our pastor

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Pastor Les Chymist was born into a Christian home in Nova Scotia and raised in a Baptist Church. He accepted Christ as his personal savior at a very young age. At the age of sixteen, while attending a summer Bible camp, Brother Chymist surrendered to God's call to become a preacher of the Gospel. Upon graduation from high school  he attended Faithway Baptist Bible College of Canada, graduating with a Bachelors degree in Religious Education. During his years in college God further refined the call on his life, by calling Brother Chymist into missionary church planting.  While in college he met Rebecca and they were married a year after graduation.

The Chymist's then answered God's call to go to Bolivia, South America as missionaries. They joined Baptist Pioneer Mission, raised support, and moved to Bolivia in 1995. After serving the Lord in that place for 6 years, the Lord redirected them to move to Newfoundland. In May of 2001 the Chymist family (Les, Rebecca and their five children)settled in Clarenville and started Vista Independent Baptist Church, and then seventeen years later they started Solid Rock Baptist Church, a satellite ministry of VIBC,  in the town of Keels.

Pastor Chymist is also a First Responder in our community. He has been a firefighter with Clarenville Fire Dept for 13 years and has also worked part time as an EMR in the ambulance service in the past.  When not busy with these activities he enjoys hunting, target shooting and motorcycle riding.