Category: Be Inspired

David Husmann, pastor of GCI congregations in Sioux City, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, says that he first noticed God working with him at age 11. “I know God was with me then, because I remember beginning to question who he might be and how I should respond to him. One cold winter night, unable to sleep, I climbed out of bed, got on my knees and for the first time prayed openly to God. I don’t remember what was said, but I know I was responding to God. My relationship with him grew from there.”

David’s family had been receiving sacks of old newspapers and magazines from his great aunt, which his family would use to start fires in the wood furnace. In those sacks were copies of the Plain Truth magazine. “My mom and dad and I responded over a period of several years to what we read. We requested a visit in 1966 and in 1969 began attending church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I was baptized in 1970.”

David has always lived in Northwest Iowa. “My father purchased a 40-acre farm near Westfield in 1962 when I was age 12. He was disabled shortly after we moved in, so my mother went to work and I took on much of the farm responsibilities.” During high school I worked the farm and drove a school bus to supplement our income. I had my own dogs and a small horse. I enjoyed caring for them. I marvel at how God provides special events and creatures to help us grow toward him.”

David says he always has seen God’s involvement with his family. “God used the experiences we went through when Dad was hurt to grow us spiritually. We also received physical blessings from God—cows for milk, chickens for eggs, steers for sale income and our own fresh meat.”

In 1975, David met his wife Linda at a church service in Omaha. “I really likedher, but she did not like me. So I went to work to win her. We married in 1976. She remains my mainstay and grounding influence. When we first met, I saw in her a stately, grounded follower of Christ who complemented my own approach to life. She supports me by her words and presence. I experience God’s support through her.”

David and Linda have three children. “Our son, Michael, is married to Amanda and they have our three grandchildren, Abigail (8), Shaylee (6, born on my birthday), and Briella (1). Our daughter Vanessa who is single is studying to become a dietitian. Our daughter Suzy, our youngest, is married to Jeff Froderman. They have no children yet. I have been privileged to officiate at both of our married children’s weddings.” Doing so is what David lists as his most memorable moments as a pastor.

David was ordained a deacon in 1996 and coordinated the YES and YOU programs in the Sioux City congregation. “We had a local Teens Encounter Christ program and a Youth for Christ program. In 1998, David attended New Pastor’s Training in Pasadena. “Since then I’ve grown into the pastoral role in Sioux City, having been ordained an elder in 1999 by Dave Fiedler, a wonderful mentor to me. I began pastoring a second church (Omaha, Nebraska) in 2003.” David says he experiences “deep-rooted joy in overseeing these two churches—sharing life with the Lord’s people: listening for their needs, encouraging them and interceding on their behalf in prayer. I love helping them reach their full potential in the Lord Jesus!”

When asked about what he enjoys most about being part of GCI, David replied, “I have always enjoyed our extended fellowship. Being able to get to know our brothers and sisters has always been a source of joy. I also love the education that GCI makes available for all levels of people.”

David says his life has been “an exercise in living faith. God led us through some rough times and remained faithful to us. The birth of our son Michael was nip and tuck—we almost lost him. But God brought us through. Our last birth was a troubled one also. We almost lost Susan, but God was with us through it all. God moved mightily with Linda and me when we moved from the farm—a move we sensed was God’s will. Shortly after, I was asked to run for Councilman in our city. With no investment of time on my part, I was elected to that seat for four years. I gained a solid education in small town dealings. Representing the town, I went three times to Washington D.C. to speak with key government people. God also led me to work for three years as a teacher’s aide and bus driver for experience with the younger generation. He put us in a position to learn and grow spiritually for his purposes for us and for his church.”

“We have had our share of hard trials,” said David. “I had a heart attack and Linda has battled diabetes and breast cancer. At one point, I struggled with burn-out as a pastor. Then I had an accident and my legs were run over by a flatbed trailer. But in all of these trials, God was with us every step of the way. Our Faithful God helped us become faithful to him in and through these experiences.”

David’s passion is “helping people out of the deep love that God gives me for them. As part of my current job driving a concrete truck, I train new hires. In that role I’ve been recognized as a solid coach-trainer. God has gifted me to serve as a life-coach for others. So as I approach retirement, I think I would like to focus on coaching those who come after me.”

Asked when he feels closest to God, David said, “A while back I would have answered that by saying when I pray, but now it seems as I get older, I feel closest to God as I relate to others. To me this shows God’s closeness to all people. I feel especially close to God when he answers prayers said on behalf of those I am blessed to work with.”

The day following the death of her husband, GCI district pastor and church pastor Arnold Clauson, Trish Clauson wrote in her personal journal the entry reproduced below. She then read it as a tribute to Arnold at his funeral on May 3.

Going Forward

Yesterday my beautiful husband died! I still don’t know where to put that…how do I absorb such a thing? If it weren’t for the fact that I believe with every ounce of my being that God is behind this, I would collapse. The weight on my chest is crushing me. I know that death occurs, has been happening for centuries. But how do people do it? Where do you put it?

