“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live:
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” Psalm 104:33
ABOUT US
“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live:
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.”
Psalm 104:33
PASTOR STEVE & JEANNE NICHOLS
Pastor and Mrs Nichols were married on August 15, 1987. They are both children of old-time Fundamental, Independent Baptist Pastors (Pastor Charles and Mrs Joyce Nichols/Pastor Richard and Mrs. Kathleen Dion).
Pastor Nichols grew up in Cody, Wyoming where his father was the Pastor of the First Baptist Church and Mrs Nichols grew up in Great Falls, Montana where her father was Pastor of Fairview Baptist Church.
After graduating from Bible College, the Nichols served as Youth Pastor at the church in Cody. In July of 1988 God called them to Pastor in California. Pastor Nichols often jokes that God called them to be “Missionaries to the Foreign Nation of California - the land of the Fruits and Nuts!”
They chose Psalm 48:14 as their life together verse,
“For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.”
After serving in Palm Desert in a new church plant (Grace Baptist Church), in Jackson, CA restoring a dying church (Emmanuel Baptist Church), and then starting the Central Valley Baptist Church in Tracy, CA (now in Manteca, CA) God called them to the Sacramento area to Pastor Regency Baptist Church. Their 1st day at RBC was August 5, 1996. They have 4 children, AJ, Justin, Alisha and April who were all born in Jackson, CA and then were raised at RBC and all graduated from RBA (Regency Baptist Academy). They are all married and serving in full-time Christian service. Pastor and Mrs Nichols have 15 grandchildren.
Pastor Nichols has said many times through the years “God has been so good to our family. Trials will either make a family bitter or better, either blow them apart or bond them together. To God Be All The Glory our trials made us better and bonded us together.”
On July 5th, 1995, while starting the new church - Central Valley Baptist Church - Pastor Nichols woke one morning unable to move. His body was curled up in a an embryonic form and his hands were in closed fists, all joints locked up. Just like that his life and the lives of his wife and family were altered. Suddenly, a man who was an athlete, loved to golf and had a strong zest for life found each day a fight just to move his body. In time he was diagnosed with “Advanced Lymes Disease”. The Doctors offered no cure as it was too far advanced and had been in his body an estimated 15 years. Pastor Nichols is not a fan of Drs, Hospitals, surgeries, etc. and has said more than once, “...’I’ have suffered many things of many physicians, and spent all that ‘I’ had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.” Mark 5:26.
​
For the past 26 years Pastor Nichols has spent much of those years in wheelchairs. He has been in numerous hospitals including the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Twice the Doctors told Mrs Nichols that her husband had in their opinion a couple months or so to live. Twice she sat her children down and told them that their daddy was probably going to die soon but they were going to keep serving Jesus no matter what. God knew more than the “practicing physicians” and not only kept Pastor Nichols alive but kept using him powerfully in the ministry! 4 times Pastor Nichols went through physical therapy to learn how to walk again. In spite of all these trials Pastor Nichols has kept a smile on his face and a joy in his heart. People ask him how he keeps smiling and joking and seeing all the funny stuff that happens in his life. He tells people “It takes less muscles to smile then it does to frown, so I’m basically just lazy!”
Through it all, the wonderful people of Regency Baptist Church stuck by and cared for their Pastor and helped his wife and family keep on for Jesus. The list of things the Lord has done is very long. GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD and all along the journey He has never failed the Nichols in any way but has always been a wonderful “guide”.
After 30 years of being a Pastor and wife, and after much prayer, Pastor and Mrs Nichols determined it was time to step down from the Pastorate. Pastor Nichols is no longer physically able to be the day to day Pastor of a thriving, soul winning, bus ministry, on fire church like RBC. The Nichols are NOT RETIRING just shifting gears!! One man told them “Retirement is just putting on 4 new tires and rolling on!” Pastor is still able and burdened to preach, write books, sing and write music however he and Mrs Nichols believe that their “guide” is guiding them into a new chapter of their lives. Pastor Nichols is now available to preach and sing in Independent Fundamental Baptist churches, conferences, camps, etc - whenever and wherever the Lord leads.
