Much Love | Pastor Kelly Gabriele’s ODPC Story

May 16th, 2022

“Would your family be available to play Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus in the ODPC Christmas Cantata?” The call came as a surprise and felt like just one more thing in an already busy Christmas season, as Bobby and I were both performing in 11 Christmas shows a week at the Alabama Theatre.

The year was 1998 and we were two exhausted, extremely sleep deprived, new parents. But, it was a call from our brand-new church family, and we thought it might be nice to be a part of the cantata. Little did we know that cantata would be the first step to getting deeply involved in ministry at our new church! God knew what He was doing, but of course, we had no idea…”

Kelly and Bobby had known they were in the right place since the moment they heard Dr. Kantner open the service with these words, “We here at Ocean Drive Presbyterian Church believe the Bible is true. It is our only infallible rule of faith and practice.” But even then, only God could have known the ways He would soon use this young couple.

“Choir Director Pat Hatcher began asking me to sing and BobbyG to play drums at church meanwhile Bruce Mount asked us to help teach children’s Sunday School drawing us more and more into the church family. We began volunteering in other different ministries, Bobby G with property and Kelly with nic @ nite children’s ministry and singing on the praise team. We also were attending Karen Wilson’s Water’s Edge Sunday School class.

Easter 2005 it looked as if the Easter Contemporary Service was not going to happen due to loss of leadership, personnel and commitment. I called Mary Mincey (church membership/administrative assistant) to ask for an appointment with Dr. Lewis Johnson (interim pastor) to attempt to persuade him how important the contemporary service was to our congregation.

During the call as I expressed my concern, Mary was silent for a moment and then said, “Kelly I think the Lord is leading you to be our Contemporary Worship Leader.” As soon as those words came from her mouth I began to cry… I told her I didn’t know what that meant, but she insisted God was doing something and to talk to Dr. Johnson.

ODPC Praise Team 2006, Photo curtesy of Kelly Gabriele

I met with Dr. Johnson and Session and they offered me the part time position of Contemporary Worship Leader. They offered me the position and I went home, went into my closet, pushed all my shoes to the side and got on my face before God. I told him if I took this charge I knew that somehow everything was going to change so I had to have an answer from Him. I had to know yes or no. In my whole heart and being I heard Him say, “Yes.”

I accepted the charge with my husband , BobbyG ,alongside as the drummer for our praise band. Several weeks later after a Sunday worship service I asked the band what we needed. The guys answered, “a good electric guitar player.” I said, “Okay, well, we are supposed to pray specifically for things so let’s do that right now.” We held hands in a circle on the floor of the sanctuary and prayed for an electric guitar player.

BobbyG and I walked upstairs to our regular Sunday School class (Water’s Edge) and one of the members of the class grabbed me and said, “Kelly, come over here I want you to meet someone.” She said, “This is Duster and he plays electric guitar and sings. It’s his first Sunday here.” Duster then said, “I play some guitar and sing and could run sound if you need somebody. But even if you don’t, I’ve found my church. Worship was amazing.”

I was speechless. God let me see how He can quickly and concretely he can answer prayer if He wants to. It was a stunning example of how God truly does care about every little thing. Duster, BobbyG and I have led worship services together now almost every single Sunday since 2005.

In our ODPC Staff meetings we rotate devotions. After I did devotions, our pastor Tom Clymer asked me to preach that devotion to the congregation the following Sunday. When I preached, Session and members of our church began to encourage me to go to seminary and come under care of presbytery as an ordination candidate. I was praying and planning to do just that when, in 2010, our Youth Director left to start a church in the area.

Access Youth 2010, photo curtsey of Kelly Gabriele

Session asked if I would direct the youth program as an interim for the summer… for 3 months. Karen Alexander (our choir director) helped me cobble together a program and a name for it. She had printed out a page of scriptures and we read and prayed and decided on the name Access based on Ephesians 2:18 “For through Him we both have access to the Father through Christ Jesus.”

We all needed to be reminded that no matter who comes and goes at our church our connection with God has always been, and will always be, through the reconciliation bought for us by Christ Jesus.

Well, 3 months as an Interim Access Youth Director turned into 3 years and I was Access Youth Director from 2010-2013 while continuing with my position as Director of Contemporary Worship.

In 2014 I began my seminary studies on line with Knox Theological Seminary out of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. It was an incredibly difficult and fulfilling time as the knowledge I gained made me realize the vastness of our God. His grace and mercy became so real to me.

Pastor Kelly’s Ordination and Installation in 2019

God’s timing for ODPC to move from PCUSA to ECO played a part in my ordination. I finished seminary in 2017, a year after our church had voted to move to ECO. I began the ordination testing process with ECO and was ordained in January 2019 accepting a call as Associate Pastor at our beloved ODPC. The place where my family dressed up as Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus all those years ago. God has a plan and a purpose for each and every one of us. We can’t see it. But He can. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!