I am not sure what I am feeling. I am numb and screaming all at the same time. Guess I have been doing that for a while now though. From the moment I first found out that Arnold had cancer I have been on this unstoppable freight train…that just crashed!! And now there is this hole…this space that was his space and it’s not being filled any more. What do I do with that?

My head is so full of opposing thoughts. On the one hand Arnold is in a better place. For all I know he may be singing and dancing with Jesus this very moment. I wouldn’t want to take that away from him…I couldn’t. But then he will be so missed here by so many. I know that life will go on. We will find our way without him. We will find a way to go on and to fill in the gaps he would have filled. But, right now it hurts so much. In time it will become our new normal. We will remember, we will lament, but we will go on.

I am in two minds. In the one is the crushing reality and memories of what just happened. These last eight months have been torture and hell on earth for me. I watched as my beloved husband disappeared before my eyes…disappeared in both mind and body. But never did he complain or question God. He submitted himself completely to God’s will and moved through each day with grace and dignity.

But it was torture to watch. It gutted me. It took everything to keep going every day…to keep up with all of the demands, physically, emotionally, mentally and sometimes even spiritually. When I stand away from it, it devastates me all over again to think about it. It wasn’t pretty. At times the pain was almost unbearable.

But then there was the other mind. The one I willfully chose to go into. The one that showed me where God was…what He might be doing…what I thought I saw Him do. Scriptures came off the pages to me. Psalms 23 became my life-line. I went through it again and again in my mind. I saw myself in it. I saw God in it with me.. .with Arnold. Holding us. Loving us. I knew He was there, so I looked at all of it through His eyes. The eyes of a loving Father choosing to let his beautiful son leave this earth, while holding up His daughter so she wouldn’t crumble into a million little pieces. I saw God there, but not where I wanted Him to be. I wanted Him to deliver us…to bring us back to a place where we could still hold each other and be together, but it became more and more apparent as the months went by, as Arnold’s body continued to shrivel up, that God wasn’t going to stop it Instead He just held me…held me away from the churning waters ready to swallow me into some a great abyss…away from a fire of pain and agony…yearning to consume me.

God gave me everything to go forward…but Arnold. That was never meant to be. Yet, through His eyes of love, He gave me peace. He gave me love. He showed me that out of pain a love and a peace can emerge that passes understanding. That in the depths of tragedy His radiance is often the most brilliant.

When Arnold was taken away, around 5:00 AM Saturday morning, I looked up to the heavens. Morning was just breaking and the sky was clear, still so full of stars. My first thought was, “You would love this sky, my darling.” And then I thought…but we have seen this so many times before…it wasn’t something he hadn’t enjoyed time and again. He would be okay. I just needed now to hold on to the memories of the things he had done…the many things we had done together and not lament those he would no longer be doing.

I went inside and just wandered around the house. My desire was to immediately clean the den and put it back in place. I didn’t want to see the bed and all the hospital equipment anymore. But would I miss it later? How could I? It was never a welcome sight in our home. It held my husband prisoner, yet at the same time it gave him comfort. It was a blessing to have those physical materials to keep him safe and as healthy as possible. It was good and bad…two minds.

Then it hit me. The questions I didn’t see coming, wouldn’t have known would raise themselves up and slap me in the face: Did I do enough? Did I love him enough? Did I tell him enough? Did I appreciate him enough? These questions crushed me all over again. How could I let him go if I didn’t do enough? But before they could wreak havoc in my soul, before they could gut me…I remembered…I remembered over eight months of loving him…bathing him, singing to him, massaging his feet with oil…living most every moment planning every detail of his care. Yes, I did tell him again and again how much I loved him, respected him, admired him. Every day for over eight months.

Could it be true then, could it be real. . .those months of hell and exhausting pain would eventually give me peace and even joy to know. . .that maybe I did enough? He never wondered? He knew? How can this be? How can something so painful, so gut wrenching…be such a gift?

Yesterday was a flurry of what…I don’t know. People sending condolences. I got to talk to so many…I felt okay. I knew that God had this…that He knew what He was doing. I was calm and assured. And then the floodgates would break and I would cry uncontrollably. The pain…the passing…the loss. Two minds.

I keep going back to those final moments, ones that will carry me to the end of my days: My daughter Rachelle and I, and Jennifer the hospice nurse, talking, reminiscing. It was peaceful and comfortable. I was awake and alert…1:00 AM…2:00 AM. Even laughing some. But always watching. Watching Arnold breathe, watching him move further and further away from this life and into the next. Jennifer said to watch his breathing. It will become more shallow and his breaths would get further and further apart. It was obvious that was happening. At one point she offered that we take him off the oxygen. Rachelle looked at me…I didn’t know. Was it because we were so close? Was it time to let him go? Then Rachelle looked at Jennifer and said, “No let’s just leave him on it.” I was thankful to not have to think about that anymore. I went back to watching his breaths.

