Phillips Home
Phillips Memorial Baptist Church
Reverend Dr. Donald R. Rasmussen
Pastor Emeritus
Our Phillips family mourns the loss of our beloved Pastor Emeritus on Sunday, March 17, 2019. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends and all those whose lives were touched by Don's selfless service to God and his church.
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Born October 11, 1939, in New York City, Don lived in upstate New York while in high school and college.
After seminary, his first ministry was at Jackson Street Baptist Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he was ordained and served for four years as Minister of Education. In 1968, he, his wife Ginny, and his family moved to Rhode Island where he served for 28+ years as Assistant, Associate and Senior Pastor of Phillips Memorial Baptist Church. On January 1, 1997, he began service as Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island. He retired from that position on January 1, 2007.
In retirement, he has served in both executive and pastoral interim positions, worked with Natural Church Development©, tutored English as a second language and enjoyed RV travel with his grandchildren. Presently Don and Ginny serve as volunteers at ABCORI's Motter Resource center and at the American Baptist Historical Society in Atlanta.
Both have served on the General Board of the American Baptist Churches USA and have 14 years of combined experience as members of that board. Don served as chair of the Credentials and Caucus Committee and on the Board of National Ministries on the Finance Committee and on the Social and Ethical Responsibility in Investments Committee, which he chaired. He also served on the board of the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board. As the executive minister, Don served on the Regional Executive Ministers Council as secretary / treasurer and on the General Executive Council of the denomination.
During his time serving Rhode Island Baptists, Don instituted an Elder Care Ministry program with a full-time director, initiated electronic information distribution, reorganized and merged the denomination and camp staffs, built a new office facility, developed the Motter Resource center for pastors, began a "missionary in residence" program and increased volunteer help.
His greatest joy in ministry are the eleven members of Phillips Memorial that entered professional ministry
during his tenure as pastor.
Education:
Bachelor of Arts from Houghton College (1961)
Master of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (1964)
Master of Science in counselor education from
University of Scranton (1967)
Doctor of Ministry with honors from Andover Newton Theological School. (1974)
Phillips Memorial Baptist Church
565 Pontiac Avenue
Cranston, Rhode Island 02910
401-467-3300
fax: 401-467-3302
