About Us SOS: Dennis Skellenger
Stories of Service: Dennis SkellengerWritten by Pastor Tania
One day while paying for gas in a local gas station, the 22ish-year-old behind the counter asked me, “Do you go to church?” Thinking that should have been MY question to him, I said I did. “I thought so!” he said. “I see you sometimes at night when I’m flipping channels and I like your sermons.” This falls under the category of you-just-never-know-who-you-may-touch!
The broadcast of Westwood’s worship services each week goes into over 20,000 homes via the local cable outlets. It is enjoyed by our shut-ins and members who miss worship that week, but it also touches the lives of thousands of people in our greater community that we will likely never know.
Dennis Skellenger and a team of incredibly faithful volunteers make this ministry happen. They work with confirmation students and other volunteers, but a few more are desperately needed to keep this important work going. (If you’re interested, please let Pastor Nancy know! Training is provided.)
About his work, Dennis says, “It warms my heart and soul every time we receive a message from someone that was hospitalized, in a nursing home or if someone just couldn’t make it to church that week, they still get to hear the Lord’s message because of our video ministry. That is a huge part of why I continue to do this calling. I also love giving copies of the service to families of the newly baptized members, so they can relive the joy of that day with their children in the future. Also being able to put the baptism up on the screen for everyone to see brings lots of thank yous.”
“One of my other favorite things is the children’s message. These are some of the best moments that we get to capture, because you just never know what they might say or do! Working with the confirmation students is also rewarding to see them growing in their faith and having their confidence grow as they become more familiar with the routine.”
Dennis has served in a variety of other of Westwood’s ministries, as well as with our Boy Scout Troup 369. He and his wife Jo have 2 sons, Lance and Kyle.
Dennis is a quiet, gentle, very faithful presence behind the camera that makes a huge difference in the lives of many people he will never see. He said, “I have been very blessed and will continue to do Gods work.” On behalf of thousands, literally, we say “THANK YOU, DENNIS!”
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