Then Rachelle said, as her hand lay on his heart, “Look at his neck Mom and you will see his heart beat.” What a gift. I could see his heart beating…holding on to life a little longer. Then I said, “Wow, it’s beating so fast.” But that’s as it had been for months. It just was so strong and it amazed me a little. Then at that moment, for reasons I only believe now to be a move in me from God, I said, “I need to sing him a song.” Even the pronouncement of it surprised me. I don’t know where the song came from. I had no premonition of it, no thoughts beforehand that it would be an appropriate song to sing. But it came: “God be with you til we meet again…hmm, hmm, hmmhmm, hmmm,” I couldn’t remember the words. They were somewhere in the archives of my mind, but they wouldn’t come. Yet, I couldn’t stop to retrieve them, I just had to keep humming…and watching his heart beat. As I sang, his beats slowed a little. I thought, “How nice, my singing is slowing down that rapid beat. I am calming his soul.” I continued singing, his heart continued to slow…and as I finished “God be with you til we meet again”…it stopped. I was in shock. What was I seeing? I looked up to his mouth…there were no breaths. I looked at Jennifer who was coming over to check him. Could this be…didn’t he have at least a few hours left? No…he was gone…he was really gone.

Moments before this all began, I had been telling Rachelle that I didn’t know how to “hold this space.” I knew we were watching him fade…I knew that in time he would leave us. I wanted to find a way to hang on to those last moments. And then it happened…there it was another gift from God. It all happened so fast, there wouldn’t have been time for me to plan any of it, even if I had had the mind to do it. It just happened. I felt God gave me the privilege of taking my precious husband’s hand and ushering him into his new world…a world without pain, or suffering…a world that would no longer hold him prisoner to his mind and body. He was now safe. He was now and forever to be okay. And I, his other half, bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh…got to walk with him to that space to let him go. I could almost see him waving back to me…a big smile on his face as if to say, “See you soon.” A gift in the middle the greatest loss of my life. Love out of the midst of sorrow. Two minds. One here on earth and the other with eyes on our loving, heavenly Father.

Gifts…so many gifts. And I expect God isn’t through with me yet. He seemed to go to such great lengths to be sure that I was being cared for during these past eight months even with Arnold still beside me. I am sure I can expect no less as I go forward now without him. I can’t imagine what that will look like. I have never wanted it. Still don’t. But now I have no choice.

With the one mind I will ache. The pain and the loneliness will be suffocating at times I am sure. I will hate it. Yet with the other mind…the one that is assured of my Father’s love for me…assured that in His choice to let Arnold leave my side, that it was not to punish me or to become a continuous trial. Instead it is some divine timing on His part to further a plan of which I am not privy, but obviously a part of…a plan that will be continuously immersed in His love and care.

From the moment we first heard the word “cancer” my constant and continuous prayer was, “God, please orchestrate every detail.” But so many of them were too hard to accept. They didn’t make sense. I couldn’t reconcile so much pain with a God who is love. Yet, I knew I had to keep trusting Him…I had to keep believing that He knew what He was doing. Because if Arnold died, I couldn’t lose God too!

I have watched God work in my life for 50 years now. We have a history together and it is always the same. In the midst of pain. . .in the midst of the worst pain comes the greatest blessings. . .the most profound connections made with the Creator of this Universe. He never ceases to keep me on my knees, and in total awe of His goodness and His faithfulness. This time was no different.

All I can say is “Good-bye my darling. I will miss you deeply and profoundly. I will hold the memories of our life together in my heart and I will cherish the parts of you that connected with the parts of me, molding me into the person I have become today. I will look forward with more eagerness than ever to see you again. I want to hear your voice again. I want to hear how this experience changed you. I want to feel your arms around me. But, also know I will be okay in the meantime. Not only am I certain that God now has my back, as you have always had, I also know that I can’t let you down. You taught me so much, by just being, and doing. I watched and I learned. You were the love of my youth, the love of my life and the strength of my soul. No other, besides Jesus, has ever held a place so deeply in my heart. So, I will say one more time, ‘God be with you till we meet again.'”

“I’m a geek and a nerd and I live on the bleeding edge of technology. I’m one of the few pastors who would love to go to Comicon and the CES show” said David Howe, pastor of Grace Family Fellowship, our GCI congregation in Elkhart, Indiana. “I’m a geek in the true sense of the word. I had to play with the cutting edge gadgets as-seen-on-TV, including the Flowbee, Dyson vacuum (not a good Valentines gift!), hybrid car and anything cutting edge. I had the first smart phone in 1996 (a Nokia 9000 Communicator; I still have it).”

David grew up in Linden, Michigan and started attending the Flint, Michigan church with his parents in 1973. “I basically grew up in the church. I am challenged by the pursuit of truth. What started as attending the only church I ever knew, transformed into a quest to find God in my life and develop a deep and personal relationship with him. Our changes indicated to me that we were serious about finding the Truth, the Way and the Life.”