Pastor Nichols has written over 100 songs and the family has recorded 12 CDs. Mrs. Nichols is a wonderful speaker to ladies as she has much wisdom to offer from all the things God has brought her family through. Together the Nichols plan on continuing to serve the Lord and using the things the Lord has taught them in 34 years of marriage and raising a family, as well as 30 years in the Pastorate - to be a blessing, strength and encouragement to Pastors, Pastors wives and God’s people.
“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”
1 Corinthians 9:16
AJ & TABITHA NICHOLS
A.J. Nichols is the first born of his siblings. He accepted Christ as his Saviour at the age of 7 out soul-winning with his dad.
While in high school, A.J. sensed that God was calling him to the ministry. He has always had a great desire to come back and serve at his home church alongside his dad and brother, Justin.
He met his wife, Tabitha, at Golden State Baptist College. Tabitha is the daughter of Pastor Jerry Ross of Blessed Hope Baptist Church in Jasonville, Indiana. They have four children (Jaylynn, Jessalyn, Cody and Audrey).
A.J. became the Youth Pastor at Regency Baptist Church shortly before he and Tabitha were married in 2012. He is currently the Youth Pastor as well as an Assistant Pastor of RBC and also the School Administrator and Principal of Regency Baptist Academy.
A.J. and Tabitha both greatly enjoy what they do, investing into the lives of the next generation on a regular basis.
PASTOR STEVEN & ALISHA NICHOLS
“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever:
with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.”
Psalm 89:1
JUSTIN & KELSEA NICHOLS
Justin Nichols is the second child born in the Nichols family. He was saved at the age of 17 at Mount Zion Baptist Camp and called to full-time Christian ministry as a teenager.
Justin met his wife Kelsea in 2012 through his sister in law Tabitha, who was best friends with Kelsea since they were little at Blessed Hope Baptist Church in Jasonville IN.
Two years later, Justin and Kelsea were married on Valentine’s Day 2014. To date, they have 4 children (Kaden, Skyleigh, Lexi and Klayton).
​
Together they have been working in the ministry of Regency Baptist Church since 2014. Justin is also an
Assistant Pastor at RBC and the Sunday School Director. Both teach at Regency Baptist Academy and love what they do.
PASTOR STEVEN & ALISHA BECKER
Alisha Becker is the older of the girls in the Nichols family. She accepted Jesus as her personal Saviour at Mount Zion Baptist Camp in 2007 and surrendered to the ministry at Youth Conference as a teenager and knew she wanted to marry a man that was going to be in the ministry.
Her husband, Steven, also grew up at Regency Baptist Church and School. Their relationship started to develop in high school (although Steven jokes that Alisha got a crush on him in the nursery at RBC).
Alisha and Steven began dating at Golden State Baptist College and she married her high school sweetheart in 2013.
After marriage, Steven became the pastor of First Baptist Church of Loomis and has now merged with Regency Baptist Church, taking the place of Alisha’s father.
Alisha and Steven have 5 children (Jaxson, Kenlee, Juliet, Hudson and Averie).
April Donley is the youngest child in the Nichols family. She was led to the Lord by her dad at the age of 7. As a teenager, she surrendered to God’s calling to be in the ministry.
April and Luke began dating at Golden State Baptist College. Luke is the son of Pastor Rick Donley and the grandson of Missionary/Rock of Ages Prison Evangelist Chuck Donley. April and Luke were married on June 25, 2016.
April has endured much of the same sickness as her father. While in college, April developed health problems that caused her to be paralyzed and in a wheelchair for a time. The doctors told Luke and April that she would not be able to have children of her own, but by God’s grace, they were blessed with a baby boy named Tyson and now have a baby girl, Makenzie.
They served in the ministry under Luke’s parents in Oregon for a few years. Then in 2020 moved to California and are now at Regency Baptist Church serving as the Bus Director. God has used their service in the ministry as well as April’s testimony in a great way for the cause of Christ
LUKE & APRIL DONLEY
THE NICHOLS FAMILY
