Obituary: Church mourns beloved pastor
Bob Cryder's brief tenure at Arcade Church leaves lasting impression.
By Bill Lindelof -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
From humble beginnings to a successful ministry, the eventful life of the Rev. Bob Cryder, senior pastor at Arcade Church, came to an end Monday.
Cryder, 54, died in a Portland, Ore., hospital from infection several months after he underwent a stem cell transplant procedure in an attempt to save his life.
The teenage donor who gave Cryder a chance at a cure was found a world away in central Europe after a long search.
The congregation asked Cryder last year to lead Arcade Church on Marconi Avenue. Church members were certain that the pastor was right for them despite his uncertain future.
Timothy M. Smith, an attorney and member of the pastor selection team, echoed others Tuesday who said they were blessed to have had Cryder as their spiritual leader, if only for a short time.
"As few times as he preached, the love people had for him was unbelievable," said Smith. "People would come and pray all night for him in tears."
The preacher, who favored Hawaiian shirts and liked to restore classic cars, instantly made friends, church members said.
"You met him once and you thought you knew him your entire life," said Smith. "He made you feel that he was one of your closest friends. He had an authenticity to him."
In an interview last summer, Cryder related how he was one of 11 children from eight fathers and a prostitute mother.
Along the California-Arizona border, the family lived in an adobe house with dirt floors and an outhouse.
His mother was not a street prostitute, he said. She met men in saloons, including his father.
When he was a toddler, the family was broken up and the siblings separated, ending up in orphanages and foster homes. He was adopted by the Croft family of Santa Barbara in 1970.
Cryder eventually graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from Santa Barbara's Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts school. He received a master of divinity degree from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Ore., in 1980.
While in seminary, the institution's president noticed that Cryder's sermons succeeded in introducing people to Christianity.
Cryder was soon traveling the West for the seminary to churches, Bible camps and conferences.
That was the beginning of Cryder's traveling ministry. Eventually, he went all over the world with his calling - Bob Cryder Team Ministries.
At times, the Rev. Billy Graham's ministry team called upon him to preach for them when the famous evangelist brought his crusade to a city.
"Billy was to be in Central Park," Cryder recalled last summer. "They wanted somebody out on the streets preaching the Gospel. You put Billy Graham on the street corner and he gets mobbed by thousands. So I preached on Wall Street and Times Square and the East Side, under Billy's banner."
Cryder's illness was diagnosed on Valentine's Day 2003. His right tonsil was swollen, so he went to a doctor who prescribed antibiotics.
Then, his throat partially closed and he was sent to an ear, nose and throat specialist. Cryder was soon diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Specifically, he had mantle cell lymphoma. The National Cancer Institute lists mantle cell lymphoma as an aggressive form of the disease that is often resistant to chemotherapy.
Cryder underwent chemotherapy and radiation, but the cancer could not be held at bay.
In November 2004, Arcade called and said they wanted him to be the pastor. About the same time, his doctor told him things did not look good.
Cryder preached about a dozen times for the Sacramento church, returning to Oregon for treatment. At Oregon Health and Science University he was under the care of Dr. Elliott Epner, an expert in mantle cell lymphoma.
The university team spent a year looking for a suitable donor for Cryder, eventually discovering a 19-year-old man in central Europe. The young man's stem cell structure matched Cryder's.
The stem cells were flown from Europe and injected into the pastor. But about two weeks ago, his health started to fail.
Last summer, shortly before the transplant, he said he understood why the Arcade congregation voted to ask him to be their pastor despite his illness.
"I think they had to ask if this was God's man for us or what," he said. "If he is God's man, then you go with it. If he's not, then don't mess with it."
Church member Smith said that in the little time that Cryder was pastor at Arcade, he transformed the church.
"We love each other more," he said. "We are more open to changing directions. We are people whose hearts are softer because he was there."
Jeremy Johnson, Arcade's spiritual life director, said, "Pastor Bob laid a foundation to take this church in a direction it has never been before."
The Rev. Jake Larson, acting senior pastor while Cryder was sick, preached "with authority" but with an "intense love for the people."
Smith, Johnson and Larson were in Portland on Tuesday to meet with Cryder's family. Services are pending.
Last week, The Bee published a question-and-answer story, conducted by e-mail, with Cryder. He was asked if it was possible to stay positive when faced with a cancer diagnosis.
