Larry and Jackie Nagengast are leaving after eight years of ministry at Harvest. They spoke with Pastor Walton this week about the blessings of serving Christ.
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Episode Transcript
Chris Harper: Welcome to Harvest Time. My name is Chris Harper, and our host on this program is Pastor Gary Walton, the lead pastor of Harvest Baptist Church. Every week, we spend these twenty five minutes together telling you the stories of our church by interviewing our members and other friends of the ministry. We have two services at Harvest every week, the first at 08:45AM, the second at 10:45AM Sunday. We have Japanese and Korean translation during that 10:45AM service, and that’s also when we livestream at hbcguam.org.
Hbcguam.org. This week, we’re back in first things first, the grace of giving part four. Let’s begin today’s Harvest Time by welcoming Pastor Gary Walton. Hi, Pastor.
Gary Walton: Hey, hafa adai, Chris. Yeah. We began this little series, just a little quick study through the first four verses of first Corinthians 16 a few weeks ago, and then we’ve had a little break, in between. We’ve had our graduation celebration over the last few Sundays, but we’re gonna come back and finish it out. So the part four, it’s really an interesting study.
Just phrase by phrase, the Bible gives us clarity about the stewardship of the resources that God’s given us, and particularly the privilege that we have to be able to be part of the local church. And, you know, we’re calling this First Things First because it’s just this reminder that we have the privilege of being able to give fruits offerings back to God, and in that way, you know, he honors the giving and it provides for his church, and there’s really some clear instructions about it in the Bible. And so we’ve just been walking through those things. I think it’s been helpful for people, brought up a lot of discussion, and I think maybe the thing that most people are taking away is just that this isn’t just some generic idea. The Bible tells us plainly about this part of our commitment and it affects so many other things in our lives.
So we’d invite you to come. I think you’re going to just see the Word of God being lifted up like we try to do every Sunday and talk clearly and plainly and helping us to live in the way that God’s called us to live. Well, I’m really glad to have Pastor Larry and Jackie Nagengast with us. Welcome you guys to Harvest Time.
Jackie Nagengast: Thank you.
Larry Nagengast: Thank you.
Jackie Nagengast: Good to be here.
Gary Walton: Pastor Larry has been on our pastoral team for eight years. He is the academic dean at HBBC and been involved in, I mean, virtually every part of the ministry over these years. Jackie’s been our ladies ministry coordinator and they together have just been such a significant part of what God’s been doing in these years. And, you know, God’s plan and sovereign hand and his direction in our lives, sad for us, but they’re heading back stateside here over the next month and we wanted to have them back on and hear their story a little bit. I already got it all said before we even get started, but really, Pastor Larry and Jackie, thank you for coming, sharing a little bit more of your story. Thank you for your faithfulness all these years.
Larry Nagengast: Oh, it’s been such a joy to be at Harvest. We have loved it. We knew we would. We started coming in ’08, doing in services and came every other year for a while and then finally moved in 2018. We love being on a frontline ministry. There’s just no place like Harvest. We get to give the Gospel and we get to disciple and it’s just been a privilege for us. We have loved every minute.
Jackie Nagengast: Absolutely. I’ve told so many people that our time here on Guam has been a gift from the Lord. And he didn’t have to give us the gift. He doesn’t have to give us any gifts. But certainly he gave it to us and we’re so thankful for it now because it’s changed us.
And I pray for the better and that when we return to The States, we’re not the same people that came out here eight and a half years ago. And so in that way, we’re just so thankful for what God’s allowed us to do, given us strength to do, and done through us, because certainly he gets all the praise and glory for anything that is accomplished. Without him we can do nothing. So just can only praise him and thank him for what he’s done.
Gary Walton: Well, gift might be a good theme, because you guys have been a gift to Harvest Baptist Church and Harvest Ministries in every way. And we’ve been so thankful at a critical time in the mission. God put you here for just a really significant part. Pastor Larry, you’ve been in ministry educationally pastoral for forty five years, right? And thirty six years, Davidson, Michigan as head of school there and then now eight and a half years here.
Larry Nagengast: Yeah. You know, when you’re at a place for thirty six years, you have a lot of influence, And I’m thankful for you’re never sure if you can have influence again, especially if you get older, you don’t know if you connect with the kids. And God was just so good to give me kids again. I forgot in administration how much I love kids and teaching and why I got into teaching in the first place. And then Marty asked me to do the thing I told him I wouldn’t do when I came.
