Category: Be Inspired

This update is from GCI pastor George Hart who reports on the recent birth of his granddaughter.

The good news is that we have wonderful and precious new granddaughter, Elle Jolynn Dobson, born to our daughter Erin and her husband Craig Dobson of Nashville, Tennessee. However the blessed event wasn’t without some anguish and distress.

On Friday morning, August 16 at around 9:00am Erin was almost completely dilated, so the expectation was that baby Elle would be born in the early afternoon. However time continued to pass and it wasn’t until after midnight that Erin started pushing. She pushed for a couple of hours, but the baby’s head was turned to the side, and she would not rotate. They tried forceps, which only bruised and cut her head.

After 30 hours of being in the birth canal, baby Elle went into stress and the doctors did an emergency C-section. They would not let Erin see the baby and rushed her out of the operating room. The doctor’s comment to Erin was, “You have a very sick little girl.” Elle’s heart was in distress, she could not breathe on her own and there was cerebral hemorrhaging. At that point the doctors were not certain she would survive, and what damage would have been done if she did.

Elle was immediately placed in NICU, where she received therapeutic hypothermia to reduce the risk of brain injury. Her body temperature was lowered to 92 degrees for 72 hours and she was sedated with morphine to limit stimulation to her brain. My first view of my granddaughter was lying nude on a cooling blanket with electrodes attached to her head, IVs in her navel and arm and a rectal thermometer. They had just removed the oxygen tube in her nose, running to her lungs.

After 72 hours they gradually warmed her to normal body temperature and began to step down the treatment. For the first time, her mother could hold her. She began to display normal responses to touch and stimulation. But at this point they were still concerned about possible brain damage and seizures from the hemorrhaging. Each day you could see improvement in her responses and overall condition.

The last hurdle was an MRI which was performed this past Saturday, day eight of her life. They were looking for any dead brain tissue. The MRI showed a normal healthy brain! There is still blood between her brain and skull but the doctors said that if she hasn’t had seizures at this point she won’t and the blood will dissolve into her body.

On August 25 they kicked Elle out of NICU and sent her home!

It is amazing how God works. The mother of one of Erin’s best friends is the resource nurse for the NICU. She was able to assign the “best” nurses to care for Elle and checked on her frequently. The therapeutic hypothermia procedure used was invented by a doctor at the hospital, so they have a great deal of experience. Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital is one of the best at dealing with infant trauma.

I was so moved this past week with the faith of Erin and her husband Craig. There were times when I would hold Elle and tears would form in my eyes. Erin would comfort me with a pat on the shoulder and say, “Dad everything is going to be fine. She is in God’s hands. Don’t worry about it.”

Though I’m feeling a bit emotionally drained, I also am feeling the pride of a grandparent and the love of a loving and caring Heavenly Father. I apologize to all grandparents I’ve made fun of for their comments about their grandchildren. Now, I understand!

Family and Christianity are the two things that mark the childhood of Jeff Broadnax, pastor of GCI congregations in Columbus and Chillicothe, Ohio and member of the GCI Generations Ministries leadership team. “I spent my formative years within 15 miles of virtually all my extended family. We saw each other at least twice a month. Family togetherness thus shaped my view of relationships. My father’s parents were devout Christians and expected their six children and all their grandchildren to be at First Church of God on Sunday mornings. Thus at an early age I found myself convinced of my need for time with God.”

Jeff grew up in Cincinnati in the house his parents still live in. “My father began listening to the Radio Church of God in the 1960s. In the mid-70s he sought out the church for a visit. We began attending the Festival of Tabernacles when I was 12 years old in 1977.” Jeff then left for Ambassador College in 1983. “After graduating on a Friday and getting married the following Monday, May 25, 1987, my wife, Karen and I spent the next three years working for WCG/GCI in Pasadena, California. Karen worked in the Spanish department and I first worked in the travel department and then as a ministerial trainee (intern) in the headquarters church.”

