Our History
Louis R. Turk, Pastor Emeritus
Louis R. Turk, Sr. was born on March 24th, 1921 in Warren, Arkansas. He has three brothers and one sister.
On December, 7th, 1942 at the age of twenty-one he enlisted in the US Marine Corps and saw combat action in the Battle of Marshall Islands, where he was wounded the first time. He saw continued combat action in the Battle of Saipan, the Battle of Tinian Island, the Battle of Iwo Jima, Weslock Incidence and Pearl Harbor. At the Battle of Iwo Jima he was in the first wave to hit the beach and was under constant fire for 16 days being wounded by grenade shrapnel in his left thigh and received a gunshot wound through his right knee. Pastor Turk received two Purple Hearts for his wounds.
On July 29th, 1945, during the final days of the war, he married Naomi Stroud at Weatherford, TX. Then, Easter Sunday 1948 Pastor Turk was saved at First Baptist Church, Bethel, TX
(he was a Catholic up to this time) and later surrendered to preach the same year.
After he returned from the war he began working at General Motors as a tool and die maker and worked for GM 30 years, then with R. C. Can Company for eight years.
Through the years he has faithfully served in planting and organizing new churches. Churches the Lord used him to plant are: Haven Baptist Church, Bethel, KS; Lighthouse Baptist Church, Kansas City, KS; Trinity Baptist Church, Merriam, KS; and Clearview Baptist Church, De Soto, KS, the Kansas City area.
Pastor Turk started Clearview Baptist Church of De Soto, KS in 1998. The church was organized in 2004 out of Lakeway Baptist Church, Humble, TX, Pastor David Stone.
On June 2nd, 2005, Pastor Louis R. Turk was awarded the Honoris Causa Doctor of Divinity from Great Plains Baptist Divinity School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (a ministry of Empire Baptist Temple) for the accomplishments of his long-term ministry and faithfulness to the Lord’s heritage.
Pastor Louis R. Turk retired in June of 2008 and the church called his grandson, Joshua Turk, to take is place as pastor. Louis R. Turk passed away 8 years later in August of 2016.
