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Our Pastor
 To
those who know them best, Gordon and Shari seems more like one word instead of
two! From the very beginning thirty years ago, these two became inseparable in
love, in ministry… in life! Deeply passionate about God and His people, Gordon
and Shari’s callings are unique to each of them, but totally entwined together
as one.
Gordon is a graduate from Southwest Baptist University where he holds a Bachelor
of Music Education degree, Christ Unlimited Bible Institute and then Covington
Theological Seminary where he holds his Masters of Religious Education & Masters
of Theology. Gordon served as Music Director of Kansas City Youth For Christ for
10 years, training the best students from the entire metropolitan Kansas City
area to perform for weekly rallies, television programs on KCTV-50, and music
tours throughout the Midwest. God then called him into fulltime youth ministry
at Plaza Heights Baptist Church in Blue Springs for the next 15 years. In 2000
God led him to start Celebration Community Fellowship where he currently
ministers.
Shari is a graduate from the American Institute of Business and worked
professionally as Assistant Manager of the Kansas City Philharmonic and then as
Assistant Manager of KCTV-50 at Youth For Christ where she not only worked at
the TV station but produced several televisions programs, acting and singing as
well. It was here that she met and married Gordon and they began their family.
Shari wrote & directed many dramatic musicals for Gordon and the youth he
ministered to over those years. She served as Sunday School Director/trainer,
taught Sunday School, and has been a public speaker/teacher. She has ministered
to children, youth and women throughout the last 30 years. Shari homeschooled
all five of their children. Their first three children, all daughters, have
married and serve the Lord in their perspective churches. Their two sons are
still pursuing their education; the elder in Bible School and local university,
and the younger still homeschooled.
Gordon: "I suppose the above paragraph will be pretty important to some people
when choosing a church home. But the truth is, all those experiences served only
to bring me to this present season of my life and I find myself in a place where
it truly is all about Him and nothing about me. I find myself weeping more than
I ever used to as I have become aware of just how much I love Him…of all that He
has done for me…of all that He has taught me.
This journey has been rich with joy and sorrow and loss and gain and I wouldn’t
trade one moment of any of it for all the riches or fame in this world! To be
able each day to get up and discover Him all over again… well, I can truly say
it has been worth it all.
My prayer is that God can use me to help change just one more life, to equip
just one more person for his or her place in this life…that He will use me to
love one more person into His kingdom."
Shari: "I wish I could just sit down with you, enjoy a cup of coffee, and share
what Jesus means to both of us! To hear your story, to share mine, to build
relationship, well, that’s what ministry has become for me. So many people look
for a church full of activities and programs and stuff to keep them busy…but I
really like the word I’ve seen at Hobby Lobby Simplify. Just keep it simple. If
only we could just realize that what we truly hunger for is someone who cares…
someone transparent enough to share life’s victories and failures…someone who
has learned some stuff and is willing to pass it on to the next generation. I am
really like the woman at the well who ran back to tell everyone about a Man who
changed her life! Here’s what it is simply, Jesus loves me and He loves you and
if we find ourselves sharing the same road for a while, we can love each other
as well."
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