Jeff and Karen, who celebrated their 26th anniversary on May 25, have four children. “Our eldest, Jasmine (22), recently graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a double major in psychology and sociology and a minor in criminal justice. Our second, Kristen, went home to the Lord in 1994. She would have been 19 this year. Our son, Kyle (15), is going into his sophomore year in high school and is an honor student and passionate basketball player. Our youngest, Kassidy (5), is heading into kindergarten and ready to take the world by storm.”

Jeff was ordained an elder on March 4, 1989 and served another year in Pasadena before transferring to Big Sandy, Texas. “We spent three years serving as an associate pastor in the local church and the college campus and then we transferred to the Manhattan and Westchester (county) New York congregations in 1993. We were blessed over the next 17 years to serve five GCI congregations in the greater New York City area (Manhattan, Armonk, White Plains and Middletown, New York; and Hillsdale, New Jersey). In 2010 we moved back to the Buckeye State (Ohio) and currently serve the CenterPointe (Columbus) and Voice of Hope (Chillicothe) congregations of GCI.”

Jeff attributes a lot of his spiritual growth to his parents and mentors. “My parents (Earl and Bettie Broadnax) and my wife’s parents (John and the late Judy Hunter) have been amazing examples of faithful Christians. Their love for God and willingness to grow and learn has always served as an anchor for us in our faith. I have a number of folks who have actively mentored me in transformational ways but John Halford, Joseph Tkach and the late Dr. Kermit Nelson and Harold Jackson are four men who have intentionally taught me to be more like Jesus.”

Speaking of being a pastor, Jeff said, “I absolutely love being used by God to help others learn and tell the story he is writing in their lives through Jesus. So many of us have no clue of the divine appointments he is setting up for us each day and how he wants us to use our story to help others see that he loves them, really likes them, and has God-sized plans he wants to fulfill through their lives and stories (warts and all).”

Jeff’s most memorable moment as a pastor is personal, but one he wants to share because it is something we all can learn from. “One day in August 2004, God changed forever the way I understood him and Scripture. He had convicted me and challenged me to let go of some bitterness that I was carrying. I told him that I had tried but was unable to do so on my own. I asked him to take that anger and bitterness from me, and when I verbally offered the forgiveness I was withholding and verbally let go of the bitterness I was carrying, it was like scales fell off my eyes. I was able to love in deed and not just in word because he showed me the difference in real life and in Scripture. I will never forget the moment because it was proof that God so loved ME therefore I must love him and others with his kind of love.”

Transformation is important to Jeff, not only in his own life, but also in GCI. “I enjoy being a part of an organization that knows it needed and now has been transformed by God himself. The journey I/we have taken is proof of the kind of God we serve. Our story helps me read the stories of the patriarchs, apostles and people of the parables through God’s eyes not just my own. My training, experience and lessons within GCI make the word of God come to life in real time and I love it.”

When asked what he would like others to know about him that they may or may not know, Jeff said, “That even after 26 years in the ministry, I am still coming to grips with God’s destiny for my life. I am so excited about what’s ahead because I feel God has placed gifts inside me that I haven’t even begun to unwrap in his grace yet. I am soooooo ready!”

Jeff shares that he gets his passion from Luke 4/Isaiah 61. “God has placed in my heart a burden to let him use me to help others discover their destiny in Christ and know that he wants to use every part of their lives. It doesn’t matter if one is incarcerated or incorporated, harassed, helpless or helpful, wise or washed up, Jesus has plans for us all. He wants us to not just find freedom but to experience jubilee in him!”

When does Jeff feel closest to God? “When I read Scripture because I know God is telling every story to me for a purpose. Everything is there to show me something about how he thinks, loves and operates in the lives of people. There are also times when I know his presence through music.”

Many years ago, Tom Smith who pastors GCI congregations in Pittsburgh and Indiana, Pennsylvania, found himself hurrying to his first Saturday evening meal at Ambassador College when he heard a young lady named Pam call out to him. She had been invited to supper at the Walkers who were church members. Mr. Walker said, “I thought you would bring a date. How about him?” Tom shares, “Right then I was running towards them. Pam asked, ‘Want a home-cooked meal with me?’ I accepted and the rest is history.”

