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.

Leah was born and raised in Minnesota. As a minister’s kid, she grew up in the church and has always loved being a part of the church. From a young age, she discovered her passion for kids and got plugged into children’s ministry as soon as possible. She never imagined working in a church, but God had bigger and better plans! In high school, she experienced the Holy Spirit in a way she had never before and knew that ministry was where God was leading her.

Leah attended Bible college at 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. She has worked with kids of all ages and has experience working with kids with special needs.

Leah and her husband, Zac, got married in 2019 and have a son, Theo. Leah is excited to be working with the families at Glendale. Her desire is to partner with parents to help kids know God and know that they are a valuable part of the church, no matter their age!

Lydia has lived in the Ozarks for most of her life and has attended Glendale Christian Church since she was in elementary school. She has a passion for kids. Ever since she was old enough, she has been volunteering in the children’s ministry. Whether she was playing with babies in the nursery, reading to the preschoolers, or worshiping with the elementary kids, she has always been involved.

Lydia graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in Child Development and a minor in Religious Studies in 2019. She has taught at Kids Korner Preschool for five years now and is currently teaching a 2-year-old class in addition to her role as Early Childhood Minister.

She currently lives in Rogersville with her shepherd mix dog Roxie. She loves seeing children grow in their love for Jesus, and is so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the beginning of their relationship with Him.

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.

Julia grew up on a farm in Nebraska where her creativity had plenty of room to grow. The simplicity of farm life and being home schooled allowed her to spend time writing, reading and playing piano and guitar. In High School she also developed interest in photography and started her own business which she still does sporadically. She also still loves to write songs and produce them together with her husband, Jeff, and uses the stage name Mabel Laine.

She spent two years as a double major in Music Production and Technology and Biblical Studies at Grace University in Omaha, NE before moving to the Ozarks with her family where she broadened her experience with audio engineering, writing and performing in Bolivar and Springfield. Prior to accepting her position as Music and Media Minister at GCC she served for 3 years as Tech Director at Ridgecrest Baptist Church.

Julia is passionate about using music and art to communicate God’s Word. Her prayer is that God would turn His people into true worshippers in every way and that we will love in deed and truth!

Gary is a native of Minnesota - he froze out - moved south to Joplin to attend Ozark Bible College where he met the young lady (Rebecca) who would become his wife. 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 Rebecca 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. She is the Director of our 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 decaf mocha.

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 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.