"Absolutely," he said, "because I know that God has allowed cancer into my life, so many great strides are being made with cancer today, and I'm in a win-win situation, no matter what. If I get to stay here with family, friends and Arcade Church, I win, and if I go home to heaven with God, I win also."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rev. Bob Cryder
Born: May 17, 1951
Died: Dec. 5, 2005
Remembered for: Rough childhood, successful evangelical ministry, Arcade Church pastor.
Survived by: Wife, Jenny; son, Josh; daughters, Carrie and Laura, all of Portland, Ore., area; mother, Pat Croft of Auburn; sisters, Mary Shingler of Cherry Valley, Cheryl Gaultney of Paso Robles and Donna Montgomery of Auburn.
Memorial services: Celebration of life, 1 p.m. Friday, at New Hope Community Church, Portland; Sacramento memorial services pending.
Remembrances: Donations in the Rev. Cryder's name to Mantle Cell Lymphoma Research, Oregon Health and Science University, 1121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 200, Portland, Ore. 97205, or Arcade Church, 3927 Marconi Ave., Sacramento, 95821.
Bob Cryder's brief tenure at Arcade Church leaves lasting impression.
By Bill Lindelof -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
From humble beginnings to a successful ministry, the eventful life of the Rev. Bob Cryder, senior pastor at Arcade Church, came to an end Monday.
Cryder, 54, died in a Portland, Ore., hospital from infection several months after he underwent a stem cell transplant procedure in an attempt to save his life.
The teenage donor who gave Cryder a chance at a cure was found a world away in central Europe after a long search.
The congregation asked Cryder last year to lead Arcade Church on Marconi Avenue. Church members were certain that the pastor was right for them despite his uncertain future.
Timothy M. Smith, an attorney and member of the pastor selection team, echoed others Tuesday who said they were blessed to have had Cryder as their spiritual leader, if only for a short time.
"As few times as he preached, the love people had for him was unbelievable," said Smith. "People would come and pray all night for him in tears."
The preacher, who favored Hawaiian shirts and liked to restore classic cars, instantly made friends, church members said.
"You met him once and you thought you knew him your entire life," said Smith. "He made you feel that he was one of your closest friends. He had an authenticity to him."
In an interview last summer, Cryder related how he was one of 11 children from eight fathers and a prostitute mother.
Along the California-Arizona border, the family lived in an adobe house with dirt floors and an outhouse.
His mother was not a street prostitute, he said. She met men in saloons, including his father.
When he was a toddler, the family was broken up and the siblings separated, ending up in orphanages and foster homes. He was adopted by the Croft family of Santa Barbara in 1970.
Cryder eventually graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from Santa Barbara's Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts school. He received a master of divinity degree from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Ore., in 1980.
While in seminary, the institution's president noticed that Cryder's sermons succeeded in introducing people to Christianity.
Cryder was soon traveling the West for the seminary to churches, Bible camps and conferences.
That was the beginning of Cryder's traveling ministry. Eventually, he went all over the world with his calling - Bob Cryder Team Ministries.
At times, the Rev. Billy Graham's ministry team called upon him to preach for them when the famous evangelist brought his crusade to a city.
"Billy was to be in Central Park," Cryder recalled last summer. "They wanted somebody out on the streets preaching the Gospel. You put Billy Graham on the street corner and he gets mobbed by thousands. So I preached on Wall Street and Times Square and the East Side, under Billy's banner."
Cryder's illness was diagnosed on Valentine's Day 2003. His right tonsil was swollen, so he went to a doctor who prescribed antibiotics.
Then, his throat partially closed and he was sent to an ear, nose and throat specialist. Cryder was soon diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Specifically, he had mantle cell lymphoma. The National Cancer Institute lists mantle cell lymphoma as an aggressive form of the disease that is often resistant to chemotherapy.
Cryder underwent chemotherapy and radiation, but the cancer could not be held at bay.
In November 2004, Arcade called and said they wanted him to be the pastor. About the same time, his doctor told him things did not look good.
Cryder preached about a dozen times for the Sacramento church, returning to Oregon for treatment. At Oregon Health and Science University he was under the care of Dr. Elliott Epner, an expert in mantle cell lymphoma.
The university team spent a year looking for a suitable donor for Cryder, eventually discovering a 19-year-old man in central Europe. The young man's stem cell structure matched Cryder's.