Tom and Pam started dating and as Tom notes, “My best friend throughout college became my wife.” Tom and Pam have been married for 42 years and have three daughters, Tonya, Carrie and Katie; and one son, Brandon.

Growing up in Bristol, Tennessee, Tom attended a Southern Baptist church most of his young life. “I was fascinated with the children’s church choir and grew up involved with their youth programs. I helped with the VBS each summer, was a leader of the youth (over 100), was involved in the Royal Ambassadors (similar to Boy Scouts), assisted the preteen choirs and served at the senior care home ministry during the 11:00 am Sunday service (it meant going to the 8:30 am service). I had a church girlfriend and life seemed sweet. UNTIL… we went to Radio Church of God. My former ‘church life’ as I knew it ended.”

Tom was a junior in high school when his dad started studying The Plain Truth and the Ambassador College Correspondence Course. “We were invited to attend the Radio Church of God in Asheville, North Carolina three hours away! Dad didn’t ask me to go with him. But to his surprise, I was up and dressed at 5:30 am on Saturday and asked him, ‘Can I drive?’ He smiled and said ‘Yes’.”

When it came time to apply for college, Tom applied and was accepted to the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Architecture. But his dad wanted him to consider Ambassador College. “I had no interest but was sure they would not accept me, so I applied to appease my dad, thinking he might be more willing then to help me go to UT. It turned out that I was the first of seven young people accepted from the Asheville church.”

Tom attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas from 1966 to 1970. “I thoroughly enjoyed the college atmosphere and social life and travel opportunities. I went to Pasadena on three bus trips, including one that stopped by the Grand Canyon. I also visited Bricket Wood on the way to the first archaeological dig in 1969.”

Early on Tom was told he was not going into the ministry. “I was glad, since that was not my desire. Buck Hammer offered me a job in buildings and grounds on the Big Sandy campus. I took him up on it, asked Pam to go with me, built a home and had two children. In 1977 I remember telling Pam, ‘God has been good to us: new home, two children and a good job!’” That was the year Ambassador College Big Sandy closed, disrupting the life of the young family. “I went into sales with Motorola Radio and was three to four nights a week on the road. We sold our house and moved to Shreveport, Louisiana. Pam’s mother died and her father moved in with us (he was 61 with Alzheimer’s). Life got a bit bumpy then, but with God at the helm and Pam at my side, we plowed on.”

A year later Buck Hammer asked Tom to move back to Big Sandy and be his assistant until Buck retired. “We moved to Gladewater, Texas and became active in the Big Sandy church again: In-home Bible studies, game nights, helping seniors, youth leadership, Boys Club, choir, etc. Life was once again good; very good.” Then in1979 Tom was ordained. He talked to God about this new chapter in his life, “In 1970, they said I wasn’t going to be in the ministry! But since they aren’t paying me as a local elder, I guess it’s alright.”

Tom said he had the “wonderful opportunity to learn from Norvel Pyle, Hal Baird, James Duke, Don Ward and Burk McNair. For the next five years my ministerial training was superior to anything I could imagine. And oh yes, I can’t forget 12 years with Lynn Torrance (how’s that for colorful training?).”

In November, 1982, Tom was hired to assist Burk McNair in Big Sandy and Tyler, Texas. “Pam was never paid, but I certainly could not have done it without her. She has the gift of mercy and it spills over with all she meets. Everyone who knows Pam likes her. Even her name means ‘sweet thing.’ By this time our third child was six months old. We moved to Hawkins and I worked eight-hour shifts in the church office on the Ambassador College grounds. Life was good! Then in the spring of 1982 our son was run over by a van on a Y.O.U. track event. No worries, he was playing soccer within six months! (Do you see a trend here? LIFE IS GOOD! then WHAM!!!)”

God knew what he was doing when he called Tom to pastoral ministry. Tom has served many people for many years. What does he love most about pastoring? “Helping people come from conflict to resolution, whether with themselves or others.” Tom loves it when people have their “Aha moment,” when coming to understand their relationship with God.

