully expecting to be reprimanded, and most likely told not to return due to his horsing around in Sunday School, Bro. Murdock says that he was “shocked to the foundation of his soul” by what Gleason had to say that morning.
Once all of the other young people had left the room, Bro. Gleason looked at him and said, “Bill, I want to ask you a question. If you were to die today, are you 100% sure you would go to heaven or do you have some doubt?” Stunned by this remarkable and unexpected question, this suddenly troubled teenager replied with the only answer that he could come up with, which he hoped would stop this line of questioning, “How can you know something like that?” he asked. Instantly, Bro. Gleason opened his Bible to 1 John 5:13 and read These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Bro. Gleason concluded with the comment, “When you’re saved, you know it.”
After a few seconds of thought he answered saying, “Mr. Gleason, I know a lot of things, but I don’t know that.” Gleason then asked him, “If you could see from the Bible what God wants you to know so you could be saved, would you be interested in seeing that?” to which he replied with an immediate “Yes I would.”
Pastor Murdock says, “That morning I received Christ as my Saviour. I did not feel any special feeling or see any heavenly vision, but in my soul, I knew for the first time that I was saved and going to heaven when I died! From that day to this, that knowledge has never escaped me; and if I know anything, it is that my Heavenly Father loves me and has forgiven me”
That day, Bro. Murdock became actively involved in church ministry, attending services faithfully and inviting his friends to church with him. Following his high school graduation Bro. Murdock moved to Lafayette, Indiana to work and started attending Greenbush Street Baptist Church. In 1975, while on a trip to Warsaw, Indiana, with some friends, he saw signs advertising the Billy Sunday Museum. Having heard of this famous evangelist of days gone by, Bro. Murdock and his friends stopped in to take a tour. As he was looking at a Bible which lay on a podium, the curator stood beside him and pointed out the stained and smudged verse on the page before them. She said “This is Mrs. Sunday’s Bible. Billy always had it on the podium opened to his life verse and when he was preaching from the podium, he kept his finger on that verse, Isaiah 61:1.” She then read the verse loud, The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; As she spoke those words out loud, the Spirit of God spoke to Bro. Murdock calling him to preach the gospel.
In early May of 1976, a new girl, Kathy Lockwood, came to church on one of the buses. Bro. Murdock saw her and was immediately smitten. Eventually they became friends and then in late July Bro. Murdock told her “I’m going to marry you.” Kathy’s replied, “Oh, you are, are you?” In February, 1977, Bro. Murdock followed through on his prophesy and married Kathy, the love of his life.
In 1978, the Murdock's left for Bible college and following college the family, now including 3 children, Byrl, Becky, and Beth moved to Kissimmee, Florida to work there in youth ministry. After 5 years in Florida and 2 more boys, Ben and Bob, the family came back to Lafayette, eventually working as Youth Pastor at Greenbush Street Baptist.
In 1997 Bro. Murdock, with the blessing of his pastor and church, established the Lighthouse Baptist Church in Lafayette. This ministry has grown from a humble beginning of just a few people meeting in the Murdock’s home to 63 in attendance there three times a week. At which time Mrs. Murdock told her husband “Please get a building.” The church then moved to the old, worn out and closed Biltz Restaurant on Sagamore Pkwy and 52 and then a year later to their present location on Lafayette’s south side. It was here that God blessed the Murdock’s with three more children, Josie, Brian and Nelli.
In 2011, Pastor Murdock’s son Byrl, came on staff as assistant pastor overseeing several different areas of the ministry, primarily the youth department. Their close working relationship has been a great help to the church and has freed Pastor up to focus on additional aspects of the ministry; such as the development and oversight of our home for at-risk youth, Still Waters Christian Boarding School for Young Men in Mississippi. Pastor Murdock travels often between Lafayette and Union, Mississippi and maintains a busy schedule preaching every Sunday and Wednesday, teaching his Foundation Builders Sunday School class, and is actively involved in training, discipling, and counseling plus planning, directing and working with his staff and volunteers.
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To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1:79
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Service Times
Sunday School - 9:30 AM Sunday Worship - 10:30 AM Sunday Evening - 6:00 PM Wednesday Evening - 7:00 PM |
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