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Staff Listing

Gardner's staff is an extremely dedicated group of talented individuals who use their many and varied skills to serve God.

Pastor
Richard S Mitchell, Chief Encouraging Officer

Have you ever had an Ah Ha moment in your life?  I've had a couple.  One came when I was near 8 years old.  I realized week after week while sitting in church what I saw the preacher doing was something I was supposed to do.  I had another Ah Ha moment later in life while filling out a personality inventory and had to decide between pairs of words.  One pair was  "Speaking - Writing". Seeing the two words made me realize I was a writer.  When it comes to preaching, I speak better if I write it down first.

I had another Ah Ha moment a few moments ago when considering writing a description of Pastor at Gardner Memorial United Methodist Church.  A name from the New Testament leaped to my mind. Barnabas.  Barnabas means Son of Encouragement.  I think that's a pretty good description of my pastoral role here at Gardner.  Encourager.  How?  Well, how about this for starters.  I'd like to encourage you to take the next step in your spiritual journey.  Maybe you haven't made up your mind about Jesus Christ.  I encourage you to take a step closer.  Maybe your next step is making a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.  Go ahead.  Or maybe you're a professing Christian and need to take the next step in serving Christ and His Church.  Go ahead.  Or maybe you've turned into a paper member at church.  May I encourage you to get off the paper, get into the pew, and get into the 'serving' line?  I guess I just did.  Go ahead.  Take the next step.  And when you do pause a moment, look back, and rejoice at where the grace of God has brought you.

Administrative Assistant
Joy Cameron

Joy is a life long member of Gardner Memorial United Methodist Church. She started working for the church in 1986. She has served as Director of Program and Outreach and Youth Director. She currently serves as Financial Secretary and Administrative Assistant. She is married and has two sons. Her family lives in Sherwood, AR.

Church Secretary
Dee Roberts

Dee is a life-long member of Gardner. She has two daughters, three grandsons and one granddaughter. She has been the church secretary since December of 1991. In addition to her secretarial duties, she also works for a caterer/florist coordinating and catering weddings as well as anniversary, birthday and retirement parties. In her spare time her hobbies include counted cross - stitch and raising African violets.
Music Director
Chuck Goss

Charles S. (Chuck) Goss is our Director of Music. Chuck is a life-long resident of North Little Rock as well as a member of Gardner. He graduated from North Little Rock High School and obtained his BSE in Music and his Masters of Music from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where he played in the band. Chuck is an accomplished trumpet player and on occasion treats us to some of his special renditions. He came on staff at Gardner in 1987. Chuck and his beautiful wife, Sally, reside in Little Rock.
Organist
Caroline Riggs

Caroline Riggs grew up in Iowa. She began studying piano at age five and organ at the age of eleven. When she was thirteen she began playing the organ for church services. Caroline holds an AA degree in music from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri; a Bachelor of Music Degree in piano performance from the University of Missouri and attended Boston University graduate school majoring in organ. She toured as a piano soloist with the Women's Army Corps Band for two years.

Caroline and her husband Cliff (who sings in the Gardner Chancel Choir), were educational missionaries with the United Church Board of World Ministries. They taught for three years at Aleppo College in Aleppo, Syria.

Caroline has been organist and music director at churches in Ohio,Massachusetts, West Virginia, California, Missouri, Iowa and Arkansas. She has been Gardner's accompanist, playing both piano and organ, since 1992.
Custodian
James Jackson

Jim is our building engineer. He is retired. He and his wife Shirley have a daughter, Mrs. Kathy Larch and a son, Mike, both of Little Rock. Gardner couldn't operate without Jim and the marvelous job he does keeping an old plant working.

 

Gardner Memorial United Methodist Church
1723 Schaer Street, North Little Rock, Arkansas USA 72114
501-374-9520 | gardnermemorialumc@aristotle.net
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