When asked about a most memorable time, Tom talked about a camp experience. “In 1999 I was a counselor at a Release Time Bible Camp. One of my campers (age 11) shared what God and camp had done for him. His father was not a believer the previous year; he was abusive to his family and a drunkard. The camper had prayed for his daddy to believe Jesus and that week at camp he was glad to announce that his father was a sober camp worker and a believer!”

Tom was quick to point out that God is not done with him yet. “In August 2013, I will go bi-vocational, still serving as pastor with our retirement, but also working elsewhere to supplement our income, possibly as a chaplain.”

In addition to pastoring, Tom is passionate about writing. “I thoroughly enjoyed working with the Good News Grapevine, though that was more editing than writing. I plan to write a book about my experience in Christianity. I also enjoy working with preteens, camp, church (children’s sermons), etc. I was delighted to assist with the junior camp program we started in 2002.”

When asked when he feels closest to God, Tom said, “When I seek quiet time, at our home, in the backyard or in the woods. This quiet time often includes music; I love hymns, old and new.”

“I enjoy the fact that in GCI I have found a home,” says Heber Ticas who serves as a district pastor and pastors two Spanish-speaking congregations in the Los Angeles, California area. “Coming out of the Church of God Seventh Day and still being able to be in community with some of the pastors that we have journeyed with for years is a blessing. GCI made that possible! I have felt welcomed, loved and encouraged to do the Lord’s work.”

Heber was born in El Salvador, Central America and came to the US when he was nine. “Since then I have lived in the L.A. area. I pretty much have been providing for myself since I was 14 when I started selling fine candies and chocolates door-to-door.”

Heber and his wife Xochilt have been married for almost 23 years. “We have three children. Our daughter Ashley is a senior at Azusa Pacific University, our daughter Jessica is a junior at USC and our son Christian will be a freshman in high school.”

Heber did not set out to be a pastor. “I was going to Kings College out of The Church on the Way pastored by Jack Hayford. I was there because I was passionate for God’s word. I did not desire to become a pastor. I just wanted to serve the local church. At the time I was attending a small church where I assisted the pastor. All of a sudden he decided to leave ministry because of burnout and disappointment. While waiting for another pastor, it became clear that no one was coming. Eventually I agreed to be the pastor of that church.”

Heber entered the pastorate in 1999. Xochilt worked right alongside him. “My wife is the engine that pushes ministry forward. She leads women’s ministry and is involved in many other ways in structuring developing ministries.”

In 2003, Heber and his congregation were part of the Spanish-speaking congregations that became part of WCG/GCI under the leadership of Lorenzo Arroyo. Heber credits Lorenzo for being a good mentor in ministry. Heber says his passion is “people, Hispanic ministry and church planting. My greatest joy in pastoring is participating with the Spirit in making a difference in peoples’ lives—seeing lives transformed and hearts encouraged. It is a joy to be used that way by our Lord.”

When asked about his most memorable moment, Heber said, “It’s the day that a dying man with AIDS trusted me with his burial wishes. He had been coming to our church and I did not even know that he was dying from AIDS. He trusted that I would lift up a prayer for him the day he died and spread his ashes at sea.”

When does Heber feel closest to God? “I feel closer to the Lord in the midst of need, especially when I am ministering to someone going through difficult life struggles.”

Timothy (“Tim”) Brassell pastors the GCI congregation in Baltimore, Maryland and serves as a district pastor.

Tim’s father Rufus was a professional heavyweight boxer, so while growing up, Tim met many interesting and famous people. “My dad fought with Muhammed Ali, George Foreman, Jimmy Ellis, Jerry Quarry and others. He had a winning record of 18-7 and was ranked as high as eighth. Like Ali, he trained with Angelo Dundee at the 5th Street Gym in Miami.”

Tim was born in Nuremberg, Germany, where his father served in the Army. “I grew up in Lima, Ohio, my parents’ hometown, and then in Bluffton Ohio. In my adult years I returned to Lima. In ministry I’ve lived in various places in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and now I live in Baltimore, Maryland.”