I said, Marty, I’ll do anything to help, but but I don’t want to administrate it. I just did it for thirty six years. And sure enough, the first month he said, Larry, our administrator’s leaving. John McGrew is leaving then. We have new principals.
Would you mind administrating? And of course, you don’t come to a place and say, Yeah, I come to help you. And then say, No, to the first thing he asks you so, I administrated that first year and I just met so many parents and kids from Harvest. And it just renewed my joy and my desire to make a difference in the next generation. And so, man, I got to teach in the academy at seventh grade and twelfth grade Bible.
And then I got to cross over and go into the Bible college and disciple. And it was every day I did both of those things. And you know, at 60 you’re kind of thinking I’m going to wind down. But man, I just loved it. And I’m so thankful for the opportunity really to come.
Gary Walton: Well, I mean literally at every spot it’s been how can I help, where’s the holes, how do we fill in? And it’s just happened repeatedly. And your love for kids and love for God has been evident in so many ways, but it shows itself in your care for people. And I think that’s pretty evident. Let’s back you up a little bit. Actually Jackie, why don’t you give me the first round of this. Tell us how you guys met. Everybody loves to hear the love story. And then tell us about your family, your kids and grandkids.
Jackie Nagengast: Okay. I graduated from Bob Jones University and so did Larry, although he graduated ahead of me, we were not in school together.
Gary Walton: So
Jackie Nagengast: he went back to his home place, which is Flint, Michigan, Davison, Michigan, and started teaching in the school. And I was still in college, then graduated, came to Davison, Michigan as well by just the Lord bringing me there to teach third grade. And so we met right before I came and so when I got there, he was a familiar face. He had come down to interview me at Bob Jones my senior year. So I knew him somewhat, knew his sister was in my society but didn’t know anything really about him other than he was going to be there. And so when I came, I did have another boyfriend actually from Bob Jones and then
Gary Walton: You know that part of it,
Larry Nagengast: Clyde.
Jackie Nagengast: His name was Kevin. And so when I came there, I had this boyfriend but he was showing some interest and asked someone else if I would be willing to go out with him if he were to ask me. The brave soul that he was. Went through the grapevine.
Larry Nagengast: It’s like junior high. Asked her friend to ask her Terrible.
Gary Walton: That’s great.
Jackie Nagengast: And my friend asked me and I said on the outside it was so cool and calm because this fellow I was dating I knew it was going nowhere, our relationship. And so I acted all cool and calm. Well, if he knows I have another boyfriend. But inside I was like oh man.
Gary Walton: A little hard to get I think there, Jackie.
Jackie Nagengast: I’m so excited. So anyway, we went out. We played putt putt golf. My friend that went with us, the couple that went with us, she said, If you want a second date, you will not win tonight. You will let him win. So I was determined I was going to win. We ended up tying.
Gary Walton: Oh man.
Jackie Nagengast: I was going to see what happens if I won. It was sicem. And so anyway, we got a second date. We just started dating. It didn’t take long. It was two and a half months we were engaged and then nine months later we were married. The other fella obviously went by the bye.
Gary Walton: Right. Well, of course. I mean, Larry’s here. What else are we going to do?
Jackie Nagengast: That’s what I thought
Gary Walton: so. That’s fantastic. Yeah. And then God’s given you guys a great family. Tell us about your kids.
Jackie Nagengast: Oh, yes. He’s blessed us with five children and now four of them have spouses. Abby’s here with us and is not married and 10 grandchildren. But the five children, Lawrence was our first and was here working at Harvest for thirteen years. He was a part of the Harvest ministry as well in the school, teaching and then administrating as well and then gave him a wife and then four girls after that.
And Abigail is here with us yet and will make the move with us and loves Guam immensely. But we’re so thankful all of our children know the Lord as Savior and now are married and now God’s blessed them with children. One thing we plan and hope and pray to do as we return to The States is that God will give us time to invest in our grandchildren. So they have memory of grandpa and grandma other than being on that little box that we talk to them often and leave a legacy for the Lord in our children and grandchildren.
