Meet our Pastors
Paul Thompson
Paul became Pastor of Eastside Baptist Church, June 2001.
Paul and his wife Renee were married December 20, 1986. They have
two sons; David lives in Twin Falls, Idaho. Silas and Bianca and granddaughter Ruth who also live in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Born: October 20, 1966
Born Again: September, 1975
Called to Ministry: 1985
Hobbies: reading, hiking, camping, kite flying, gardening
Favorite foods: Pizza, Peanut butter and Jelly Sandwich, Stir Fry
Favorite Drinks: Raspberry or Strawberry Limeade and Diet Coke with vanilla (from Sonic)
Influential Books: Bible, Romans; "Screwtape Letters" - C.S. Lewis; "Raising a Modern Day Knight" - Robert Lewis; "Brothers, We Are Not Professionals" - John Piper; "the Holy War" - John Bunyan; "Alarm to the Unconverted" - Joseph Alliene
Paul is also director of New Horizon Home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Paul has been Vice President of the Saudi Advocacy Network, a network of believers praying that the Gospel will reach Saudi's in Saudi Arabia, served as vice president of the Utah/Idaho Southern Baptist Convention, president of the Utah Idaho Southern Baptist Convention, and moderator of the Magic Valley Baptist Association.
Blog: www.PaulThompsonBlog.com
Frequent Web sites: The Briefing,
9Marks.org, MentalFloss.com, Tim Challies,
John Martinez
John was called as associate pastor of Eastside in January of 2006.
John has been married to Shari since August 15,1987.
They have two grown daughters Jessica lives in Colorado, and Julia lives in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Born: February 6, 1965
Born Again: Summer 1975
Called to Ministry: Summer 1982
Hobbies: Fishing (any type) and hunting
Favorite Foods: New Mexico Green Chile on anything, avocados, most wild game.
Favorite Drink: 'Milky Way' (caramel mocha) and sometimes Dr. Pepper.
Influential books: the Bible, The Epistle James, "Up With Worship" - Ann Ortlund (out of print)
Inspirational Activities: I love to lead and see others worship. I am constantly looking for new ideas, media, songs and books to teach me how to help others connect with God.
John is also chaplain for the Idaho National Guard
Mark King
Mark became an Elder/Pastor of Eastside Baptist Church, August 2017.
Mark and his wife India were married August 18, 1984. They have two sons, both married; Hyder and Devry King, with grandson Grayson live in Twin Falls, Idaho. Johnathon and Briana King live in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. They also have one daughter, also married; Amber and Jesse Perez, with grandson Hunter and granddaughter Emerson also live in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Born: October 31, 1963
Born Again: October 12, 1982
Called to Ministry: 2005
Education: Masters of Science (Texas A&M Univ); Diploma in Pastoral Ministries (Golden Gate Seminary)
Hobbies: Fly Fishing, Kayaking, Camping
Favorite Foods: Cheeseburgers and Chinese (Lemon Chicken)
Favorite Drinks: Coke and Lemon/Berry Slush (from Sonic)
Influential Books: Bible (God), “The Reason for God” (Tim Keller), “Don’t Waste Your Life” (John Piper), “Choosing Forgiveness” (Nancy Demoss), “TableTalk Magazine” (Ligonier Ministries and R.C. Sproul)
Mark works full time as Senior Project Manager with online marketing agency, PlacementSEO. He is retired from the military having spent 26 years in the Army National Guard and Army Reserves. Before entering the ministry, Mark worked 16 years as an Environmental Scientist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Forest Service. He has served as a pastor for 11 years in Wyoming, while also serving 3 years as Chairman of the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Board.
Mark’s Current Bucket List: Fly Fish in New Zealand and Alaska; Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from a room directly above the parade route; and, travel in Ireland and Australia.