Tim and his family started attending WCG around 1973/74, “although my entire life I was under the influence of Armstrongism since my dad was a long-time Plain Truth reader.”

Tim began serving in pastoral ministry in Findley, Ohio. “Due to the doctrinal changes in 1995 our pastor left. The pastor from our sister congregation in Toledo became the new pastor, but needed help serving the two congregations. A coupon appeared in The Worldwide News that invited those sensing a call to pastoral ministry to reply. Many members in my congregation encouraged me to do so. I did, and was appointed to serve on the pastoral team in my congregation.”

Tim now is the senior pastor of GCI’s Baltimore congregation, serving with his wife, Donna. “Without her, there would be no ministry of Jesus through Timothy Brassell. She has been a great support and an active participant in the journey every conceivable way: relationally, physically, mentally and emotionally. We’ve always been on the same page–being reformed together. Through it all. she has held down a job and taken care of the home!”

Tim and Donna recently celebrated 22 years of marriage. They share family life with three others: “Our oldest daughter, Jocelyn, is completing her first year in the Coast Guard and serves in the Cape Cod area, pursuing a career in the intelligence field. Our youngest daughter, Autumn, is wrapping up 10th grade and already is pursuing a career as a cosmetic dentist while enjoying softball. Remy, our dog, still tries to lick us to death—but we’re ‘still ticking’ and loving on her!”

When asked what he enjoys most about being a GCI pastor, Tim said this: “My favorite thing is proclaiming the good news of the relational God revealed in Jesus; declaring, against the wisdom of the world, that every human is in him. I share this every way I can, full- time, starting with family. My love relating, thinking, living and speaking out of the love and life of the Father, Son and Spirit shared with all creation all the time—without the religion and right in the middle of the deep brokenness we all share! I greatly enjoy being in a world-wide fellowship of ever-reforming, loving, humble, accessible, free, open and risk-taking people (they hired ME! Ha!).”

Tim has many interests beyond his primary vocational calling. He enjoys doing commercial voiceovers “I have done voiceovers for national, regional and local commercials around the world. I’ve even been the voice of a roller coaster! I record voiceovers from time-to-time in my home studio. I would love to do more of these when I retire from working full-time as a pastor. Tim also enjoys watching movies and shows with his family; traveling to the Islands; listening to, writing, playing and recording music; collecting rocks and lots of reading.”

Tim’s most memorable moment as a pastor has to do with when he became one. “My parents told me all my life I should be one. Coworkers on my job told me I should be one. I felt I should be one and tried doing everything right and going to all the right places, but I was turned down at every point. Finally, in his own time and radical way, God brought it about. Wow!”

Tim feels closest to God when “proclaiming the gospel of the relational God revealed in Jesus, especially when preaching and teaching. He also feels close to God when thinking and praying, hearing about God in all kinds of ways from others and when dancing and seeing others dance distinctly and freely in the joy of the Lord!”

Going back to his early childhood, Tim shared that, “because of my dad’s fame as a boxer and because of my parent’s good character, our family had a lot of favor with many people. My dad trained many young kids in Lima to box, helping keep them off the streets. As a result, I experience favor to this day whenever the family name is mentioned.

Tyler Acton, grandson of retired GCI regional pastor Ken Williams and his wife Nancy, toured France in June with his high school choir. They performed in Paris, Versailles and Normandy (watch a short video of their performance below).

Ken reports that, “The time in Normandy was particularly moving for Tyler and the other singers. Seeing all the white crosses decorating so many graves, they shed tears while singing the National Anthem at the raising of the American flag. They worked a year and a half to make the trip possible. Nancy and I are very proud of Tyler.”

Watch on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDm7laFjqZI.

Joel Irusta, pastor of GCI’s congregation in Greensboro, North Carolina, tells of a family history that many only dream about. “My paternal grandparents were Basque immigrants from the old country. As far as we know, my dad was the first person on his side of the family to be born outside of Spain. Early on in the US, the Basque people were treated harshly; but through hard work they gained the respect of others and today are accepted. Growing up with exposure to this different culture and language, along with a strong work ethic, continues to influence who I am. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that everyone didn’t have grandparents who spoke and lived differently. My maternal grandparents owned a cattle ranch that was literally out ‘in the middle of nowhere’ in the foothills of Idaho. On that ranch we (my siblings and cousins) rode horses, helped brand cattle, gardened, fished and played and played. We hiked the hills for hours at a time. Camping and fishing were regular parts of our summers.”

