Our Founders
Gene & Karen Wolfenbarger
With four decades of full-time ministry experience between them, Gene and Karen Wolfenbarger have been devoted to helping alleviate poverty from Africa to Appalachia since founding The LORD’s Child in 2007. Under their leadership, The LORD’s Child has met the needs of the poor in the nations of Africa, Asia, and in some of the poorest counties in the United States.
Our Executive Team
Bob Vanderslice Executive Director
Bob has spent nearly 40 years serving as President of a bank and as a Board Member of many local organizations and agencies in his hometown of Pennsville, New Jersey. Bob and his wife Cookie relocated to Tennessee, and have been devoted volunteers at our food pantry since. We are so honored to have Bob bring his knowledge and expertise to our team as our Executive Director.
Email: bobv@thelordschild.com
Our Creative Team
Emily Keith
Creative Manager
Emily joined The LORD’S Child team in 2016 as an intern and key volunteer. Her heart is to provide help and hope to the Appalachian people with whom she was raised and deeply cares for. Emily is a graduate of Maryville College with a BA in Design. Emily’s heart to serve and creative experience make her an invaluable addition to our team.
Gabrielle Sullivan
Photographer
Gabrielle was raised in the culture of our organization, having contributed to this ministry with her time and talents alongside her parents and grandparents from childhood. She now serves as a gifted photographer, and is currently in pursuit of her degree. Gabrielle’s passion to capture authentic moments is a vital part of being able to share the story of The LORD’s Child.
Nathan Branch
Videographer
Nathan began serving at The LORD’s Child in 2017 as a volunteer. His heart to serve others can be seen in The LORD’s Child videos where he now uses his artistic talents as a videographer. Nathan’s creative direction allows us to capture the mission of The LORD’s Child, and showcase why we serve people from Appalachia to Africa to Asia.
Isaac Kandel
Videographer
Isaac started volunteering at The LORD’s Child as a teenager. With a passion for videography and film making from a young age, Isaac’s skills now benefit the Creative Team as a videographer. His fresh perspective and long standing knowledge of The LORD’s Child has been a valued addition to our staff.
Our Volunteer Leadership
Heather Wood
Volunteer Coordinator
Heather Wood has been a faithfully active volunteer for The LORD’S Child from the beginning. Along with her husband and two young children, the Woods make serving God and people a true family affair. Heather’s servant heart and extensive experience with The LORD’S Child make her a crucial asset in organizing and inspiring our cherished volunteers.
Jean Ann Tucker
Administrative Assistant
Jean Ann is known to go above and beyond in every area that she serves. Her years of administrative experience in the business realm have proven to be an invaluable asset to our Volunteer Team. She manages many of the office duties, and continually helps The LORD’s Child take strides to more organized and efficient systems.
Tom & Eunice Smith
Grocery Coordinators
Husband and wife team, Tom and Eunice Smith, relocated from western New York state to enjoy their retirement years in the Smoky Mountains. Tom and Eunice are now applying decades of administrative workplace experience to overseeing the weekly nuts-and-bolts of the Food Pantry’s supply chain and inventory systems.
Kristi Crawley
Guest Serves Team Leader
Kristi is a genuine people-person who loves God and others with a contagious enthusiasm. Kristi’s favorite part of serving at The LORD’s Child is the time she gets to spend welcoming, laughing, and praying with our guests.