I’m Stephanie Schell, Co-Director of Children's Ministry along with Maria Franchina.
BASIC STUFF:
I was born and raised in southern West Virginia. I’ve been married to my wonderful husband, Todd, since 1994. We moved to this area in October 1995. We were invited to visit Palmyra Brethren in Christ by one of his co-workers. We had never even heard of the BIC, but quickly came to appreciate its doctrine and values. We love it! In March of 1996, just a few months after we began attending, the position of Director of Special Ministries became available and I happily accepted the job! It’s been tweaked over the years to become what it is today. Just when you think you know where your life is headed…boom! God pulls a surprise that knocks your socks off! One of those surprises came into the world on June 23, 2007 in a little bundle of joy we named Jonathan. What a blessing it is to be his momma!
BIRTH DATE:
June 26, 1970
EDUCATION:
BS in Music Education from Concord University, Athens, WV
INTERESTS AND FAVORITES:
Places: Any southern beach, San Diego, New York City and here! I do miss the mountains of WV, so it’s always nice to go “home.”
Music: Everything from Imagination Movers to Prince! Lots of worship/contemporary Christian music, some classical, some jazz standards, some musical theatre soundtracks, 70s, 80s and fun stuff for kids. I have very eclectic taste in music! (Except country…no country!)
Books: Wow, I’m a big fan of fiction and can’t list them all here, but I’ll go through the highlights…Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter series, Twilight series, The Hunger Games series, The Chronicles of Narnia, The King Raven series, The Inheritance Cycle, the Stephanie Plum series, John Grisham and others in that genre. I also enjoy Max Lucado, books by the Women of Faith porch girls and other inspirational goodies.
TV: Chuck, LOST, Flash Forward, Fringe, Burn Notice, Psych, The Closer, American Idol, Glee and college sports
Sport Teams: WVU Mountaineers; Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates; because of my husband I root for the LA Dodgers and UNC Basketball; the Palmyra Cougars (my “great at most sports” nephew, Jailen, is my favorite athlete!)
Movies: Action/Adventure/Fantasy: Harry Potter, LOTR, Spiderman series, Batman, Iron Man (maybe all super hero movies), and the latest Star Trek. I know almost every word of The Princess Bride and I own and love most of the Disney animated movies. I can enjoy a chick flick if it’s not too sappy.
Hobbies: Shopping, keeping up with a toddler, reading, anything involving my nieces and nephews. I’ve also tried just about every crafty hobby there is…and none of them have “stuck.” Perhaps that should be my odd fact…
Dislikes: Bad drivers; paying for a book or movie ticket only to have it be a disappointing read/film; evolutionary propaganda and mushrooms (yuck!)
Odd Fact: Although I have been involved in vocal music almost my entire life, I never played a musical instrument until college when friends in the Marching Band convinced me to join. I told them I would only do it if they would teach me to play an instrument and it couldn’t be the cymbals. In one week of band camp, I learned to play the trombone. I went on to learn other instruments, play in other ensembles and choose music education as my college major. I think this proves that I can be talked into pretty much anything.
LIFE SCRIPTURE:
How could I possibly name one? It seems to change with every stage of my life. Okay, if I HAVE to pick one, it would be Zephaniah 3:17 because even though it is written to the people of Jerusalem, I can’t help but hope to hear that song sung over me in heaven: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” AMEN