David said he wanted to be a pastor since he was a teen and decided to attend Ambassador University. His dream changed for a while after graduation. “After Ambassador, I followed the path that was open, which was technology. I didn’t imagine that God needed to take me on a longer journey to prepare me for what he had in store.”

It wasn’t long before ministry opportunities came about and David started attending the Port Huron, Michigan church in 2002 to work with and be mentored by bi-vocational pastor, Jim Meade. Not long after that, David became the congregation’s bi-vocational co-pastor. “After getting laid off in 2005, and being unable to find an open door in that area, I applied to be the pastor of our Elkhart and Michigan City, Indiana churches. I went full-time in those responsibilities in 2006, then in 2009 I became the bi-vocational pastor in Elkhart.”

David and his wife Ann have been married for 21 years. “She is my soul mate and we have three children, Amanda (12), Ariana (10) and Taggart (8). Ann works with the middle-school ministry, but more importantly she helps me with my messages to make sure I’m able to connect with everyone in my congregation. Most importantly, she is the evidence for me that God loves me unconditionally—she is a constant support and encouragement.”

When asked what he enjoys most about being a pastor, David said, “The chance to see people come to a personal relationship with our Triune God. Being a part of peoples’ lives when God is working through them is also something I enjoy. I love seeing relationships mended and blossom. I love being a part of God’s tool chest to help people be inspired by the Holy Spirit.” Along this line, David said that what he loves about GCI is “our understanding of the early church’s beliefs of who God is—this has been exciting and life changing for me. That I can share in the journey of this denomination as God leads us into the next chapter, is wonderful.”

When asked to share about a most memorable moment as a pastor David recalled a time when, “There was a teenager my wife and I worked with when we came into the area. She had a rough environment and attended our church on her own from the time she was a kid. When she was 16 she decided to get baptized and that was a very memorable moment for us.”

David has many interests. “I love to travel and seek adventure. I’ve sky-dived, white-water rafted, rock-climbed, did the NASCAR driving school in Fort Worth, was scuba-certified, and traveled most of the 48 states by car. I’ve been to England, Spain, France, Canada, Puerto Rico, several islands in the Caribbean and Mexico and we are saving up for our 25th anniversary to take the family to Hawaii. After the kids go to college, my wife and I hope to drive to Alaska. I want to learn piano and how to sail. I hope to publish a children’s night-time story book that I’m working on now.”

With all these interests, David makes sure he has time for his true passions: his wife and family, and “reframing the gospel in ways that connect with the next generation. I’m interested in using technology to promote communication and relationships and to help people connect to our Father.”

When asked when he feels closest to God, David said, “When lying in my hammock with my wife next to me and a fire burning in the fire pit (and no mosquitoes!).”

Bill Linge, pastor of GCI’s congregation in Boise, Idaho, grew up near Seattle, Washington. “I grew up attending WCG from age five. My mother had been listening to The World Tomorrow broadcast since around the time I was born and had requested a visit. About five years later, she was contacted and invited to church.”

After high school, Bill entered the University of Washington. “I was an engineering major with a secondary emphasis in business administration. I was able to complete an MBA post-Ambassador, though I never got back to engineering. I ended up with a career in IT as the paying part of my bi-vocational career.”

Bill attended Ambassador University—first in Big Sandy, Texas, then graduating in Pasadena, California. “After graduation, I was hired by the church’s radio and television department and worked there until 1994, when the telecast was shut down. I accepted a severance package and Priscilla and I looked around for an area in the western U.S. where we could settle down. Initial doctrinal changes had begun (healing, de-emphasis on prophecy, God as Trinity, etc.) and we noticed that not all pastors were on board. In the city of Boise, we found a good economic base, a family-oriented civic community and a church with a pastor who appeared to be open to listening to and studying the changes that were coming out of Pasadena. So we settled down there with the idea of being ordinary church members and possibly raising a family.”

Bill and Priscilla (Taylor) have been married for 22 years. “We have two children: Kayleen (12) and Sean (8). We consider them a great blessing because early in our marriage we were told by doctors that we would be unable to have children, although we always had hoped otherwise.”

After moving to Boise, Bill and Priscilla started serving the congregation. “Priscilla and I supported many of the programs including youth ministry and children’s church, facilitating and hosting small groups, choir and worship. Nevertheless, we never seriously considered pastoring (seeing the burdens that some pastoral wives were under, Priscilla proclaimed that she would never be a pastor’s wife. However, it appears that the Holy Spirit took that proclamation as a challenge!).”

