OUR LEADERS
Read about the experienced leaders at Veterans Memorial Chapel who cultivate and nurture our members through faith and strength.
LEAD CHAPLAIN JAMES ODELL
Chaplain James (Jim) Odell retired as an Army Reserve Chaplain after 28 years of service. He served, among other places in Desert Storm, Honduras, Germany, Hungary (in support of Bosnia), Kuwait (Operation Iraqi Freedom), and rear detachment missions for the 101st Infantry Division in Ft Campbell, KY. He retired with a rank of Colonel. Chaplain Odell is also retired from teaching Bible History and Theology at Crossroads Bible College in Indianapolis, IN where he was at one time the Academic Dean. He was ordained as a Baptist Minister in 1980 while pasturing in Oregon. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Western Baptist College (now Corbin University) in Salem, OR; a Masters of Theology in Church History from Dallas Theological Seminary, in Dallas TX; and a PhD in Biblical Studies from Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, FL. One of his hobbies is woodworking and he works part time at the Woodcraft Store in Castleton. He has been married over 40 years to Nancy (Everest) Odell. They have three daughters and eight grandchildren.
CHAPLAIN LARRY J. WERBIL
Larry attended the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, and served as a United Methodist pastor for 15 years. He entered the field of counseling in 1989, and worked in hospital systems, with a focus on addiction and families for 10 years. He has worked in private practice for the last nine. Larry and his wife, Janelle, formed Lifebridge Counseling and Consulting, Inc in 2006, to offer professional, faith-based therapy. They maintain gratitude for the opportunity to combine spiritual principles with modes of therapy, leading to spiritual and emotional transformation.
Larry specializes in; men’s issues, drug/alcohol assessment and treatment, sexual addiction assessment and treatment, anger management, dynamics of families dealing with addictions, marital communication, adolescent/family relationships, grief issues, and anxiety/depression issues.
REVEREND TIM CHILDRESS
Pastor Tim is an ordained Southern Baptist minister. He joined a Christian Radio Network as an Associate Pastor in 2014. Pastor Tim graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts and from The Southern Baptist Seminary Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity (1995). He has served in various ministries which include, Pastor of Pike Baptist Church, Chaplain and Director of After Care for Lighthouse Mission Ministries and Prison Chaplain with the State Department of Corrections. In addition to these ministries, Pastor Tim is also a retired Lt Colonel and has served as a Chaplain with the National Guard with deployments to Afghanistan and Jordan. He has a total of 29 years of military service in the Chaplain Corp. Pastor Tim, in his current role, provides crisis intervention in many different situations for listeners of a Christian Radio Network.
REVEREND REBEKAH LAWSON
Rev. Rebekah Lawson grew up traveling in South Carolina and Florida doing music minister with her evangelistic parents. She holds a BA in Music from Anderson College in Anderson, SC and a Masters of Divinity from Anderson University School of Theology in Anderson, IN.
Rev. Rebekah has worked in the leadership of Haven of Hope, and currently she is ministering in Isaiah’s Cry as Co-Director, as a pastor at Veterans Memorial Chapel, is the children's worship minister part time at Friedens United Church of Christ, and is the head pastor at Indy Connection Church in Indianapolis, IN.
REVEREND MICHAEL W. MALONE
Rev. Michael W. Malone retired from the Army Chaplaincy with the rank of Colonel. He enlisted in the US Army as a Medical Laboratory Specialist. Later he was commissioned as a Medical Service Corps officer and years later as a Chaplain. He served in the 121st Evac Hospital in Korea, Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and several stateside assignments before retiring as the 8th Army Staff Chaplain. Before entering the ministry, he served as a Clinical Social Worker in two mental health centers. Rev. Malone is a Senior Elder in the Global Methodist Church. He has served on mission trips to Brazil and the Philippines and participated in an archaeological excavation in Bethsaida, Israel. His educational background includes a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Akron (Ohio), a Masters of Social Work from the University of Utah, and a Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has two children and seven grandchildren.
