Shem Uzele

Assistant Pastor Shem Uzele loves to make melody in his heart to God. The theme of Shem's praises is best expressed by the words from one of his favorite hymns, Great is Thy Faithfulness......."Pardon from sin, and a peace that endureth." Shem's parents, citizens of the Congo and workers for The Africa Inland Mission, were on a church-planting mission in the Sudan when Shem was born. Having a father who was an evangelist meant that Shem had many opportunities to hear about the true nature of sin, the result of our choices, and heaven or hell. After one particularly powerful "fire and brimstone" message, Shem knew that he didn't want to have to face God without Jesus by his side. Shem repented of his sin and accepted Jesus as his Saviour and immediately The Peace of God totally overwhelmed him. That night the fear of death and the coming Judgment that often caused Shem not to sleep was completely gone.

Soon after Shem's salvation, he began to play trumpet in the band that accompanied his father on evangelistic trips. After high school and training as a mechanic, Shem worked on tea and coffee plantations throughout Kenya repairing, selling and maintaining agricultural equipment. Shem also continued his evangelism work through the Fellowship Bible Church in Nairobi as a worship leader and as an elder. FBC had a new interim pastor, Ken Jackson, who in 1989 was visited by two family friends from Wilmington, Del., one of them being Christine Cisneros, his future wife. After more than two years of intense waiting on the Lord's will to be performed, Shem was finally able to come to the United States where he and Christine were married.They moved to Newark, Delaware to be closer to the college that Christine attended and seriously began looking for a church nearby. When they heard that a Calvary Chapel was starting in this area, Shem attended a meeting and was impressed by the way Bob, Steve, and Sam wanted to truly seek God. In 1998 Pastor Bob confirmed Shem's ordination as an elder in the church. On March 1, 2000 Shem joined the staff at CCDC as assistant pastor. The Uzele's have three children; daughters Anna, Sara and son Moses.