It was a tough time, Bill said. “The path was convoluted and somewhat painful–taking us through the doctrinal changes with its associated divisions and politics both at the denominational level and locally with friends and family on both sides. Priscilla and I were already convinced prior to leaving our jobs with the church in Pasadena that the changes were the result of God opening the eyes of the church; however, we tried to stay out of the fray, expecting older and more experienced members to provide local leadership. But when the local pastor was laid off for lack of local funding and had to begin looking for work elsewhere, the remaining local church leaders would not commit to supporting headquarters. Some even hinted that they might seek independence for the congregation and/or revert back to some of the old doctrines. This is when I found myself being pushed forward for local leadership. After serious prayer and soul-searching, leading to the “voice inside” insistently telling Priscilla and me what we did not want to hear, we spoke to the outgoing pastor and allowed ourselves to be put forward for pastoral training in January 1999. Upon my return, I served as a co-pastor with the outgoing pastor until he left, then was installed as the bi-vocational senior pastor.”

Priscilla, who did not want to be a pastor’s wife, has risen to her calling. “I don’t think I could do the job without her support! She serves as worship leader, sermon critic, private secretary, caterer, youth minister, back-up sound person, neighborhood liaison, encourager, private masseuse, social planner, prayer warrior, counselor, confidante and soulmate (I’m sure I could come up with other roles as well!). But she draws the line at speaking, so that leaves something for me to do!”

What Bill enjoys most about being a pastor is “being able to assure people who have spent their lives under legalism of the unconditional love and grace of God. It is particularly satisfying to watch the growing realization that this is real and that it applies to them. I also enjoy being able to serve others.” His most memorable moment as a pastor was “being able to baptize a co-worker from my paying job and her grandson.”

When asked what he enjoys most about being part of GCI, Bill said, “There is a commonality of background, with a common understanding of the pitfalls coming from many issues to which many Christians in other denominations seem blinded. I am excited by the depths of God’s grace that our Christ-centered, Trinitarian focus continues to reveal to us.”

Bill shared that his passions include, “My family, enjoying our local community, and being able to share news about God’s grace in Jesus Christ with those who are willing to listen.” He feels closest to God “in the openness of the natural outdoors, and in the midst of the worshiping congregation or small group.”

Ted Johnston, a member of the GCI’s US Church Administration and Development (CAD) team, grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana. “I attended the Methodist Church during my childhood, but in my teen years drifted away—spending most of my time with school and playing in a rock band (I had hair then!).” In 1968, amidst the turmoil of Vietnam war protests, race riots and assassinations of national leaders, Ted drifted from church. “At the same time, my father had a spiritual awakening through reading WCG literature. Following meeting with a WCG pastor, he urged me to apply to Ambassador College. Though I was not particularly interested, I did so. Following a series of rather miraculous events, I was accepted quite early in the year. I agreed to attend.”

A short time later, Ted attended a WCG church service for the first time (in Indianapolis). Then in late August 1969, Ted entered Ambassador College in Pasadena, California. His first date on campus was with Donna Graves from Pennsylvania. Ted and Donna married five years later.

In 1971, after two years at Ambassador, Ted transferred to Cal Poly in Pomona, California, at the request of Herbert Armstrong, who asked Ted to obtain a degree in landscape architecture so that he could bring that expertise to Ambassador’s Architecture and Engineering Department. Before he finished at Cal Poly, the entire department was laid off. Ted then went to work for EDAW, the landscape architects and planners who had provided services to Ambassador since it opened in 1948. Now employed by others, Ted continued to serve the church and college.

After graduating from Cal Poly, Ted and Donna married and lived for a short time in Southern California, where Ted began serving in youth ministry in the Santa Ana church. “Shortly thereafter, I was transferred by EDAW to Colorado. That is where our children Traci and Joe were born (actually Joe was born at our fall festival in Missouri, but that’s another story!).” Ted worked for EDAW in its Fort Collins, Colorado, office for several years as a project manager, then principal/vice president. “During those years, my family attended the Fort Collins church, where I served in preaching, music (leading the choir) and youth ministry. In 1987 after 15 years in business, I was re-hired by WCG—now to serve in pastoral ministry. My first assignment was in the Kansas City South and Topeka, Kansas congregations as assistant pastor. Then in 1990, we transferred to Colorado where I served as senior pastor of the Grand Junction and Craig churches.” During the years in Western Colorado, Ted also served as district youth ministry coordinator and coordinator of our Vail fall festival site. He also completed a master’s degree in psychology, with an emphasis in family ministry and counseling, at Regis University in Denver.

In 1997, the family was transferred to Ohio, where Ted served for three years as senior pastor of the Akron and Canton churches. Then in 1999, he began working as district superintendent for the Northeast U.S. He also started work on a master of arts in Christian studies degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, which he completed in 2007.

