Pastor Spotlight – Daryl Adams

Ramsey Sullivan
ECB Publishing, Inc.

It is uncommon for a pastor to be at a church for more than two years. Pastor Daryl Adams has far exceeded that statistic and has been the pastor of Central Baptist Church of Aucilla for 12.5 years.
Pastor Daryl knew that God was calling him into ministry since he was 16-years-old. When he was about 26-years-old, he finally heeded to the call of the Lord and became a youth pastor in his home of New York, where he stayed for one year. After that one year in ministry, Pastor Daryl decided to take his ministry abroad, and headed to Africa as a missionary. While in Africa, he was protected by God on many occasions, but one in particular stands out.
While living in Africa, Pastor Daryl was test driving his vehicle after several repairs had been made to it. He was planning to set out on a four-day crusade the next day, so he wanted to be sure his truck was working properly. During the test drive in the early evening hours, his truck broke down next to a water pump for the airport. As he was waiting for his truck to cool down so he could restart it, a van full of men pulled up near him and headed toward the small shack near the water pump.
After a few tries, Pastor Daryl’s truck finally turned over and started again. As he was about to drive away, the men from the van blocked the road and started toward him while waving guns around. Terrified, as most people would be, Pastor Daryl drove off of an embankment. At that point, seven bullets from an AK-47 were shot at his truck, breaking the windshield and puncturing the gas tank. As the fuel began draining from his truck, he pulled off into the woods about a mile up the road from the men. With no other choice, he jumped out of his vehicle and ran through the woods to the nearest town - 5 to 6 miles away.

When he got into town, he visited the police station. He told them what had occured, but they already knew. Apparently, many people had been attempting to steal the water tank where Pastor Daryl’s truck initially broke down. The men who were shooting at him were African policemen who thought he was a robber. The police officers at the station were unsure what to do, so they accused him of trying to steal the water pump, which he wasn’t. Thankfully, God sent him a well-known lawyer to defend him, and he was eventually released.

Upon returning from Africa, Pastor Daryl’s life didn’t slow down. Unfortunately, soon after his return, his brother passed away in a tragic car accident. To be closer to his mother after this tragedy, Pastor Daryl decided to move to Florida, which is where his journey to his current life began.

While at his brother’s funeral, Pastor Daryl met his now wife, Stacy Adams. He also accepted a job at Aucilla Christian Academy (ACA) as a teacher and a coach, although he still knew that he was meant for ministry. Four years later, the church around the corner from ACA, Central Baptist Church, needed a pastor.

Pastor Daryl has been preaching at Central Baptist Church for 12.5 years; he is in his sixteenth year teaching at ACA, where he currently teaches Bible and History; he has been married for over 16 years; and he has a 16-year-old son.
“Being a pastor is all about making connections with people,” said Pastor Daryl. “It’s not just a church body, it’s a family. You have to bear each other's burdens.”