Pastor Barta          and Mrs. Denise

          Raised in the home of a fundamental independent Baptist pastor. I am the 6th of 10 children and the Lord saved me at the age of 7 years. I realized at that early age that Jesus needed to be my personal Lord and Savior not just a person of history and not just a person my parents knew.  Because of His grace and mercy, the relationship has grown. 

          I was born August 11, 1960 in Quincy, Illinois, Adams County, which is situated in the middle of the state along the Mississippi River. 

          My father, James A. Barta, was from Hancock, Michigan. My mother, Dorothy F. Wageman was from Springfield, MO. They met at Bible College in Fort Worth, TX in 1948. They graduated from Baptist Bible College in 1952 and went to Illinois. I was born while my dad was pastoring Bible Baptist Church in Quincy. My dad became pastor of Louisville B. T. in 1971 which is located in Louisville, OH. This is where I graduated from High School and met my wife Denise R. Armstrong.

          I surrendered to the call of ministry in 1980 after 2 years of Bible College. The Lord spoke to my heart that the way he wanted me to serve him was preach his word to those who would hear.

          I graduated from Baptist Bible College in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Church Education. This was a degree that involved Bible Study, Education, Youth ministry, and Biblical Interpretation .

          Since Graduation I have been a Youth Pastor, School principal, School teacher, and Associate Pastor in Connecticut, California, and Ohio.

          Denise and I have been married for 38 years. We were married on August 11, 1979 at Louisville B. T.  with my dad officiating. We have 5 children: 4 daughters and a son. We have 3 son in laws and a daughter in law. We also have 9 grandchildren. 

          The Lord brought me here in 1989 to serve as Youth Pastor. Since then I became Associate Pastor and served in that position until March 17, 2017 when the Church voted me in as their pastor upon the retirement of our beloved founder Pastor W. Ray Carpenter.

Pastor Barta Psalms 16:11