In 2000, in addition to his work as district superintendent, Ted began serving with Jeb Egbert as co-director of WCG-USA youth ministry. “When that ministry broadened in 2005, it was renamed Generations Ministries (GenMin). I had the opportunity to direct GenMin from 2006 through 2010. In 2010, I handed the baton of leadership to Greg Williams, who later handed it to Anthony Mullins.” Ted now serves on the CAD team as a regional pastor, ministry developer and communications coordinator. In the latter role he is webmaster of CAD websites, produces church development videos and produces several online publications: Equipper, GCI Weekly Update, The Surprising God and Sermon Series. Ted also serves on the faculty of Grace Communion Seminary, teaching Trinitarian Youth Ministry and Christian Counseling.

In 2012, Ted and Donna moved from Ohio to the gulf coast of Alabama to live near their daughter Traci, son-in-law Troy Calvert and two grandchildren Lauren (7) and Jack (4). Ted and Donna’s son Joe and Joe’s wife Carey live in San Francisco—a third grandchild is on the way!

Ted said that in all of his WCG/GCI roles over the years, “What has brought me the greatest joy is helping people, young and old, come to know the God who loves them, hear God’s call on their lives and then experience the joy of walking faithfully in that calling. It continues to be a great pleasure to equip people to share in ministry with Jesus. In doing so, I feel God’s presence and experience his pleasure. It has been a source of great joy and peace to share this calling with my wife Donna. She is amazingly loving, loyal and accommodating. We will celebrate 40 years of marriage this June.”

Kernani Cheny is a bi-vocational pastor serving GCI’s congregation in Martinique, a French island between Saint Lucia and Dominica. Martinique is referred to as “a little bit of France in the French Caribbean Islands.” Kernani says that his first name is from his father, derived from the Hebrew word “hanini,” which is used three times in Scripture. It means “God is gracious.”

Kernani, who is now 40 years old, grew up attending GCI with his parents. “I grew up in Fort-de-France, the Martinique capital. After graduating from a university in France with a bachelor’s degree in electronics and robotics, I returned to Martinique and began teaching technology and computer science in a secondary school. I also served as the manager of a vocational training center in socio-cultural activities. It was an interesting experience: training people who work with children and teens. This job gave me opportunity to travel and to work on pedagogy and education with many people around the world.”

In 2000, Kernani married Juliette. “We don’t have children but God gave us love for all children.” In 2007, Kernani was commissioned with Charles Voyer to be the pastoral team for his congregation. At the time, Kernani was involved with the teens and young adults. He notes that Juliette’s personal ministy is in encouraging people.

When asked what he enjoys most about being a pastor, Kernani said, “GCI Martinique is a warm and wonderful church. I’m thankful to God for the diversity of experiences with children, teens, young and elderly people. I enjoy especially the brotherhood in the congregation.” About GCI, Kerani said that he loves that it really is an international family.

Kernani’s most memorable times in ministry have been at retreats with teens. When asked about his passion, Kernani said that one passion is pedagogy—the art and science of teaching. “But my greatest passion is teaching about Jesus—a message that is simple, deep, relational and transformational.”

Kernani says he feels closest to God, “during the night when I watch the stars in the sky—it’s so amazing and beautiful. I feel the majesty and the intimacy of God.”

Mike Horchak, senior pastor of GCI churches in New Orleans and Hammond, Louisiana, always has loved the outdoors. As a child, Mike spent a lot of time fishing, camping, ice-skating, sledding and bike riding in and around his home in Detroit, Michigan. “From age 11-14 I was a boy scout, attending summer and winter camps and completing a mile swim by age 13. By age 14 I had saved enough to buy a 10-speed bike. Over the next two years I took many long bike rides, the longest being 70 miles in one day. On one occasion I motor-paced behind a large truck, getting up to 38 mph for about a mile (OK if you don’t mind eating gravel!). Today I love deer hunting—a hobby I began in my 30s.”

In 1963, Mike started attending GCI at age 13. “My father had been exploring religion and came upon the Radio Church of God. He began attending, taking with him my brothers and me. My Catholic mother was not interested at first, but started attending later.” Sabbath-keeping created problems for Mike and his brothers, who all were involved in school activities on Friday evenings and Saturdays. “I played drums in the band and ran track—I dropped out of both when we began observing the Sabbath. Initially, I attended church with my parents because I had to, but as time went on, my own relationship with God began to develop. I stepped out in faith and as I did so, the Lord came through in remarkable, unmistakable ways.”

After graduating from high school, Mike attended junior college for a year while working in restaurants. “I love to cook, and seriously considered becoming a chef.”

Mike applied and was accepted to Ambassador College in 1969. “I met my wife Pam while at Ambassador in Pasadena. I had always wanted to marry a girl from the South and she caught my eye early in my freshman year. I was attracted to her sweet and bubbly personality. I won her heart. We graduated on Friday, June 1 and married on Sunday, June 3, 1973. We lived in California for two years then moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which is Pam’s hometown. We lived there for the next nine years and I worked for a company that constructed and repaired utilities for municipalities. I helped in the local church speaking and visiting as my schedule permitted.”

