Rev. David Kellogg's Story

I am a 5th generation Pentecostal on both my mom and dad's side of the family. Some of the very first memories I have are of times at Church. When I was a child, we would be a Church on Monday night for prayer, Wednesday night Bible study, Saturday night fellowship and two services on Sunday. Most of the time, we had a Bible study with someone at our house on Tuesday or Thursday as well. Church was the center point of my life.

At about the age of 10 years old, my dad felt a calling into the ministry full time. He had served in various ministerial capacities in our home church but had not felt led to pursue a full time calling. At the age of 12, our family moved to Lebanon, IL, a suburb of St. Louis, MO where my father pastored a church for the next 2 years. At the age of 14, my mother and father obeyed a calling as a missionary pastor for a church in Kaiserslaughtern Germany as part of Foreign Missions serving the US Military in that area. My parents made a very difficult decision to leave me with my grandparents in Southeast Missouri (Cape Girardeau) during the school year while they, my brother and sister lived in Germany. It was during the next several years that I first felt a call of God on my life while at the same time running from God...

During my High School years, I have the tremendous privilege during summer and Christmas vacation to travel to Germany. We traveled throughout Europe as a family. I also was selected to play for a traveling baseball team that traveled throughout Europe as well. Most significantly, my father took me on several missionary trips along with other European missionaries to Eastern European countries such as the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. It was hear that God really began to deal with me about ministry. I saw the poverty and hunger (both Spiritual and natural) of people in desperate situations. I saw God heal and fill so many. I heard the testimonies of men and women who did not realize there was a UPCI or organization that believed like they do. I heard them tell of their travels and persecution and imprisonment to take the gospel that had not been revealed to them by any person but by God through prayer. All of this made the Word come alive to me in a way that was so far beyond anything I had seen or thought...and God began dealing with me.

Throughout High School, I never fully committed to Church or God's calling. I was the only young person in my Church and was unfortunately heavily influenced by the only friends that I had in School. I received a baseball scholarship and went to college. The call of God still very real in my life, however I began to question everything. I started asking questions like...all of my friends in High School went to other churches...they seem like good people...how do I know that what I've been raised in is really the only way. And so I began to explore other religions. Soon after that, I stopped attending Church all together and entered into a dark time in my life. Only by the grace and mercy of God was I able to make it through without getting into trouble...and through it all, I was able to graduate from college with honors. Sometimes I look back and wonder how in the world that happened but I know it was the mercy and grace of God.

During my last semester in college, my parents were passing through and attending a church in Mattoon, IL. They asked if I would go with them. At first, I refused but later, mostly out of respect for them, I accepted their invitation. My parents knew how I was living and while it was hurting them a great deal, they never condemned me or got angry...they loved me the same as they always did and tried to encourage me to live right. I am so thankful for Godly and Grandparents who were covering me in prayer! In any event, I went to Church that night and to make a long story shorter, I re-committed my life to Jesus and have never looked back.

After graduation, I went to Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN where I would work towards a Master and possibly a PhD School Psychology. My ultimate goal in College was to get into graduate school and work towards a career. As soon as I started, every day I prayed and began to feel a strong calling to Bible College. At first, I blew it off but could not get away from it. Now this was very difficult as my entire focus was on school and a career. I had a fully paid scholarship along with housing paid and a paid graduate assistant-ship under a professor. For me to walk away from that was to walk away from everything I had worked for and as it turned out, everything that tied me to the past 5 years of my life.

Finally, I surrendered and moved to St. Louis to attend Gateway College of Evangelism. I committed to God that I would stay there as long as he wanted me there. If that meant all 4 years then I would do it...if it meant 1 year, I would do that as well. God put some connections together very quickly. I moved in with missionary kid friends of my mine, Brad and Lance Reed (sons of Gary and Linda Reed). Little did we know it, our similar experiences created a bond that helped us encourage and help each other a great deal during the next couple years. I also quickly met Bro. Vic Votaw as Gateway. I spoke to him about a church he as starting in Chesterfield and felt led to help him. I quickly got very involved and became close to he and his wife as well as their children, Aaron, Amy and Hannah. The friendship with Hannah soon became more than just friends and we eventually married.

After 1 year at Gateway, God opened a door for a job opportunity in St. Louis and I felt led to take it. Hannah I became Associate Pastor for Bro. Votaw and worked in Chesterfield with him for the next several years until he decided to go back to Asia as a missionary. During this time, God blessed us greatly including the birth of our 3 children, Christina, Luke and Lily. After Bro. Votaw's going back to the field, I served as Pastor of the Church for the next two years. We then felt led to approach Bro. Dumaresq in Creve Coeur about our churches merging. Both Churches felt it was good and we made the transition. We have not been Associate Pastor for the Church in Creve Coeur for over 3 years

I am not exactly sure what direction God has for us in the future, however I am certain that He will reveal it to me. One thing I have learned is that God does not always show us every path. Often times His timing and direction are revealed in the most unlikely of ways. I believe we have to be open to whatever and wherever He wants us to do and trust in His power to order our steps. Ministry and calling comes in so many different forms and through so many different paths. Patience is also very important...things may not unfold the way we thought or when we thought. It could take years, however the key is to be faithful wherever God has us right now and to continue following Him.

This is my "story" and hearts desire...I want to serve in WHATEVER way He wants!