Barbara Wilson Lang celebrates more than four decades as a community spiritual leader, teacher, and the chief executive officer of West Street Baptist Church. Ms. Lang attended Jarvis Christian College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and psychology in 1972, and began her work in religious services shortly after. She was named chief executive officer of West Street Baptist Church in 1978, assuming responsibility for the church’s business operations and financial record-keeping, but her commitment to building and strengthening community ties has been a lifelong calling.
In addition to her work for West Street Baptist Church, Ms. Lang dedicated 44 years to her role as the senior residential administrator of Clausen House, a community for adults with developmental disabilities. At Clausen House, she supervised staff and advocated for clients, helping foster opportunities for broader community participation and preventing clients from feeling isolated. While she has moved on from her position at Clausen House, she brings the same philosophy to her interactions with the congregation at West Street Baptist Church, visiting individual church members to teach scripture and do missionary work, offering financial counseling and tax preparation assistance to employees, and assisting others wherever needed. Ms. Lang attributes her success and her longevity in the field to her love for people and her passion for sharing her faith with others.
Ms. Lang looks forward to continuing her service on behalf of the West Street Baptist Church family for years to come, with an emphasis on developing additional outreach programming and enrichment curriculum for church members and the wider community. She considers her time with the church to be the highlight of her career and hopes to encourage others to embrace spirituality by modeling faith in action in her everyday life. In recognition of her dedication to serving others, Ms. Lang has been presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Alameda Contra Costa and is the recipient of an Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. Among other honors, she has been named a Cambridge Who’s Who VIP of the Year in both 2008 and 2017 and was recently featured in Marquis Millennium Magazine. Outside of her administrative work, Ms. Lang is an enthusiastic volunteer for the Special Olympics and enjoys personal time spent with family and in spiritual study.