Gary Walton: That’s great. Larry, you have a great spiritual story. Well, you both do, but tell us about coming to Christ and how God met you.
Larry Nagengast: Yeah. 1972, I was 15. None of us were kids. I came a family of five. We’d gone to a church, never heard the Gospel, weren’t really interested in church and really had a pretty rough go of it in high school.
And my dad, thankfully, at 42, was searching for truth. He asked the pastor of that church how you could know you go to heaven, and the pastor didn’t know. So it always amazed me how pastors of certain churches go to seminary and I don’t know what they look at, what do. But as a result of that, he went to work and thankfully there was a man at work who understood the times and knew what to do. And my dad started talking about, you know, politics and one world religion and one world government.
And Harold Middleton was his name, Dick, you know, a lot of what you’re talking about is in the Bible. Why don’t you come to a Bible study? So October 1972, dad began to go to a Bible study at AC Sparkbook, which is General Motors’ plant in Flint, Michigan. And as a result of that, by 11/19/1972, we just got up on a Sunday morning thinking we’re going to go to the other church, and he said we’re going go to a different church. And none of us were excited about going to church, period, anyway.
It was early ’70s, long haired, miniskirts. And just so we went to Calvary Baptist Church in Davidson, Michigan. And that first Sunday, Pastor Davidson Ralph Davidson was named preached the gospel and my mom and dad went forward and trusted Christ. Wow. Two weeks later, I went forward as a 15 year old, trusted Christ.
A week later, my older brother and two younger sisters went forward, trusted Christ. A week later, my sister, who’s in med school at U of M, came home on Christmas break and she went forward. So seven of us trusted Christ in a month. We were baptized a month later and never looked back. God brought a Christian school a block from our house.
And that’s really how I got a call to the ministry is I wanted to impact kids like those teachers changed my life, you know, because I went from loser boy to a saved, surrendered person that wanted to serve God in his life. It’s just awesome what God did.
Gary Walton: It’s cool. And you use in the right way your testimony multiple times of God’s work in your family and your life. And I know it’s been just a light turns on for other people in that same situation, connecting with that. And I didn’t connect this before. Guess I didn’t know. Is that the same church that you went back to? Is it the same church
Larry Nagengast: No. I went back to they didn’t have a Christian school at Calvary Baptist in Davidson. And Faith Baptist while I was at Bob Jones, my parents moved to went to Faith Baptist. And so when I went back, they had a school and that’s where I went to
Gary Walton: OK Great. And the then Jackie, you grew up in a pastor’s home.
Jackie Nagengast: I did. I wasn’t always thankful for it. I was as a young child so thankful as I was young and growing up and actually when I was seven years old we had an evangelistic meeting at our church and that Sunday morning I knew the Lord and the Holy Spirit was really working in my heart. I knew I was a sinner in need of a Savior. They gave the invitation at the end of the service and I knew I wanted to walk down, but I hung onto that pew in front of me so tightly and went home that afternoon and went to my bedroom and fully believed that if I came out, I’d probably die.
And I couldn’t go back to church that night and receive Jesus Christ as my Savior and I wanted to walk that aisle. That just was part of what I really wanted to do, to cement the decision in my own heart. And so stayed in my bedroom, locked away all afternoon, went back to church that night, listened to the message. And the minute that invitation was given and the music started, I made a beeline down there, and a lady named Mrs. Krueger took me in the side room there and showed me the verses of scripture that shared with me that Jesus loves me so much that he died for me and that he wanted to provide that means of salvation so that I could be eternally secure in him and one day go to heaven and meet him and live with him forever.
And I I made that decision that day, and it was just such indelibly marked in my brain for lots of different circumstances around it. But then went out and shared with my family and friends what I had done. And you know, I wish I could say that I lived for the Lord all the way through on fire, but I had a period of time, like I said, it was not always a blessing that I was raised in a preacher’s home, felt that bubble that I couldn’t make a move and somebody would expect me to be perfect. And I understood then in those struggles through my fifteen to seventeen years, right in there, when I was 15 to 17 years old, really had to find out who God was and who I was and I think my salvation really took root at that time because I was going to a public school. It was difficult to live for the Lord.
I did need Christ to be everything for me so I could have the strength I needed to stand for Him and do right. And so in those years I gave my life to the Lord and then he took me on to college and then to become a teacher.
