By Sharon Mager
LEONARDTOWN, Md. — Leonardtown Baptist Church (LBC) in Leonardtown, Maryland, called Jason Pamblanco as their senior pastor/staff elder in September, following an overwhelmingly affirmative election by the church’s membership.
Jason Pamblanco (photo provided by Leonardtown Baptist Church)
“I’m thrilled to be here and am looking forward to getting to know Southern Maryland and meeting people as we get involved in our new community,” Pamblanco said.
Pamblanco has more than 15 years of full-time pastoral experience, 13 as a worship pastor at his home church, First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Florida, and the last two as executive pastor of worship and teaching at Thomasville Road Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida.
He grew up in a Christian home, where his parents nurtured him in the faith. Shortly before his sixth birthday, the young Pamblanco gave his heart to Jesus and was baptized. “I asked my parents what it meant to be a sinner and to trust in Jesus, and they led me to the Lord,” he said. “Since then, God has sustained, kept, and grown me,” he added.
God called him to ministry when he was a teen. Evangelist David Ring visited the church and issued his signature challenge. “He said, ‘I have cerebral palsy. What’s your problem?'” Pamblanco related. Those words had a profound impact on Pamblanco, and he surrendered his life to vocational ministry.
Pamblanco said he is very appreciative of the encouragement and assistance of Mark Dooley and Allen Acker. Dooley was the pastor of LBC for 11 years before he began serving as the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware state director of evangelism. Dooley remains a lay elder at the church. Allen Acker, associate pastor and staff elder, served as interim senior pastor as the church search committee began seeking candidates.
“Mark and Allen, with their history and knowledge as mentors and sounding boards for me in this new role, are a tremendous blessing,” said Pamblanco. “I look forward to continuing to work with all of our elders, deacons, staff, and lay leaders as I begin my ministry at LBC,” he continued.
Pamblanco and his wife, Christina, have been married since 2004 and they have a seven-year-old son, Judah.
In his spare time, Pamblanco enjoys playing racquetball with church members at the nearby Patuxent River Naval Air Base. He also enjoys taking the family’s Catahoula Leopard dog, “Morning,” out for walks. “People come by and say, “Good Morning,” and it gets her attention,” he said with a laugh. Sometimes he rollerblades while taking Morning out. “She’s a big dog, so she walks, and I roll,” he shared.