2022 Distinguished Service Award: Sherry Mitchell

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is a tribute to church people for their service to the church. The honoree receives a certificate for which our local missions council, on your behalf, donates to the fund for health care for missionaries while they are serving around the world.

On November 20, we were extremely pleased to present the Distinguished Service Award to our children's pastor, Sherry Mitchell.

After taking the position of Children’s Pastor at College Church, Sherry used the gift that God has given her to build a children’s ministry (Kidsland) by building into the lives of the children and their families. Through the years, Sherry has not only loved, nurtured and ministered to the children of College Church but she has also loved, nurtured and ministered to hundreds of children and families within the community. She has done so through the many events and programs that she has planned and organized; Back to School Tour, Candy Land, Joy Land, Easter Egg Hunt, Home delivery of gifts to Mom’s, Breakfast in tents on Saturdays with Sherry, Lego Night, Vacation Bible Party, The Landing on Wednesday nights, Christmas caroling to the College students, and of course weekly Sunday Programming. This list is just a glimpse of how God has used Sherry to love and nurture children and their families. 

Sherry Mitchell was born to Mary and Frank Massey in Zion, IL. Though her mother Mary was a believer, her dad Frank was a serious alcoholic. This led to a difficult, neglected, and lonely childhood. Sherry will tell you that God saved not just her soul but saved her life.  During this time, she was invited by her mom's co-workers to attend their church and they even picked her up each Sunday morning.   It was a home-type church and the people there showed her the love of Jesus.  Sherry still remembers her Sunday School teacher who asked her every Sunday:  "Have you read your Bible every day this week?"  It was also during this time that she was allowed to go to Pioneer Girls after school.  She learned how to cross stitch and she even learned how to make chocolate chip cookies.  She was saved at a Pioneer Girls camp that the church sent her to. The church was a place of safety and love for Sherry.

During her high school years she was allowed to teach a SS class of 1st graders.  And when she was a senior in high school she directed her church's Vacation Bible School.  And she is still in love with VBS.  Her church invited her to go on a mission trip to Mexico her senior year of high school. The Lord provided her ticket in miraculous ways. Sherry went on the trip with faith knowing she didn't have money for a ticket home. During this mission trip she received the call to work full time in missions. The Lord did provide a way home and that fall Sherry enrolled at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

Because she didn't have any safety or support at home, Moody was a haven for Sherry. She loved everything about it.  She will tell you that those were the best years of her life!  Through the support of teachers and ministry classes she came to understand that God was calling her to a Christian Education ministry in the church. At that time churches didn't hire Christian Education Pastors or Children's Ministry pastors and especially not women, but she followed God's call and has been serving in the church from teaching, leading, visiting, speaking, hospitality, missions, women's ministries, and even putting together three church libraries.  It was on a Children's Ministry cruise that God called her specifically into children's ministry and gave her a vision for ministry to children, families, and volunteers.  God has given her a deep love for children and a passion and mission to see each one know the love of Christ.   

Sherry married the most obnoxious boy in her class at Moody.  Steve was a pastoral and theology major and they met in a theology class their senior year.  That year was pivotal.  She was chosen to give the graduation speech at Moody's commencement, she got engaged, and she decided NOT to enter nursing school, but to pursue her passion for working in the church, irregardless of being a woman.  Sherry and Steve have been married 49 years. They have three daughters: Mary (Justin), Arwen (Brandon) and Abigail (Izzy) and six wonderful grandkids: Eowyn, Aaron, James, Lucy, Lola and Orson. Steve and Sherry started their family in Steve's home state of Colorado and moved to Kankakee in 1987.

Sherry and Steve began to attend College Church reluctantly with their daughter Mary and son in law Justin about 11 years ago after serving at Calvary Bible Church as Children's Director for 30 years.    Reluctantly because they weren't Nazarenes!   When Gathering Point was formed Sherry became Children's Pastor at CCUA. She would tell you that the children's ministry at College Church has redeemed her and remade her and she is more committed to the ministry than ever before.  She would also say:  I'm crazy about you!