Mike and Pam have been married for 40 years. “We have two children: Jeff is single, and a television sportscaster. His passion is sports so he has an ideal job. Our daughter Holly is a newlywed, just married three months ago. She and her husband, Deron Grafton, love children—he is an adapted physical education teacher for special needs children. Holly is employed as a nanny for a baby boy.”

Mike was ordained an elder in 1982. “In 1984, Mr. Tkach Sr. asked if I would go full time in pastoral ministry. After prayer and discussion with Pam, we decided to accept. We were sent to Memphis where I assisted Rowlen Tucker and then Mark Cardona until 1988 when I was sent to be the senior pastor in Clarksburg, West Virginia. I pastored there until 1994 when I was transferred to New Orleans. I have been pastoring in New Orleans ever since and pastoring also in Hammond, Louisiana since 1996.”

Mike sees being a pastor as a “wonderful opportunity to love, serve and share in the lives of many people. To see the grace of Christ when people accept and believe and live in the love of Jesus is so wonderful! To experience people changing to live for Christ and begin to make a difference in the lives of others is most rewarding. My wife has also been a great blessing in my ministry. She has a passion for Jesus and has used her lovely singing voice to bring many into God’s presence in our worship services.”

When asked about his most memorable moments as a pastor, Mike referred to Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. “A majority of the families in our New Orleans congregation lost most of their physical possessions, including homes. The horrible devastation birthed a remarkable opportunity for ministry. I had the privilege of organizing work parties for missionaries in and out of our denomination and experiencing the miracles that occur when spirit-led Christians come together in love and unity to serve those in great need. I will always be grateful to have had a small part in restoring a city that needed love and hope in the aftermath of that great disaster.”

Speaking of GCI, Mike refers to, “the wonder and blessing of seeing God bring us (both young and old) through an amazing spiritual journey as he has furthered the work of the gospel, now leading us into growth through church planting. It’s a wonderful joy!”

When Mike talks about his passion, he talks about hunting and fishing, “experiencing the beauty of the creation God shares with us.” But his greatest passion is “knowing Jesus and making him known by helping others understand how much God loves them and has included them in his life forever.”

Asked when he feels closest to God, Mike said: “When I am able to spend time with my wife, children and others that I love. This gives me a feeling of closeness to God because the special people in my life are a great blessing from him. The triune God models the great importance of relationship with him and others. “I also feel drawn to God when I spend quiet time with him in the woods hunting or on a body of water fishing. Being surrounded by the beauty of his creation reinforces the reality that our awesome God is worthy of our worship.”

Tom Kennebeck, pastor of Northland Community Church, GCI’s congregation in Orr, Minnesota, grew up in Fountain City, Wisconsin, which Tom says is “a small town in southeastern Wisconsin nestled between towering limestone hills and the mighty Mississippi River. As the oldest of six boys I loved to play outdoors, fish and hunt with my grandpa.”

Tom became part of GCI/WCG in the early ’60s. “I grew up in a home where my Mom was a WCG member and my dad was Lutheran. I believe one of my mom’s favorite scriptures was Proverbs 22:6, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.’”

Tom remembers working on the Bible Correspondence Course when he was about 10. “I was in the upper bedroom reading about the story of Abraham and his son Isaac. It was at that point I yearned for a faith like Abraham’s. I wanted to know God better.” Tom was also interested in being part of “the one and only true church.” “I did not want to be on the wrong side with God. As I grew in faith along with my denomination, I discovered this ‘truth’ was not true after all, and I came to understand that our relationship with God is founded in Christ and Christ alone. I learned about the God who loves us, and everyone, unconditionally. The journey has been fascinatingly wonderful.”

During his sophomore year of high school, Tom’s dad accepted a job in central Florida. “It was in Florida that my mother and brothers were able to take turns going to a WCG congregation. After graduating from high school I was accepted to Ambassador College in Big Sandy in 1973. After my first semester as a sophomore I was involved in a serious bicycle accident during one of our training exercises. In the spring of that year I discontinued college and entered the work force. In 1989, I accepted a job in the maintenance department at Ambassador University and during that time was able to graduate with the class of 1995. I continued to work at Ambassador until 1999 when I was offered the job of facilities manager at our SEP camp in Orr, Minnesota. My wife and family moved there and then in 2002, when the camp was sold, we moved into the nearby town of Orr.”

Tom and Sandy met at a GCI church convention in Wisconsin Dells in 1978. “We got married in February 1979. We just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary. We have two sons, Mitch (married to Simie Regnier) and Chris and a daughter Brandee (married to Ben Zacharias). We have 5 grandchildren: Esra and Zek from Mitch and Simie; Noah, Gavin and Lillie from Brandee and Ben.

Speaking of his wife Sandy, Tom says, “She is my best friend and the biggest supporter of what we are doing in ministry. She is a great planner and organizer. I believe her relationship with God is very transparent and true. I am so proud to be a part of her life and to have her a part of mine.”