Joel grew up in Boise with an older brother and younger sister. “My dad was a self-employed auto mechanic and my mother didn’t work outside the home. It was a simple life with a lot of family gatherings and activities. My dad taught us that common sense and thinking about others first was the most important education. My mother loved her life as a wife and young mother and made our childhood fun.”

After graduating from college in the mid-70s with a B.S. in chemical engineering, Joel went to work for a large engineering/construction firm. During that time he saw a telecast by Herbert W. Armstrong about hell and was intrigued. “Hell was a subject that troubled me because I just couldn’t accept a God who would punish people forever. At the same time, my mother who also was listening to HWA wanted to send for some literature but was afraid that the church would pester her once they had her name and address. So I sent for the literature myself and told her I would ‘let them have it’ if they bothered me because they promised not to. Together, we studied and began attending church services and were baptized. My dad was vehemently opposed to the church and what we were doing but we kept going. Eventually my sister joined us. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Joel’s job transferred him to North Carolina (his current home) to work constructing a new R.J. Reynolds tobacco processing plant. “I worked there as data processing manager, lead programmer-analyst and computer trainer. I met my wife Karen in North Carolina, so we decided to stay and raise our family there. I went to work for a small consulting firm and ended up going out on my own in the IT field where I’ve been self-employed for over 20 years. I blame my dad for that longevity!”

Joel and Karen have been married now for 28 years and have two children. “Our daughter Hillary participated in GCI’s Pastoral Internship Program and is now my associate pastor in the Greensboro church. She is also a student at Wake Forest School of Divinity working towards an M.Div. degree. Our son Jared who is a graphic designer is married to his beautiful wife Remmie. They are an active part of our lives and a joy to see grow. Our 16-year-old niece Katie lives with us and keeps us hopping with all the normal teenage drama and excitement.”

Since first joining WCG/GCI, Joel has served in some way. “I worked with the widows and single adults, I taught YES and YOU lessons and served in other areas as was needed. I became a deacon and then an elder. When the doctrinal changes hit, and through a series of circumstances over which I had no control, I found myself the pastor of the Greensboro congregation! Many told me that they definitely saw God’s hand in making it happen. Feeling overwhelmed, I went to seminary and earned a Master of Arts degree in Theology with a concentration in Christian Ministry. That was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done! Serving as pastor has been a joy and pleasure—something I feel I was meant to do.”

Karen serves right alongside Joel. “My wife serves with me in her own pastoral service—we do most things together and make a great team. She serves as the church treasurer. She grew up in this congregation, so she knows well the people here. As an introvert, she does her best work in one-on-one relationships with the ladies in the church. She listens, encourages and nurtures many.”

Joel says being a pastor is sometimes like being a father. “It has moments of triumph and moments of defeat. I really enjoy being involved in the spiritual formation of disciples of Jesus. Being pastor puts me on the front-line of that formation. Each person is different, so it’s a joy to get to know them personally and join them in their journey of transformation. Teaching has always been a joyful experience for me—something I look forward to each week.”

When asked about a most memorable moment, Joel mentions his son’s marriage. “I had the wonderful opportunity last October to officiate at the wedding of my son and daughter-in-law. It was a beautiful outdoor fall wedding—one of the most perfect days ever. It was a joy to have my handsome son and his beautiful bride stand before me and commit their lives to each other.”

Joel shared what many may not realize. “I am a confirmed introvert and comfortable being so. Many in our extroverted culture think there is something wrong with us introverts. But we are just fine and doing quite well! God has gifted us as we are. Being an introvert allows me to observe and learn things about others that extroverts might miss. That knowledge helps me join others in their spiritual journey. I’m honored to do so. Being an introvert, I sense God’s presence in little ways and places. When I’m preparing a sermon and the Holy Spirit brings the pieces together, I’m in awe. When having a deep one-to-one conversation with someone, I sense God’s presence and again I’m in awe. When someone says just the right thing at the right time, I realize that it came from God.”