The stem cells were flown from Europe and injected into the pastor. But about two weeks ago, his health started to fail.
Last summer, shortly before the transplant, he said he understood why the Arcade congregation voted to ask him to be their pastor despite his illness.
"I think they had to ask if this was God's man for us or what," he said. "If he is God's man, then you go with it. If he's not, then don't mess with it."
Church member Smith said that in the little time that Cryder was pastor at Arcade, he transformed the church.
"We love each other more," he said. "We are more open to changing directions. We are people whose hearts are softer because he was there."
Jeremy Johnson, Arcade's spiritual life director, said, "Pastor Bob laid a foundation to take this church in a direction it has never been before."
The Rev. Jake Larson, acting senior pastor while Cryder was sick, preached "with authority" but with an "intense love for the people."
Smith, Johnson and Larson were in Portland on Tuesday to meet with Cryder's family. Services are pending.
Last week, The Bee published a question-and-answer story, conducted by e-mail, with Cryder. He was asked if it was possible to stay positive when faced with a cancer diagnosis.
"Absolutely," he said, "because I know that God has allowed cancer into my life, so many great strides are being made with cancer today, and I'm in a win-win situation, no matter what. If I get to stay here with family, friends and Arcade Church, I win, and if I go home to heaven with God, I win also."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rev. Bob Cryder
Born: May 17, 1951
Died: Dec. 5, 2005
Remembered for: Rough childhood, successful evangelical ministry, Arcade Church pastor.
Survived by: Wife, Jenny; son, Josh; daughters, Carrie and Laura, all of Portland, Ore., area; mother, Pat Croft of Auburn; sisters, Mary Shingler of Cherry Valley, Cheryl Gaultney of Paso Robles and Donna Montgomery of Auburn.
Memorial services: Celebration of life, 1 p.m. Friday, at New Hope Community Church, Portland; Sacramento memorial services pending.
Remembrances: Donations in the Rev. Cryder's name to Mantle Cell Lymphoma Research, Oregon Health and Science University, 1121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 200, Portland, Ore. 97205, or Arcade Church, 3927 Marconi Ave., Sacramento, 95821.
Obituary: Church mourns beloved pastor
Bob Cryder's brief tenure at Arcade Church leaves lasting impression.
By Bill Lindelof -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
From humble beginnings to a successful ministry, the eventful life of the Rev. Bob Cryder, senior pastor at Arcade Church, came to an end Monday.
Cryder, 54, died in a Portland, Ore., hospital from infection several months after he underwent a stem cell transplant procedure in an attempt to save his life.
The teenage donor who gave Cryder a chance at a cure was found a world away in central Europe after a long search.
The congregation asked Cryder last year to lead Arcade Church on Marconi Avenue. Church members were certain that the pastor was right for them despite his uncertain future.
Timothy M. Smith, an attorney and member of the pastor selection team, echoed others Tuesday who said they were blessed to have had Cryder as their spiritual leader, if only for a short time.
"As few times as he preached, the love people had for him was unbelievable," said Smith. "People would come and pray all night for him in tears."
The preacher, who favored Hawaiian shirts and liked to restore classic cars, instantly made friends, church members said.
"You met him once and you thought you knew him your entire life," said Smith. "He made you feel that he was one of your closest friends. He had an authenticity to him."
In an interview last summer, Cryder related how he was one of 11 children from eight fathers and a prostitute mother.
Along the California-Arizona border, the family lived in an adobe house with dirt floors and an outhouse.
His mother was not a street prostitute, he said. She met men in saloons, including his father.
When he was a toddler, the family was broken up and the siblings separated, ending up in orphanages and foster homes. He was adopted by the Croft family of Santa Barbara in 1970.
Cryder eventually graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from Santa Barbara's Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts school. He received a master of divinity degree from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Ore., in 1980.
While in seminary, the institution's president noticed that Cryder's sermons succeeded in introducing people to Christianity.
Cryder was soon traveling the West for the seminary to churches, Bible camps and conferences.
That was the beginning of Cryder's traveling ministry. Eventually, he went all over the world with his calling - Bob Cryder Team Ministries.
At times, the Rev. Billy Graham's ministry team called upon him to preach for them when the famous evangelist brought his crusade to a city.