At the close of the camp in Orr, Tom and Sandy said though they realized one chapter in their life was closing, their journey was to take another turn. “I felt a strong passion and I believe my wife and family supported the decision to remain in Orr. I believe it is not so much where we go, but that God is with us and doing his work in and through us wherever we are. Our relationship with the community grew; I became involved with a couple of the different denominations in town with a desire to serve in the church as a leader. My ties with GCI were strong because it is a part of our journey and I felt the strong desire to be a part of what God is doing with GCI. Our GCI district pastor visited us and we started a house church, which led to launching a GCI congregation in Orr in 2005.”

Tom has grown to love being a pastor. “What I like the most is working with people, sharing the love and life of who we are in Christ. I like relational reconciliation and counseling couples for marriage. I enjoy coming to see people become excited about God and how God involves them in his life and ministry.”

Speaking about GCI, Tom says, “What I enjoy most about being part of GCI are the friendships and the incredible journey we have been on. I appreciate the wonderful HQ staff and leadership.”

When asked about his passion, Tom said, “I’ve always liked to travel. I remember taking trips out west with my family at a young age. Shortly after my bicycle accident, several months of therapy and a lot of encouragement and help from a friend, I decided to embark on a 2,000+ miles bicycle road trip, from Texas to Wisconsin Dells to my home, which was north of Orlando. I was six weeks on the road with many flat tires, broken spokes and a lot of sunshine and beautiful sunsets. I met a lot of nice people, slept in some peculiar places and had a lot of time to think. It is during times like that when I feel closest to God. I’ve come to understand that life is a journey, sharing with one another the life and love of our triune God.”

The newspaper article below tells about Walter Deptula, pastor of GCI’s congregation in Nacogdoches, Texas. Walter attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, in the early ’60s where he first began tuning pianos. (Note: click on the article to enlarge it.)

Roger Abels, senior pastor of GCI’s congregation in Fort Wayne, Indiana, grew up in the village of Papillion about 20 miles southwest of Omaha, Nebraska. “I had always taken religion seriously” Roger shared. He enrolled in Midland Lutheran College with the anticipation of entering ministry. “After two years of college, it became clear that the Lutheran synod I had grown up in was becoming increasingly liberal. It was at this time that I began listening to The World Tomorrow broadcast and was immediately impressed that this was a denomination that took both the Scriptures and Christian living seriously.”

Roger left that college and transferred to Ambassador College in 1969. “For the next 45 years I have been blessed to do what I have always loved doing—teaching the word of God.”

Before becoming interested in pastoral ministry, Roger had another interest. “I grew up with a passion for playing baseball. It was the magnet that drew our family closer. I had been scouted by several major league teams, but lost interest after deciding to become a pastor while in college.”

Roger found out that desiring to be a pastor in the Lutheran college, and desiring to be a pastor in Ambassador College were two different things. “I transferred to Ambassador College at a time when ‘wanting to be a minister’ was almost a disqualification. Fortunately I kept a low profile and became a pastor after graduating from Ambassador College in 1972. I first pastored in Philadelphia, then Chicago and Louisville, Kentucky. I have pastored in Fort Wayne for the past 24 years.” Roger recently announced that he will be retiring from employed pastoral ministry this coming June.

While in college, Roger met Donna Lynn May. They have now been married for 42 years. “I would summarize by saying that I definitely got the better end of the deal! For most of our married life Donna devoted herself to staying home with the children. She began painting portraits, landscapes and still-lifes while we lived in Kentucky, and many of her paintings are in various hospitals and courtrooms in Louisville.”

Roger and Donna have three children, Jessica (married to Travis McClure), Courtney (married to Mark Harmon) and Travis (single). “Both daughters are in education and our son edits and produces movie trailers in Los Angeles and New York. We also have five young grandchildren: Ella, Oliver, Owen, Josie and Charlotte.

Roger shares what he enjoys most about being a pastor: “Over the years I have seen Christians struggle in their personal relationship with God—legalism, guilt, the ‘health and wealth’ gospel, etc. My greatest delight has been helping members break through these barriers and enjoy a relationship with God filled with peace, joy and meaning. Paul framed it as being ‘helpers of your joy,’ (2 Corinthians 1:24).” Roger continues: “Whatever gift I have for speaking to people’s hearts has grown out of wrestling with my own struggles.”

When asked about the most memorable moments as a pastor, Roger refers to times when he “preached to some 10,000 people at various feast sites, particularly about the victory we have in Christ.”

Speaking about GCI, Roger says, “Our spiritual journey has been unique and historic. It has been a remarkable experience to have participated with Christ in what he has done in bringing our denomination from the fringe of Christianity into the center of the fold.”

Roger says his passion is “reading (particularly theology and early American history), gardening, photography and sports.” He says he feels closest to God, “in the late evening on quiet walks or while singing worship songs when no one else is around—when only God could enjoy such out-of-tune and off-key singing with mangled lyrics!”