LYNDY ZABEL
Co-Founder, Executive Director, Sierra Leone Country Director, Jericho Vision 2.0
Reverend Lyndy Zabel has participated in ministries of compassion, mercy, peace and justice in various ways in fourteen countries. He has traveled extensively to West Africa, the Caribbean and southeast Asia. As the Global Connections and Missional Initiatives Coordinator for the Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church he oversees their local, regional, national and international United Methodist-related partnership efforts. Lyndy was born in Minneapolis, graduated from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in 1985, and was ordained as a United Methodist elder in 1987. He is married to Reverend Judy Zabel. They have three grown children.
Lyndy is a co-founder of OC Ministries. Growing up, he says he always wanted to go to India, but “God sent me to Africa instead.” His curiosity was peaked during a college course in African history by a excellent professor from South Africa. He was called to travel to Sierra Leone for the first time by a missionary speaker and nudged to get on a plane by members of the church he was serving, Rosemount UMC, including Shannon (Stire) Taylor, a persistent member of his youth group who went with him. While in West Africa, he left part of his heart there, as many people do, knowing he would have to go back. He has worked to develop OC Ministries ever since. He tells people he couldn’t just walk away and can’t save the world, but believes “a few of us, everywhere, can work with a few others to make this
world a better place. The key is that we all do our part.”
Lyndy can be reached at lyndy.zabel3913@gmail.com
MEET THE TEAM
Take a look at our current leadership below.
RICK
ORMSBY
Jamaica Project Manager
PATRICIA SHATEK
Liberia Country Director
ELIZABETH BERGGREN
Board Member, Director At-Large
KEMI OJELADE
Board Member, Director At-Large
RACHAEL ACEVEDO-HOFFMAN
Treasurer
JO TENNISON
Operation Cut-and-Sew, Makeni Nursery School
ANN
CARLSON
Baiwalla Project Manager
Kevin
Schill
Recording Secretary
KATY GRISAMORE
Jamaica Project Manager, Jericho Vision 1.0
Josh Meyers
Director of Communications
Lori McBride
Haiti Country Director
OUR NEW BOARD STRUCTURE
We're doing things a little bit differently in 2020
After a thirty-year history of developing over 50 projects in seven different countries, the OC Ministries "Updated Governance Model" was approved on December 14, 2019. Our goal, in developing this new leadership structure, is to re-focus on our evolving ministries and streamline our delivery of them.
The Board of Directors works to align the work of OC Ministries with its mission, and to ensure that all funds donated are spent in a consistent manner with it. The Board of Directors consists of an Executive Director, Country Directors, Director of Communications, Director of Development, Treasurer, Recording Secretary and two Directors at-Large.
Country Directors oversee Project Directors, who in turn oversee Trip Leaders. The Director of Development oversees the Fundraiser and Outreach. Teams. Directors serve three-year terms.