Gary Meadows
Chapel of the Plains
PO Box 35
Stoneham, CO 80754-0035
(970) 735-2331
I have been a senior pastor for ten years at the Chapel of the Plains in Stoneham, Colorado. I have served two churches in my career, the first being Cedaredge Assembly of God under Phil Neely and the Stoneham church. I served for 17 years in Cedaredge in a variety of roles, the last being interim pastor. The church in Cedaredge was running about 300 then with multiple staff and the Stoneham church averages about 50 on any given Sunday with myself being the only paid ministry person in addition to a treasurer and bookkeeper.
Before coming to the Chapel I thought Cedaredge was a rural environment and it was with a community of about 1,200 and an additional few thousand in the surrounding countryside. Stoneham was a culture shock experience as I found there is another definition to what constitutes rural. The town itself has a population of about 20 with an additional 500 people in its surrounding 1,200 square miles.
The community population is stable unless I’ve had a funeral recently. We have an agri based economy with farming and ranching being the only production apart from the graduates from our 120 student Prairie School combining 13 grades. The church has been an active, healthy fellowship for all of it’s 75+ years. Our budget runs about $100,000 with about 17% going towards missions. The congregation is a mix of former-this-and-that’s, covering a full spectrum of ages save we are short on college aged adults. We have a distinct ‘community church’ flavor with intimate worship services and pragmatic, straightforward Christlike living.
I have served in the United States Navy, worked for others, operated my own business, served on a great team of ministers under a long-term senior pastor, and now as a senior pastor in an isolated and limiting environment. I’ve been a challenge course facilitator and trainer for over 20 years. I’m the captain within our local volunteer fire department and have trained a segment of the department as commissioned chaplains. I’ve experienced rejection by my home congregation, sacrificed financially for the sake of the call, lived through overwhelming grief and seen God be faithful through it all. I’ve a daughter who is a nationally appointed Chi Alpha missionary and a married son recently home form the U.S. Army. I’ve been married to Billie, my best friend, for 32 years. One of the hardest parts of my calling is watching my bride have to sacrifice and ‘adjust’ much more than I’ve had to.
I bring all these experiences to the table as I serve others in the coaching relationship. I’ve a great joy in facilitating self-discovery and in seeing others take hold of their lives and live intentionally and for the glory of Christ. I’ve come to embrace the crisis’ of life as the quickest catalyst to lasting change and advancement. Save for young adults, my favorite interactions are with peers who are purposefully, intelligently and tenaciously about living quality lives of significance. I look forward to meeting you.