This ties in with Joel’s chief passion in life, which is to know Jesus and make him known. “He entered into my life as a child and has been with me every step of the way! In him life is a beautiful, messy experience that makes sense.”

Joel loves to call GCI his home. “That’s what I enjoy—that feeling of belonging and being home. The people I serve are beautiful and a delight to spend time with. Our journey together in GCI has been an exciting move of the Holy Spirit. I look forward to our continued journey—seeing our younger leaders leading us into the future.”

Here is a short video with Stuart Mahan who pastors GCI’s congregation in Toledo, Ohio. Stuart talks about becoming a pastor and about reaching out to his friends.

On YouTube at http://youtu.be/eOTYG9J4qwY.

Many Weekly Update readers will recognize the Egbert name. Jeb and Barb Egbert have influenced many people of all ages through their leadership in GCI’s US camp system. Both served as directors of SEP—the former GCI camp in Orr, Minnesota. Jeb also served for several years as co-director of Generations Ministries.

You may know that Jeb and Barb have three children: John, James and Brittany. What you may not know of is the exceptional musical talent of their son James.

For several years James has served at GCI’s SEP Rockies camp as a counselor and worship leader. For his career, James chose to be a musician—and he has become an outstanding one! James frequently performs concerts around the country and recently performed in Tokyo.

The genre of James’ music is Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Just recently he learned that one of his songs, a remix of Emeli Sande’s “Next To Me,” was used during Apple’s much anticipated presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco. To listen to that song, click here. If you would like to drop James a note of congratulations, you can connect on his Facebook.

James serves as a worship leader and worship band percussionist at GCI’s Ground Zero Church in Denver, Colorado. He’s produced remixes of several contemporary worship songs that you can download for free at https://soundcloud.com/spiriteyesmusic.

Jeff Chandler, pastor of the GCI church in Jonesboro, Arkansas, is less of a man than he was just a couple years ago—100 pounds less to be specific. “I am thankful for what God has been doing in my life in regard to health. It has turned into part of the ministry God has for me. I think I am a better tool for Jesus to use as a result of getting my health in check. As a result of Trish and my involvement with Fitness Bootcamp Unlimited where I lost the weight, the owners are now members of our church.”

Jeff’s grandparents were baptized in 1955. “They never attended regularly, primarily because there was no church in the area—my mother started going to WCG in 1968 when I was 2 years old. She drove from Milan to Memphis, Tennessee for several years until a church was started in Jackson. I was shy early in life even though I had four brothers. SEP in Orr, Minnesota (1982) and SEP in Big Sandy, Texas (1985) were a couple of the greatest experiences of my life up to that time. I loved to play sports, especially baseball, basketball and football, and I loved music, especially singing. Thankfully, our family took advantage of all the YOU and WCG activities.”

It was at a YOU activity that Jeff met his wife Trish. “She was 15 and I was 16 when we both knew we would be married one day. We went to Ambassador College in Big Sandy in 1986. We got engaged in Amman, Jordan in 1990 (she visited me during our Jordan Foreign Project). We married during the summer before my senior year. Then we moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas where Trish’s family still lives.”

Jeff and Trish have been married 23 years and have two children. “Our daughter Josie (18) just graduated from high school and will be attending Arkansas State University this fall. My son Legend (14) will enter the 9th grade this fall. Josie loves music and wants to teach art and music. Legend loves animals and thinks he will be working with them when he grows up.”

Trish is a director for SHARP, a health organization at a local hospital. “She’s better than me at most everything,” Jeff shares. “I truly married up.” Along with her job, Trish serves alongside Jeff doing something at church almost every week. “Trish is either leading Church Life or Communion, offering prayer or giving the sermon. She plays a vital role in organizing our special services at Christmas and Easter. Most of the growth in numbers we have had in our church has been a result of her personal relationships. She has the ability to draw people to her. Her unconditional love creates an inclusive spirit that is unmistakable and magnetic. Her prayers are deep and heartfelt—so much so that we have no doubt that we are kneeling right in front of God or sitting in his lap carrying on a conversation. She is a blessing to me, my family and the church.”