"Billy was to be in Central Park," Cryder recalled last summer. "They wanted somebody out on the streets preaching the Gospel. You put Billy Graham on the street corner and he gets mobbed by thousands. So I preached on Wall Street and Times Square and the East Side, under Billy's banner."
Cryder's illness was diagnosed on Valentine's Day 2003. His right tonsil was swollen, so he went to a doctor who prescribed antibiotics.
Then, his throat partially closed and he was sent to an ear, nose and throat specialist. Cryder was soon diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Specifically, he had mantle cell lymphoma. The National Cancer Institute lists mantle cell lymphoma as an aggressive form of the disease that is often resistant to chemotherapy.
Cryder underwent chemotherapy and radiation, but the cancer could not be held at bay.
In November 2004, Arcade called and said they wanted him to be the pastor. About the same time, his doctor told him things did not look good.
Cryder preached about a dozen times for the Sacramento church, returning to Oregon for treatment. At Oregon Health and Science University he was under the care of Dr. Elliott Epner, an expert in mantle cell lymphoma.
The university team spent a year looking for a suitable donor for Cryder, eventually discovering a 19-year-old man in central Europe. The young man's stem cell structure matched Cryder's.
The stem cells were flown from Europe and injected into the pastor. But about two weeks ago, his health started to fail.
Last summer, shortly before the transplant, he said he understood why the Arcade congregation voted to ask him to be their pastor despite his illness.
"I think they had to ask if this was God's man for us or what," he said. "If he is God's man, then you go with it. If he's not, then don't mess with it."
Church member Smith said that in the little time that Cryder was pastor at Arcade, he transformed the church.
"We love each other more," he said. "We are more open to changing directions. We are people whose hearts are softer because he was there."
Jeremy Johnson, Arcade's spiritual life director, said, "Pastor Bob laid a foundation to take this church in a direction it has never been before."
The Rev. Jake Larson, acting senior pastor while Cryder was sick, preached "with authority" but with an "intense love for the people."
Smith, Johnson and Larson were in Portland on Tuesday to meet with Cryder's family. Services are pending.
Last week, The Bee published a question-and-answer story, conducted by e-mail, with Cryder. He was asked if it was possible to stay positive when faced with a cancer diagnosis.
"Absolutely," he said, "because I know that God has allowed cancer into my life, so many great strides are being made with cancer today, and I'm in a win-win situation, no matter what. If I get to stay here with family, friends and Arcade Church, I win, and if I go home to heaven with God, I win also."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rev. Bob Cryder
Born: May 17, 1951
Died: Dec. 5, 2005
Remembered for: Rough childhood, successful evangelical ministry, Arcade Church pastor.
Survived by: Wife, Jenny; son, Josh; daughters, Carrie and Laura, all of Portland, Ore., area; mother, Pat Croft of Auburn; sisters, Mary Shingler of Cherry Valley, Cheryl Gaultney of Paso Robles and Donna Montgomery of Auburn.
Memorial services: Celebration of life, 1 p.m. Friday, at New Hope Community Church, Portland; Sacramento memorial services pending.
Remembrances: Donations in the Rev. Cryder's name to Mantle Cell Lymphoma Research, Oregon Health and Science University, 1121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 200, Portland, Ore. 97205, or Arcade Church, 3927 Marconi Ave., Sacramento, 95821.
Bob Cryder's brief tenure at Arcade Church leaves lasting impression.
By Bill Lindelof -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
From humble beginnings to a successful ministry, the eventful life of the Rev. Bob Cryder, senior pastor at Arcade Church, came to an end Monday.
Cryder, 54, died in a Portland, Ore., hospital from infection several months after he underwent a stem cell transplant procedure in an attempt to save his life.
The teenage donor who gave Cryder a chance at a cure was found a world away in central Europe after a long search.
The congregation asked Cryder last year to lead Arcade Church on Marconi Avenue. Church members were certain that the pastor was right for them despite his uncertain future.
Timothy M. Smith, an attorney and member of the pastor selection team, echoed others Tuesday who said they were blessed to have had Cryder as their spiritual leader, if only for a short time.
"As few times as he preached, the love people had for him was unbelievable," said Smith. "People would come and pray all night for him in tears."
The preacher, who favored Hawaiian shirts and liked to restore classic cars, instantly made friends, church members said.
"You met him once and you thought you knew him your entire life," said Smith. "He made you feel that he was one of your closest friends. He had an authenticity to him."
