By Brenda Sexton-The Courier-Herald
When Greg Daulton and his family met members of the Mt. Rainier Christian Center congregation earlier this spring, the group welcomed the soon-to-be senior pastor, his wife Rhonda and son Isaiah with umbrellas.
That was a good choice since the Daultons are making the move to Enumclaw from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where they've lived the past 11 years. Daulton begins leadership of the church Sunday with a reception immediately following the second service around noon.
“We're coming back to where we're from, we're coming back home,” Daulton said. Coming back to Enumclaw means venturing back to the west side, Daulton said. “There's definitely a west-side, east-side culture. You can adapt, but it's (west or east side) in your bones.”
Daulton was raised on the west side. In his biography, provided by the church, it's noted Daulton was born in Eugene, Ore., and grew up in an unchurched home. From an early age he developed a love of reading and history, alongside a passion for sports - primarily soccer and basketball. Because of a broken home, he lived with two younger sisters for his entire childhood, and one brother of the same age for his four high school years.
After graduating from high school in 1982, he joined the United States Marine Corps. In 1984, he married Rhonda, with whom he attended high school, although their relationship did not develop until after high school. After three years in the USMC as a rifleman (including a year overseas in Iceland), he enlisted for four more years in the United States Navy and worked in the emergency room and inpatient substance abuse treatment center.
During his time in the Navy, he became a believer, after reading C.S. Lewis' “Mere Christianity” and through the influence of the music ministry of Petra. He and Rhonda began attending church in May of 1985, and two months later Rhonda went forward during a Sunday service.
Daulton and Rhonda both grew up through the ministries of Christian Life Center in Port Orchard, Wash. They helped lead Children's Church, taught Sunday School and worked with the Youth Group, and Daulton was elected to the executive board of the church in 1987.
In 1989 they left to attend Northwest University in response to a call to full-time ministry. Since then Daulton and Rhonda have served two churches as youth pastor, and three churches as senior pastor. In each case, they have been blessed to see healthy growth and development - quite dramatically in the case of Moscow (Idaho) Christian Life Center, which grew from 12 to more than 400 in seven years. Daulton has served on a number of Network committees including the Missions Committee and also has been a featured speaker for the Assemblies of God college campus outreach ministry “Chi Alpha.”
Those leadership qualities were part of the draw to bring Daulton on board, noted Tad Covey, a member of the Mt. Rainier Christian Center selection committee. In addition, Covey said Daulton was selected for his love for the congregation, his love for the people of the community, his obvious love for the Lord and many more reasons.
Daulton said he and his family feel the personality and culture of the congregation and the Enumclaw community are a perfect fit for he and Rhonda, who were looking for a place to serve out the remaining years of their ministry.
Enumclaw's rural setting, but nearness to Seattle's culture and the Sonics' basketball (the Daultons are big fans) was a good draw, as was the area's growing population and the caring nature of those people.
“We'd like to see the church continue to grow in Enumclaw. There's great potential to touch lives there,” he said.
The Plateau's terrain will also give Rhonda the running room she needs to continue training for marathons. She also loves mentoring young girls and has an abiding interest in holistic nutrition.
Daulton enjoys soccer and basketball and has a strong interest in history, particularly 18th-20th century European history.
Isaiah has been a club soccer player since he was 4 years old, and currently plays for one of the better select club teams in the Northwest. He also enjoys video games and group activities.
Both Daulton and Rhonda, who have been married for 22 years, are avid readers of fiction and non-fiction, with tastes that span the gamut from mystery to science fiction and fantasy to historical fiction and spiritual development. Their favorite authors include C.S. Lewis, Philip Yancey, John Ortberg, J.R.R. Tolkien and Michael Crichton.
Daulton replaces Senior Pastor Brent Kimball and joins associate pastor Steve Mohr, children's pastor Crit Muniz and youth pastor Brian Erickson. Service times are 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Brenda Sexton can be reached at bsexton@courierherald.com.
