Meet the Team

Andrew is on a never-ending mission to inspire people to think correctly and creatively about God stuff. He believes that the powerful proclamation of the Gospel and of Christian doctrine demands both correctness and creativity to bring about dynamic spiritual transformation.

Andrew loves to preach and to teach. He has experience as a college professor at Ozark Christian College, the University of Arkansas, and at John Brown University. Andrew holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Arkansas. His doctoral dissertation defends the logic of the Trinity.

Andrew also has Master’s degrees in Philosophy from the U of A and in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. Andrew and his wife, Kim, are both graduates of Ozark Christian College. Andrew and Kim have four children. Andrew is an avid Superman fan and enjoys discussing spiritual and philosophical connections to the Superman mythology and to other fictional genres. Andrew follows baseball and pop culture closely.

Adam has been a dedicated member of Glendale Christian Church (GCC) for nearly two decades, serving as an Elder for the past five years. This year, he joined the GCC Ministry team as our Church Administrator. Adam is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master's in Clinical Psychology from Missouri State University.

Adam's passion for serving the community extends beyond his professional work. Over the years, he has contributed to GCC in numerous roles, including as a deacon, an adult Bible class teacher, on the Missions team, and on the board of Christian Campus House. He and his wife, Angela, have been married for over 20 years and have three children: Braden, Caleb, and Norah. Their long-standing commitment to GCC reflects their deep-rooted faith and dedication to serving others.

We are thrilled to welcome Vishal to the GCC team as our Worship Minister. Vishal is originally from India, but served as a missionary in Tanzania where he met his wife Nikita, and had his three children, Kiyara, Anaya, and Kev.

Vishal's journey in worship leadership, missionary work, music production, songwriting, and child and youth education has uniquely equipped him for this role. Despite his time performing as a musician, he has always felt a deep calling to worship ministry. His previous experience in the United States strengthened this calling, and now he and his wife felt led to continue their ministry here.

Their passion for witnessing Jesus' work through creative arts and reaching people through worship, guided by the Holy Spirit, is truly inspiring. Vishal and his family are excited and incredibly grateful to join our community!

Joe has been serving as the Youth Pastor at Glendale Christian Church since 2023, bringing over a decade of experience in youth ministry. He began his journey as a youth pastor in 2011, driven by a passion for guiding young people in their faith. Joe is deeply devoted to his family, including his wife, Kelsey, and their two daughters, Lacey and Ava. In his free time, he loves spending time outdoors and watching classic John Wayne movies.

Joe's greatest joy comes from witnessing the transformative work of Christ in the lives of those he serves. His commitment to nurturing the spiritual growth of youth is at the heart of his ministry.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Leah grew up immersed in church life as a minister's kid. From an early age, she discovered her love for working with children and quickly found her place in children’s ministry. Although she hadn’t initially envisioned working in a church, God’s plans led her to a deeper calling. During high school, Leah had a transformative experience with the Holy Spirit, which confirmed her path to ministry.

Leah attended Crossroads College in Rochester, MN, where she graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Theology, Family Youth and Community Studies, and Intercultural Studies. Throughout her journey, she has worked with children of all ages, including those with special needs, and feels deeply called to serve young hearts.

Leah and her husband Zac were married in 2019 and are the proud parents of their son, Theo. As foster parents, they share a heart for nurturing children in need. Leah is excited to serve the families at Glendale Christian Church and is passionate about partnering with parents to help kids grow in their faith and understand their significance as part of the church, regardless of their age.

Lydia has lived in the Ozarks for most of her life and has attended Glendale Christian Church since elementary school. With her mom as a children’s minister, Lydia developed a passion for working with kids early on and began volunteering in the children’s ministry as soon as she was old enough. She has always been involved, whether playing with babies in the nursery, reading to preschoolers, or worshiping with elementary kids.

Lydia graduated from Missouri State University in 2019 with a degree in Child Development and a minor in Religious Studies. She taught at Kids Korner Preschool for eight years before joining the Glendale office full-time as the Administrative Assistant and Early Childhood Minister.

In her role as Early Childhood Minister at Glendale Christian Church, Lydia’s mission is to make every child feel valued and loved from the very start. With a warm and nurturing approach, she ensures that even the youngest members of the church community experience God’s love and know they are treasured. Passionate about early childhood development, Lydia creates a safe and welcoming environment where kids can explore, learn, and grow in their faith. She believes in the power of making every child feel seen, heard, and appreciated, laying a strong foundation for a lifelong relationship with Christ.

Mike Sossamon is from Camden AR and moved to Branson in 1993 after attending Ouachita Baptist University.  He and his wife, Katherine, married in 1994 and have a son named Parker. Mike grew up in a Baptist church all his life and accepted Jesus into his heart as Lord and savior his junior year of high school.  Mike was president of his youth group his senior year and has been involved in several churches throughout his life.  

Mike graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre, Major emphasis in Tech and a Minor in TV production.  He has worked in several theatres in Branson and has spent many years working in the tech department for Silver Dollar City. He is also a licensed pyrotechnician for indoor and outdoor displays and works for Encore Pyrotechnics out of Ozark, MO.  

Mike’s plan is to enhance our worship services through audio and visual tools that will create an atmosphere that helps people focus on God.

Gary is a native of Minnesota - he froze out - moved south to Joplin to attend Ozark Bible College where he met his wife Becky. After college he managed a grocery store for a few years then entered the world of sales and marketing with French's Foods. He moved around the Midwest with Rebecca and their daughter and after a 28 year career with French's, retired early to become the Office Manager for Glendale Christian Church. After four years of work, Gary retired a second time. He came back to work here at Glendale in 2015 as the Facility Manager.

Gary and his wife Becky have been members of Glendale for over 30 years. He served as a deacon, an elder, and has been a volunteer for many of Glendale's ministries. For 20 years he served as the bookkeeper for the church. He views himself as an "enabler" doing behind the scenes work for other staff members enabling them to concentrate their efforts on doing what God has gifted them to do. If Gary had a motto, it would be, "I can fix that."

Dana was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to Joplin, Missouri to attend Ozark Christian College in the 80s. She met her husband, Tom, and they now have four children. They moved to Ozark in the early 2000s.

Dana loves kids and has worked with them for years. She thinks there is nothing better than to teach little ones about Jesus and how much He loves them. After working as the Children's Minister here at GCC for 15 years, she moved over to be the Director of Kids Korner Preschool, which is a ministry of Glendale for children ages 2 through 5.

Her passions include loving Jesus and seeing Him work in our everyday lives. A published author, she shares her experiences with Jesus in a book of short devotionals and has also published inspirational romance novels and a mystery series.

Dana will never turn down a chance to write, eat Oreo cookies or Cheez-Its, or sip on a Starbucks hot chocolate.

Kayleigh can’t remember a time when she wasn’t a part of Glendale. From visiting when her family lived out of state, attending youth group when they moved back to Missouri, getting married there, and now raising her daughters there. She has attended Glendale in some capacity for over 30 years.

Kayleigh is married to David, and they have two daughters, Ava and Carly. She has a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and is certified in Early Childhood. She has worked for Kids Korner Preschool since 2012. She has taught both the 2’s and Pre K classes and now works in the office as Assistant Director. She enjoys every second of her job at KKP, and loves seeing the kids learn scripture and grow in many different ways, as well as forming relationships with the families.