A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF OUR PASTOR, LEADER, AND FRIEND, WILLIAM B. SUTTON, III

Pastor William Bernard Sutton, III, was born in New York City, and is the eldest son of seven children born to the late William B. Sutton, Jr., and the late Floydie G. Sutton.  Pastor Sutton is married to the former Ms. Maria Eugenia Kerr, who is a native of San Jose, Costa Rica, and they are the proud parents of two daughters, Christina and Crystal.

Pastor Sutton was educated in the Public School system of New York City.  He graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, and he earned a Master of Divinity Degree (Summa Cum Laude) from the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey.  In May of 2007, Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey, will confer on Pastor Sutton the Doctor of Ministry Degree.  Pastor Sutton has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for outstanding achievements in preaching, ministry and community service.

On January 1, 1998, Pastor William B. Sutton, III, assumed the responsibilities as under-shepherd of the First Baptist Church Family.  Pastor Sutton’s ministry has centered on the empowerment and mobilization of the laity and lay leadership of the church and on strengthening the spiritual and the administrative aspects of our congregation.  Under Pastor Sutton’s leadership, our Church now places a high emphasis upon Christian Discipleship.  New Disciples are now required to successfully complete New Discipleship Training prior to assuming the rights, privileges and responsibilities of full Church Discipleship.  Also, under Pastor Sutton’s leadership, First Baptist Church is presently served by a gender inclusive Diaconate Ministry, has liquidated its Mortgage eight years ahead of schedule, purchased several additional properties located in the immediate vicinity of the Church, and the First Baptist Church Development Corporation has successfully completed the construction and sale of its first Affordable Housing Unit.  Pastor Sutton’s emphasis upon spiritual growth and development has led to the reemphasis of the community prayer life of First Baptist Church through the establishment of two semi-annual Prayer Vigils, the establishment of the Pastor’s Midweek Bible Study, Teenage Midweek Bible Study, Children’s Midweek Bible Study, and the establishment of the Evangelism Explosion Discipleship Training Ministry (known as the EE Ministry).

In September of 2005, under the visionary leadership of Pastor Sutton, the First Baptist Church family embarked upon a community venture where the congregation has committed itself to the building of a multimillion dollar Family Life Center in order to serve the Stratford and Greater Bridgeport Community and in order to advance the Kingdom of God.

Pastor Sutton is also very involved in many of the community associations in the Stratford and Greater Bridgeport Area.  He is a Board Member of the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport and Vicinity, a member of the Board of Managers of the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut, Chair of the Department of Congregational Leadership, and a member of the Stratford Clergy Association.

Pastor Sutton was licensed and ordained as an American Baptist Minister at the Walker Memorial Baptist Church, in the Bronx, New York, under the dynamic and vibrant leadership of his Pastor, the Rev. Dr. J. Albert Bush, Sr.  Prior to accepting the call to serve as Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Pastor Sutton was full-time Special Assistant to the Pastor at the Walker Memorial Baptist Church.  Pastor Sutton served in this capacity at Walker Memorial for seven years.  At Walker Memorial Pastor Sutton held several other key leadership positions as well:  He was Vice Chairman of Trustees Ministry, a Church School Teacher, Minister of Youth, Minister of Evangelism and Outreach, and he served on several community boards as an advisor and as a liaison between the church and the community.

Of all the things that Pastor Sutton would have us to know about him, he says that his most prized possession is that he knows that he has eternal life because he is trusting in Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.