Jeff notes that following college, “Tom Blackwell, our pastor in Jonesboro, became my mentor. He guided me and encouraged me in Christian service. Then in 1996, we moved to Nashville, Tennessee and dropped from the church scene for eight years. We visited a few churches when my daughter Josie was invited to church by school friends. This is when we decided to visit WCG and became reacquainted with our church family. In Nashville I was privileged to have two mentors: Pastor Ray Gardner and Deacon Bill Floyd.” In August 2007, Jeff was asked to serve as assistant pastor to Ray after Ray found out he had prostate cancer. “He passed away in 2008 and I moved into the senior pastor position. I was able to meet with him every week for the last couple months of his life—it was a wonderful time of mentoring that I will always cherish. Bill continues to mentor me. I am so thankful for these father/grandfather figures in my life.”

“Yelling the good news” is what Jeff loves most about being a pastor. “I love the opportunity to participate in his love with others and to be given a platform to talk about God. I finally have a desire to yell from the rooftops that God loves us. When our focus was the law, my desire to tell people about what I believed was just not there. Why would I stand on rooftops yelling, ‘You won’t go to the place of safety if you don’t believe what I’m trying to tell you.’ But now I can yell the good news: ‘God loves you—and not only that, you are his—believe it!!!’”

What Jeff appreciates most about GCI is its inclusive theology. “I love that we don’t think we have all the answers and that we continue to seek them. I love that we believe that Jesus died for all and that death applies to all. I love that we bring in people from other denominations to speak about the one God we all believe in. I feel this helps in unifying the body of Christ, the one church.”

Our theology leads to Jeff’s passion. “My passion is viewing people in light of who they are in Jesus. I teach English as a second language at Arkansas State University. The majority of the students I have been teaching are Muslims from Saudi Arabia. God put me in this position a year after he placed me in the position as pastor in Jonesboro. Holy Spirit has been showing me his presence in all my students. I have been able to experience a spiritual relationship with them that I would not have thought possible several years ago. I am able to make a love connection with my students because God is love. He is working on all my students as he works on me—through the Holy Spirit. Knowing how Holy Spirit brought me to understand who Jesus is makes me confident that he is doing the same with my students. Now, I simply connect with the Spirit—and that connection looks like love. I am compelled by his love to no longer look at my students the way I once did.”

Jeff also has a passion for relationships. “I love finding oneness in relationships. This oneness is not something I create, but discovering and then participating in the oneness already created by our Triune God. I describe my teaching at ASU as ‘relational teaching.’ God loves them through me—they love me through the Spirit—then we learn English.”

The most memorable moments Jeff has had as a pastor were baptizing both his children, a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law, two nephews, a niece and blessing one of his infant nephews. “There is nothing like connecting with family in this way.”

Asked when he feels closest to God, Jeff said, “When he loves through me and I recognize him doing so. When that happens, I find myself wrapped in his oneness. I feel closest to God in this chaotic and active lifestyle I find myself. These days I don’t have the privilege to visit with him often in quiet. With being a father, husband, bivocational pastor, full-time instructor at ASU, graduate student (seeking a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at Azusa Pacific University) and maintaining an exercise program, life doesn’t often allow me to slow down and get quiet. Thankfully, I find God active in my life in all these activities—even in my exercise routine.”

In closing, Jeff commented: “As a result of Trish and my involvement with Fitness Bootcamp Unlimited where I lost the weight, we have started a Worship Workout service on Sunday evenings (see picture above right). For about a year now, we have had 20-30 people attend regularly. Worship Workout is a 30-minute aerobics workout done with Christian music (Toby Mac style) followed by a 5-10 minute message and prayer. Cornelius Lovelace, the owner of Fitness Bootcamp, leads the workout; I give the messages. This is one of the most rewarding hours of the week for me.”