Gary Walton: Even that, you know, God used those years cementing your testimony and your preparing you for what he would have.
Jackie Nagengast: Absolutely.
Gary Walton: You know, for both of you, five years in ministry, Pastor Larry, education, pastoral ministry alongside it, eight and a half years here. When you look back, what are some moments where you most clearly saw God’s hand your ministry? Anything in particular?
Larry Nagengast: Oh, man. You know, when you go into ministry, you surrender and so you’re prepared not to have very much. And I didn’t think I’d be I love to travel, I didn’t think I’d travel. I didn’t think I’d be able to pay for my kids to go to Bible College. You know, you’re just prepared to live Meagerly.
Yeah, very meagerly in a little house that you have to rent. I mean, just all sorts of things. And you’re willing and it’s okay, but what I saw God do I just was saying, telling the Lord this morning what I saw God do is provide over and above all that, you know, you could ask or think. Mhmm. I mean, he provided a home that we could have never afforded.
He provided college for our kids so they could work at the Wilds and other Christian camps in the summer. And I went to a school who took their senior trip to Europe, and so I led Europe tours for thirty five years. I mean, talk about travel. I mean, these are things that only God could do. And so it’s, you know, when you give them and so many I tell the HBBC kids, you know, give your life to God and it gives you so many more.
So many of you are under the impression that if you give your life to God, you’re gonna lose out. And it’s gonna be rough. And it’s just the opposite. And that’s and then I look back at the individuals that you’re able to be part of their life, and I could name names of a boy that had muscular dystrophy, Rob. He had Duchenne’s, which are very severe muscular, they don’t live past 18.
And Rob was in our school, and sure enough he died in September of his senior year. But Rob carried an A average, he did his homework every day, and it was he was so refreshing to meet a kid who knows he’s not going to college, he’s not. And yet he he just lives right. And then and then we had so many different kids like that that had unusual circumstances, and I watched God do works in their life and use them for his glory. And there’s just nothing better than surrendering to the Lord. Just surrender to the Lord and watch what he can do, really.
Gary Walton: Jim Elliot said, God always gives his best to those who leave the choice with him. And, you know, it just comes true over and over.
Jackie Nagengast: Oh yes.
Gary Walton: Anything you’d add to that, Jackie?
Jackie Nagengast: I think just the confirmation of God’s call to marry Larry and then be his help meet and go where God calls him. He’s calling us as a team. But then just knowing that I am very weak and yet he continued to use me in my weakness, I I think that just happens over and over and over and over again in our lives. It’s not really just one time. But the fact that you are allowed to open a Bible with someone sitting next to you that does not know Christ as savior, share with them how they can know
Gary Walton: Yeah.
Jackie Nagengast: That they can have a relationship with Jesus Christ and know for sure they’re on their way to heaven. Every single time I’ve been able to do that, I’m reminded that God is using such a weak, fallen, feeble, sinful creature to do a magnificent, mighty, holy work. And that is amazing to me. And it’s affirmation again that God’s not finished with my life here because continuing to give me opportunity to share his word. And then in bible study, just sitting down whether it’s with one or whether it’s with two or three or a roomful.
It doesn’t matter, but the opportunity to open his word and then share it together and allow, the Lord to teach us. So many times, they taught me. Mhmm. Because that’s how the Word works in our lives. But that privilege of being able to do something that matters for eternity. And he’s given me so many opportunities through my life, and I don’t deserve any of them. So God has graciously done that for me. It has just been the biggest blessing of my life.
Gary Walton: One thing that people often say about both of you is that your ministry has always felt very personal and relational. Why has that mattered so much to you?
Larry Nagengast: I don’t know when I first thought that everyone I meet is gonna live somewhere forever. And and I want to leave a person better because they knew me. Now that came from Spurgeon. I don’t know where the first one, but Spurgeon said the world should be better because a man lived. And I then Charlie Tremendous Jones I read in high school.
That really my dad gave me a book, Life is Tremendous, and it says, Say something positive, everybody you meet. See something positive in everything that happens. Now I haven’t always said positive things to people, you guys in this room know that. But you know, just to wake up every day with the desire to make a difference in somebody’s life just motivates me, always has motivated me, and I just look for opportunities to to make a difference in everybody I meet. I just want to. I don’t know. God did that, I think. Yeah.
