Honoring Larry and Joan Condit for a lifetime of work...

Sowing Seeds of Faithfulness

By Bethany Douglas

On July 31, 2022, family, friends, and church members past and present gathered to honor Dr. Larry Condit and his wife Joan for 50 years of faithful service at Capitol Free Will Baptist Church in Sacramento, California. The service featured songs, testimonies, and remarks by several family members and close friends, including Joan Condit, their daughter Caren, and close friends Doug and Lori Veercamp. Dr. David Crowe preached the message. In her testimony, the Condits’ daughter Caren described her parents’ ministry as the biblical picture of faithfully sowing gospel seeds in preparation of a great harvest.

Preparing the Soil

God began preparing the Condits for this ministry long before they ever began Capitol Church. It all began when Larry was 18 and first met Joan while visiting a church in Salinas, California. As they began dating, Larry also began his biblical education at California Christian College. Joan graduated at 17 and joined him there. After a year of Bible college, they married and quickly answered the missions call to Japan.

Just as the planter carefully cultivates the soil in expectation of growth, God used these years to cultivate the foundation of the Condits’ life of Kingdom service. He used their time in Bible college to ground them in the Word and begin relationships that have been a blessing and
encouragement to them throughout their ministry. He used their time in Japan to help the Condits develop a passion for evangelism and practice daily submission, faithfulness, and obedience to God’s calling for their lives.

Sowing the Seed

After a year in Japan, Larry saw a newsletter sharing the need for a church plant in Sacramento and immediately knew God was speaking to him about the opportunity. Though the Condits were still very young, they were prepared to follow God’s calling once again, and two months later, they became new church planters.

On the first Sunday in Sacramento, only two women and five children attended the service, but just like the miracle of two fish and five loaves, God gave the increase. Thanks to the use of an old, donated school bus, the church grew to a hundred people in just a month. That first year, Larry and Joan also welcomed two new church members to the family: twin daughters!

Despite the challenges of pastoring, parenting, and continuing their education, the Condits followed God and faithfully sowed gospel seeds in the community daily. And the church continued to grow. Before long, the congregation outgrew their original space and added an education building that hosted years of Bible studies, weddings, choir practices, and pie auctions. As they sowed seeds, God made them grow, and the church eventually outgrew their first location and moved to the current church home.

During the anniversary service, countless remarks were made about Larry’s gift of evangelism. Longtime friend, Doug Veercamp, observed Larry is always looking for opportunities to share about Jesus. Pastor Larry describes these opportunities as his “fishing hole,” because he is always “fishing” for new souls to save.

Larry found his most recognizable fishing hole in the early ’90s when he purchased his first mule Rocky, and his ministry changed forever. Since then, God has used Larry and Rocky to spread the gospel through trail rides, parades, and cowboy church services. By simply allowing God to use even his hobbies to testify of Jesus, he has been privileged to lead many cowboys and cowgirls to Christ and to share the gospel with countless others across the state of California and in the surrounding Western region.

Reaping the Harvest

When the Condits began their ministry over 50 years ago, they had no idea what the fruit of their labors would be. While there truly is no way to know the fullness of their gospel legacy this side of Heaven, God has graciously allowed them to see many of the seeds they faithfully sowed grow and produce a great harvest. Today, He continues to use the Condits to sow gospel seeds through their work at Capitol Church and in daily opportunities to share Christ in their community.

As we commend the Condits for 50 years of ministry and look forward to many more, may we also follow their example of faithful obedience to the Lord’s leading. Let us look for ways to sow seeds of the gospel each day and trust God will use our efforts to produce a great harvest for the Kingdom.

About the Author: Bethany Douglas is an administrative assistant at North American Ministries. Previously, she and her husband Thaddaeus served at the Free Will Baptist School in St. Croix, USVI. A Welch College graduate, she recently received an M.A. in English Literature from Murray State University.