New pastor gets cold welcome at Mt. Pleasant Baptist church

Pastor Zach Fischer of Calvary Baptist Church is excited to be in Mt. Pleasant and to be serving the community. Fischer and his family recently moved to Mt. Pleasant, right before all the snow and cold weather hit.

'All things considered, our transition has been going very well,” Fischer said. 'We got here right as the snow, ice, and freezing weather was happening, but the past couple of days have been great, and we're looking forward to getting more involved with the community now.”

Fischer was called to the Calvary Baptist Church in November, back when he had been traveling between Ankeny and Mt. Pleasant for guest preaching. However, the move to Mt. Pleasant was delayed due to Fischer contracting COVID after Christmas.

'It was unfortunate, but when the time came for our move, the church was super great in helping us,” he said. 'They got our house ready and stocked with plenty of food, and they also had a group of guys that helped move and unpack all of our things. We were truly blessed by the church.”

Calvary Baptist Church was never on Pastor Fischer's radar before the search began.

'I remember that I was doing a pastoral internship at Saylorville, and there were three churches that had reached out to me, asking me to become a pastor for them,” he said. 'But God closed those doors. It was one of my mentors that brought up the opportunity at Calvary and threw my name into the hat. You know, one interview turned into another and another, and through it all, there was always that kind of peace from God with me. I knew that this was the one.”

Though the Calvary Baptist Church still is following COVID and social distancing protocols, Fischer thinks things are looking up for the church.

'Just this past Sunday, we had our largest crowd of 220 people, many which were people that haven't attended since COVID began,” he said. 'A lot of the older folks are getting their vaccinations and feeling more comfortable about being out, so we're slowly inching forward to getting back to normal.”

As for Fischer's plans for the future, his biggest priority is serving the church and community the best that he can.

'I truly believe that Jesus is the most wonderful person people could ever know, and I want to serve the community in the spiritual ways that I can to make sure people know about this wonderful person,” he said. 'It's my desire and ambition to inflame the hearts of Calvary Baptist Church with this belief. I also want to remind the church and the community that I am here for them. We are here to help with doubts, with struggles, and with questions in whatever way we can.”