Jackie Nagengast: Yeah. People matter, and when you meet people, you can see yourself in them as you talk to them. Right? You see where they are in life and in some way you’ve been there too. And so right away your heart connects with them and it’s an opportunity to just bring them a step away, hopefully, from where they’ve been, whether that’s an encouragement or a spiritual step or whatever it is.
It’s like Larry said, the world should be better. And that’s when you duplicate yourself and your life and others will be gone one day, but they’ll be here yet. And so you leave a legacy.
Gary Walton: Yeah, that’s so great. In fact, it makes me think, I mean, time goes so fast, but, maybe one last question maybe maybe can be helpful for us. As you prepare to step away from the formal role, here at Harvest, what advice or encouragement would you leave with, you know, maybe some younger ministry educators that are just starting their journey? After forty five years of the journey, what would you tell them?
Jackie Nagengast: I would say stay in the Word. Just stay in the Word. It’s our hope. Without it, we’re hopeless. It’s why God gave it to us, right? And that sounds simple to stay in the word, but studying the word of God, staying in it and digging in and studying is work. Yeah. It it’s hard work. It’s not something that necessarily comes natural. But the more you do it, the more you can’t do without it.
Mhmm. The more you wanna hear from the Lord, the more you know that he’s the one that you need to spend that time with so you can make right decisions and live right and so you can grow in the Lord and to be more like him. And of course prayer and praise. And I think we sometimes get so overwhelmed with life and the difficulties of it, which we all face, that praise isn’t on the front burner. It moves to the back and yet it’s the praise when we praise him when we’re hurting or when we’re in trial or when we’re in difficulty, that’s the sacrifice of praise that the Bible talks about that is so sweet to the Lord to receive.
And so, just staying thankful each day in everything, give thanks. Just in everything. If you make that a pattern of your life in time, it does become your way of life. And you’re able to see that you can go through whatever it is with the Lord’s hand and it will be okay and will reap good. The difficulties we go through are a way of often taking something from us, but what God gives us in return as we walk through those difficulties with him Right.
Creates an ability to give more the next time to others and even in preaching to ourselves. And in that way, our characters changed with that resilience and that perseverance. And I think that all comes from loving the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul, and just that comes from the Word.
Gary Walton: Yeah. So great, Jackie. Thank you.
Larry Nagengast: If your privileged to teach students that will live somewhere forever, you’re gonna touch eternity every day. And they need to see God’s love through you. I was so encouraged the day I found out that I didn’t have to love every student, but what I did have to do was let the love of God flow through my life so they knew that God loved them. And when when you share with kids God’s love for them, it’s life it’s life changing. And especially if they see it in your life.
And so you learn their name, you speak to them first, you greet them, you go to their games, you go to their recitals, you just take an interest in in every individual, because God does. And and some are easier to love than others, but but they all need to see the love of God through your life. And they respond to it. And even an old man, they still respond to the love of God through your life. It’s just amazing. Didn’t think I would, but they do. And so that’s what I leave the teachers, love those kids through God.
Gary Walton: You know, really for all of my life, anytime I’ve done interviews, I do a lot of them here, but even prior interviewing missionaries and people for staff positions, I’ve always wanted to kind of behind the scene be looking for do they love God and do they love people? And those show up in your answers to other questions.
So I’m always just looking for that. It’s like the big thing, do they love God, do they love people? I’m very confident that years down the road as people look back on Pastor Larry and Jackie’s ministry here at Harvest, and I’m sure the same thing for forty five years, I’m very confident that right at the top of the list I think people are gonna say that was to people that loved God and they loved people. And that’s the great commandment.
That’s what God called us to do. Thank that. Thank you you for showing that to us, living that out, demonstrating it, and and being part of a culture, I think, at Harvest where that’s taken place. Thank you for your ministry.
Jackie Nagengast: Thank you, Pastor.
Chris Harper: And thank you for listening to Harvest Time. Of course, at this point in the program, we just wanna invite you again to services at Harvest Baptist Church, two services on Sunday, 08:45AM and 10:45AM. We have Japanese and Korean translation during the 10:45AM service, and that’s also the service we bring you live here on 88.1 FM and khmg.org. We hope to see you this Sunday. Thanks again for listening to Harvest Time.