Thanks for checking in on me. As you can see (above on the left) my name is Gilbert H. Rowell [it rhymes with towel] and I am the pastor of the Providence church. I have been here since January 2004, and am now closing in on my thirtieth year as a pastor (2010), having previously served in the Brighton ARP Church in Brighton, TN, and in First Lancaster ARP Church in Lancaster, SC.
I grew up in the ARP Church in the small town of Louisville, Georgia, and have a string of perfect attendance pins (somewhere) to prove how active I was in church as a child and young person. While I was very happy with my involvement in church and glad to be able to attend for so many years without missing, I’m really glad that God did not let me be content with those achievements. He had so much more in mind for me! It was through the ministry of my home church and the ARP denomination that I came to trust Christ as my Lord and Savior. And, I have learned through my relationship with Jesus just how much more God had in mind for me. My passion in ministry is to help people know how much more God has in mind for them than merely church attendance and ministry busyness.
When I have time I enjoy such things as woodworking, gardening, yard work, golf and anything I can do to help someone else. And, although I have a passing interest in sports in general, I particularly enjoy college football. Growing up in Georgia, one was either a Georgia Bulldog or a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket. Thankfully, my family had roots that shared the soil with the hedges in Athens, so red is my color. However, I have learned to “tolerate” other SEC teams: I served 13 years in Tennessee and learned to pull for the Vols (much to the chagrin of my family) because of my love for so many Vol fans; and, I married into a South Carolina Gamecock family, so I’ve had to adjust my thinking there too!
I have been happily married for almost 34 years and have two daughters. Music has been a large part of our family through the years, my wife having minored in voice, my oldest daughter majoring in music performance on the French horn, and my youngest daughter involved in music at church. As you may imagine, much of our spare time is spent going to concerts of one kind or another.
If I can be of any help to you, please don’t hesitate to call on me. And, if you’re looking for a church home, I hope you’ll check out Providence. You will discover that Providence is not so much a place as it is a people. If you're looking for a place, then almost anywhere will do, but if you are looking for people who love God, each other and those whom God puts in our way, then maybe Providence is for you. I hope to see you soon!
E-mail Gilbert H.