Picture (from left to right): Mark & Jennette (Mesel) Gardner, JD Mesel & Jamie Dombek, Clairees (Mesel) & Scott Semchenko, Caroline Mesel, Penny (Smalley) Mesel, Me (Norm Mesel, in case you are wondering), Penny’s mom & dad – Sarah & Bob Smalley, Penny’s Cousin – Sue Rummel, and Penny’s sister, Janene (Smalley) Nelson.
Here is a brief bio of Penny’s and my ministry journey over the past 29 years. Of course, we met at Bartlesville Wesleyan College (Oklahoma Wesleyan University) during the school year of 1977 and were married on August 11, 1978. I graduated from OKWU in the spring of 1979 cum laude with a BS degree in religion.
We have ministered in the Wesleyan Church from January 1979 until this present day serving at one time or another in the following states: California, Kansas, Oklahoma, New York, Connecticut and Arkansas. 21 years of our ministry has been on the Eastern New York/New England District serving Lisbon Wesleyan Church in Lisbon, New York for six years and most recently Ellington Wesleyan Church in Ellington, CT for 15 years. We have just moved to Rogers Wesleyan Church in Rogers, AR this past July 2007.
We have four children: Clairees Semchenko (married to Scott Semchenko in May 2006 and they reside in Quincy, MA), Jedediah Mesel (will be getting married this April to Jamie Dombek of Palm Coast, FL…both reside in Palm Coast), Jennette Gardner (married to Mark Gardner in August 2004 and reside in Palm Coast, FL), and Caroline Mesel (living with us in Rogers, AR).
You can learn more about our ministry by checking out our web site at www.rogerswesleyan.org.
Our memories of OKWU are extremely fond and many. The best being the fact that it was on campus that we met each other, fell in love and have been blessed in marriage for 30 years this August. But we also are tremendously grateful for the outstanding teachers we had; Prof. Rogers & Dr. Hughes immediately come to mind. But each of our professors & staff went beyond the call to take a genuine interest in their students and to provide a loving, caring, growing atmosphere in their classrooms.
As far as shenanigans, I will have to plead the fifth or else I will be stripped of my diploma and forever barred from entering campus (oh, yes I did have a hand with those mysterious frogs showing up under the covers of many beds in the ladies’ dorm, dummies hanging from the flag pole on top of the mansion, and I think it would be wise to stop while still breathing).
Finally, I continue to do Gospel Illustrations as a means of communicating the message of redeeming love and amazing grace.