Chrisman UMC welcomes new Pastor and his wife
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
Reverend Randall (Randy) Shepard was born in Peoria, IL and was not expected to live.
He was born with Cerebral Palsy and the doctors told his parents he would never walk and talk. But God had a different plan for him. He grew up in Metamora, IL and graduated from high school there.
He went on to study at Greenville College and received a B.S. in Social Studies Education. Following this, he went to Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary where he earned his Master of Divinity Degree.
He was a substitute teacher in Rockford Public Schools and Metamora High School. Prior to coming to Chrisman, he was a pastor at East Peoria First United Methodist Church and Blue Ridge United Methodist Church near Edelstein, IL. He is the chairperson for accessibility for the Great Rivers Conference. He would like to engage the community of persons living with disabilities in a future service.
Pastor Randy has one older brother, three step-brothers, and two step sisters. All four of his parents are still living. He does not have any biological children, however, he does have children he claims as his own from a previous marriage. Both Jon and Zach had Cerebral Palsy and are now at home with Jesus.
His wife, Sherri, also has two children, Thomas and Ray, that went home to be with Jesus. Randy has one step-daughter, Liberty, who will be a junior at Eastern Illinois University in the fall studying elementary education.
Sherri graduated from Plainfield High School then went to Northern Illinois University where she received a B.S. degree in Elementary Education. Following this, she attended Eastern Illinois University where she received a M.S. degree in Early Childhood Education.
She later attended Greenville College where she received an endorsement in Special Education. Sherri is a special education teacher at Arcola Grade School.
Pastor Randy is a huge sports fan. He loves the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bears, and the Chicago Bulls. He is a giant Notre Dame Fighting Irish football fan, but is also a big Fighting Illini basketball fan. He also enjoys reading, playing games, and just hanging out with friends and family.
Both Randy and Sherri are very excited to be able to minister at Chrisman United Methodist Church and serve the Chrisman Community. Sherri will be giving the children’s sermon each Sunday. She has a beautiful voice and will be singing special songs occasionally. A few of the ideas they want to implement at Chrisman United Methodist Church are a mid-week Bible study, monthly fellowship evenings with food and games for the community, visit the shut-ins, and engage the community of Chrisman wherever possible.
The Chrisman United Methodist Church is very happy to welcome Pastor Randy and his wife Sherri.