In an interview last summer, Cryder related how he was one of 11 children from eight fathers and a prostitute mother.
Along the California-Arizona border, the family lived in an adobe house with dirt floors and an outhouse.
His mother was not a street prostitute, he said. She met men in saloons, including his father.
When he was a toddler, the family was broken up and the siblings separated, ending up in orphanages and foster homes. He was adopted by the Croft family of Santa Barbara in 1970.
Cryder eventually graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from Santa Barbara's Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts school. He received a master of divinity degree from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Ore., in 1980.
While in seminary, the institution's president noticed that Cryder's sermons succeeded in introducing people to Christianity.
Cryder was soon traveling the West for the seminary to churches, Bible camps and conferences.
That was the beginning of Cryder's traveling ministry. Eventually, he went all over the world with his calling - Bob Cryder Team Ministries.
At times, the Rev. Billy Graham's ministry team called upon him to preach for them when the famous evangelist brought his crusade to a city.
"Billy was to be in Central Park," Cryder recalled last summer. "They wanted somebody out on the streets preaching the Gospel. You put Billy Graham on the street corner and he gets mobbed by thousands. So I preached on Wall Street and Times Square and the East Side, under Billy's banner."
Cryder's illness was diagnosed on Valentine's Day 2003. His right tonsil was swollen, so he went to a doctor who prescribed antibiotics.
Then, his throat partially closed and he was sent to an ear, nose and throat specialist. Cryder was soon diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Specifically, he had mantle cell lymphoma. The National Cancer Institute lists mantle cell lymphoma as an aggressive form of the disease that is often resistant to chemotherapy.
Cryder underwent chemotherapy and radiation, but the cancer could not be held at bay.
In November 2004, Arcade called and said they wanted him to be the pastor. About the same time, his doctor told him things did not look good.
Cryder preached about a dozen times for the Sacramento church, returning to Oregon for treatment. At Oregon Health and Science University he was under the care of Dr. Elliott Epner, an expert in mantle cell lymphoma.
The university team spent a year looking for a suitable donor for Cryder, eventually discovering a 19-year-old man in central Europe. The young man's stem cell structure matched Cryder's.
The stem cells were flown from Europe and injected into the pastor. But about two weeks ago, his health started to fail.
Last summer, shortly before the transplant, he said he understood why the Arcade congregation voted to ask him to be their pastor despite his illness.
"I think they had to ask if this was God's man for us or what," he said. "If he is God's man, then you go with it. If he's not, then don't mess with it."
Church member Smith said that in the little time that Cryder was pastor at Arcade, he transformed the church.
"We love each other more," he said. "We are more open to changing directions. We are people whose hearts are softer because he was there."
Jeremy Johnson, Arcade's spiritual life director, said, "Pastor Bob laid a foundation to take this church in a direction it has never been before."
The Rev. Jake Larson, acting senior pastor while Cryder was sick, preached "with authority" but with an "intense love for the people."
Smith, Johnson and Larson were in Portland on Tuesday to meet with Cryder's family. Services are pending.
Last week, The Bee published a question-and-answer story, conducted by e-mail, with Cryder. He was asked if it was possible to stay positive when faced with a cancer diagnosis.
"Absolutely," he said, "because I know that God has allowed cancer into my life, so many great strides are being made with cancer today, and I'm in a win-win situation, no matter what. If I get to stay here with family, friends and Arcade Church, I win, and if I go home to heaven with God, I win also."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rev. Bob Cryder
Born: May 17, 1951
Died: Dec. 5, 2005
Remembered for: Rough childhood, successful evangelical ministry, Arcade Church pastor.
Survived by: Wife, Jenny; son, Josh; daughters, Carrie and Laura, all of Portland, Ore., area; mother, Pat Croft of Auburn; sisters, Mary Shingler of Cherry Valley, Cheryl Gaultney of Paso Robles and Donna Montgomery of Auburn.
Memorial services: Celebration of life, 1 p.m. Friday, at New Hope Community Church, Portland; Sacramento memorial services pending.
Remembrances: Donations in the Rev. Cryder's name to Mantle Cell Lymphoma Research, Oregon Health and Science University, 1121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 200, Portland, Ore. 97205, or Arcade Church, 3927 Marconi Ave., Sacramento, 95821.
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