James McDonald was raised by a farmer. His dad farmed 160 acres of corn, alfalfa, and soybeans. James, along with his two brothers, Daniel and Rob, baled a lot of hay and chopped loads of wood growing up. Ray McDonald saw that his boys were educated from kindergarten up at Fairhaven Baptist Academy, where his wife Lois taught for
many years.
Ray was a faithful member of Fairhaven Baptist Church for decades, and he passed on this trait to his boys. As teens, the McDonald boys were active in church, receiving a real burden for the lost through their work in the bus ministry. After high school, all three brothers continued on to Fairhaven Baptist College and graduated, and each one is serving the Lord today in different local churches—Daniel in Indiana, Rob in Missouri, and James in Canada.
James met his wife Sarah at college. They graduated together in May 2009 and were married six months later. The McDonalds have been on the staff of Bethel Baptist Church in London, Ontario, for a year and a half. James works as the assistant to Sarah’s grandfather, Pastor Wilbert Unger, who started Bethel Baptist nearly thirty years ago. James has many opportunities for preaching and evangelistic outreach. He also helps in their church’s Christian school. Sarah is busy in many aspects of the church also, and their home has been blessed with two daughters: Maria Kathleen and Victoria Rose.
Ray McDonald passed away in 2010 after a lengthy battle with cancer, but certainly he rejoices from heaven today knowing his sons are serving the God he loves.