I was born and raised in Big Orange Country (Knoxville). I was a member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church, where
I was actively involved in GAs, youth group, choir, Sunday School, Training
Union (old term!) and anything else going on! I asked Jesus to be Lord of my life during VBS
when I was eleven years old. I graduated
from the University of Tennessee with a BS degree in physical education and
recreation. While at UT, I played on the
UT volleyball team, the UT badminton
team, and was actively involved in the
Baptist Student Union (BSU), through which I served as a student summer
missionary. Following graduation, I was
hired as the head volleyball coach at ETSU, where I coached for three years
while working on my MA Degree.
Over the next eight or ten years, we moved a number of
times, finally landing back in the Tri-Cities.
We joined ISBC around 1985. Since that time, it has been my joy to be a
part of a number of ministries, including teaching Sunday School in the youth
department and college department for over eighteen years, directing the youth
mime, drama, and clown troupe, singing in the choir, serving on the women’s
ministry team, serving on the building committee, and going on fifteen mission
tours and numerous youth conferences.
I have taught and coached at King College in Bristol since
1985, and was inducted into the King College Hall of Fame in 2012. Besides coaching and teaching at King, I also
had the opportunity to serve as the Director of Mission Outreach, the Interim
Dean of Students, the Senior Woman Administrator, and the Interim Athletic
Director. One of my most rewarding opportunities at King, however, has been taking
King students on twenty two spring break and May term mission trips. I think my early involvement in GAs as a child
gave me a real desire to be involved in mission outreach.
Besides teaching and coaching for over thirty years, I also
served as the Director of Christian Activities in two churches, was a BSU
Director, was an activities director at a nursing home, have had three books on
clowning and mime ministry published, and have led over twenty-five
clowning and mime seminars through the
years.
The real joys of my life are my daughter Kelly, who teaches
and coaches at Union University; my son
Chris who teaches and coaches at King College;
my two grand children, Isaac (almost 14) and Anna (11); and my
son-in-law Michael who is the Minister to Families and Children at Englewood
Baptist Church in Jackson, TN.
One of my favorite scripture verses is Ephesians 3:20, “Now
glory be to God who by His mighty power
within us is able to do far more than we ever dare to ask or dream of-
infinitely beyond our highest thoughts, desires, hopes, or prayers.”
~ Submitted by Kathy Neal
ISBC Women's Ministry
Communications Coordinator
