National Women’s Ministries Staff

Arlene Allen

National Director, national Women’s Ministries Department
Editor, Woman’s Touch

417-862-2781 ext. 4060

Oversees all department ministries and personnel
Represents the national department in various capacities within the General Council
Plans annual seminar for district directors
Plans biennial General Council women’s activities
Directs Women’s Ministries publications
Travels in field ministry—retreats, conventions, all district leadership training, etc.
Serves as denominational women’s representative to affiliated organizations
Content editor of Ministers’ Wives Coordinators Packet
Assists in departmental events and functions as needed

Arlene began working at the General Council for Women’s Ministries in 2000. With more than 35 years’ experience in Women’s Ministries, she has been the Women’s Ministries church coordinator at two churches pastored with her husband, Dr. Gary Allen. She’s served as a sectional Women’s Ministries representative and as the Director of Women’s Ministries for the Illinois District. She’s served three years as the leadership development coordinator in the national Women’s Ministries Department before taking the position of national director in 2003.

Arlene serves on several boards: Religious Alliance Against Pornography, National Association of Evangelicals Women’s Board, National Prayer Center, Healthcare Ministries, Women in Ministry Task Force, Commission on Ethnicity, Family Life and Parenting, and Global Pastors Wives.

Arlene has been married to Gary for 41 years. Gary serves as director of Ministerial Enrichment Office. They have two sons and two grandsons.

Arlene doesn’t have much time for hobbies right now, BUT has big plans for the future.

Joy Wootton

Administrative Coordinator to the National Director

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417-862-2781 ext. 4060

Assists the National Director in all secretarial duties
Assists the National Director with travel coordination
Coordinates Pack-Kit and E-Pack-Kit for district directors
Department liaison for Web site e-mails and phone calls
Assists in departmental events and functions as needed

Joy, a graduate of Central Bible College, comes to Women’s Ministries with a rich history in the parsonage. Raised in an Assemblies of God minister’s home, Joy married Mark Wootton in 1979. As a pastor’s wife, she has served in pastoral ministry for 25 years in Ohio, Arizona and Missouri. She and her husband Mark, a professor at Central Bible College, have four grown children.

Karlene Gannon

Office & Finance/ Projects Coordinator

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417-862-2781 ext. 4064

Assists the national director in administrative responsibilities as directed
Oversees and promotes all national Women’s Ministries projects
Maintains records and disburses departmental missions funds
Processes all contributions and promotional orders for the department
Coordinates the departmental and publications budgets
Coordinates departmental equipment and supplies
Serves on various headquarters committees
Assists in departmental events and functions as needed

Karlene came to the General Council and Women’s Ministries in 1973. She has been a student at both Drury and Missouri State universities, taking several classes in accounting and programming. Karlene also serves on the Assemblies of God Credit Union board of directors.

Karlene is married to Norm, who is the Telecommunications director for the General Council. They’ve been married 41 years and have three children and five grandchildren.

Karlene enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, fishing, working outdoors, traveling, and collecting all sorts of things.

Jennifer Ray

Accounting Assistant

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417-862-2781 ext. 4064

Assists the office & finance/projects coordinator and office in administrative responsibilities as directed
Processes contributions and promotional orders
Processes GPH and departmental orders from districts, churches and individuals
Handles courtesy letters and customer service questions
Prepares accounting reports
Assists in departmental events and functions as needed

Jennifer has been at the General Council since 1982. She came to Women’s Ministries in 1992. Previously she has worked in childcare and at a dentist’s office. She assists with the children’s choir at her local church, Central Assembly of God, and enjoys her involvement in Beyond the Walls, an outreach to single moms and widows.

Jennifer has been married for 31 years to Jerry, a commercial carpenter. They have three children and four grandchildren.

Jennifer enjoys watching her son play baseball and spending time with family and friends.

Darla Knoth

Managing Editor
Assistant to the National Director

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417-862-2781 ext. 4069

Managing editor of Women’s Ministries publications
Assists the national director as needed
Oversees advertising, promotion and marketing for print publications
Provides leadership for editorial staff
Oversees all aspects of publications production
Coordinates all editorial activities of the department
Oversees departmental Web sites
Oversees ten departmental E-newsletters
Assists in departmental events and functions as needed

Darla began working at the General Council in 1985 in Women’s Ministries, where she worked until 1994, then returned in 1999 to the present. Other work experience includes interim Children’s Ministries director at James River Assembly, Ozark, MO, and children’s projects editor for Radiant Life Curriculum. She has a B.S. in English education from Evangel University and has served as an adjunct faculty member of Evangel in the Humanities Department.

Darla’s husband Rick is managing editor of Enrichment journal; they have two sons.

Darla’s hobbies include keeping her family going, eating in new restaurants, traveling to cities she hasn’t been to before, shopping, freelance editing, reading group, classical music and chocolate.

Patty Kennedy

Assistant Web Content Editor

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417-862-2781 ext. 4062

Assistant content editor of three departmental Web sites
Assists in managing ten departmental E-newsletters
Conducts first edit of all Web and E-newsletter content
Assists in departmental events and functions as needed

Patty has been employed with the General Council since April 2005. She and her husband, John, the news editor for Today’s Pentecostal Evangel, were married in 1978. Prior to her employment here, she spent twelve years homeschooling their three sons.

In the fall of 2007, Patty and John started a Springfield chapter of SaveOne, an abortion recovery ministry. They are active in their local Pregnancy Care Center.

In her spare time Patty enjoys playing tennis, working crossword puzzles, baking bread and other goodies, and getting together with family and friends.

Kerry Clarensau

Leadership Development Coordinator

Prepares training materials for Women’s Ministries
Oversees processing of completed leadership training courses
Content editor of Leader’s Unlimited online
Writes for Leader’s Touch and other publications
Serves on various General Council committees
Travels in field ministry—retreats, conventions, all-district leadership training, etc.
Coordinates the development, production and promotion of new discipleship resource materials
Assists in departmental events and functions as needed

Kerry has served in ministry with her husband, Mike, for over 20 years. This includes a variety of ministry positions in the Kansas district and in the national office as the Missionettes Director. Under her leadership the current Missionettes program was developed in 1998.

Kerry became the Leadership Development Coordinator for the National Women’s Ministries Department in 2007. From her home in Wichita, Kerry is able to work as an independent contractor for the national office in Springfield. Kerry and Mike also serve as pastors at Maranatha Worship Center in Wichita, Kansas, where she teaches Sunday school and directs Women’s Ministries. Her role as a pastor’s wife will be instrumental in developing effective leadership resources for the local church.

Kerry and Mike have two sons, Tyler and Blake, and a daughter-in-law, Katie. Kerry enjoys reading the Bible (especially Psalm 119), Jeremy Camp’s song “Enough”, traveling to Europe, Starbucks’ Peppermint Mocha, and her black lab “Mia.”

Lindsey Parsons

Leadership Development Editorial Assistant

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417-862-2781 ext. 4070

Assists the Leadership Development Coordinator in all secretarial duties and travel coordination.
Processes leadership training tests and certificates
Provides editorial and writing assistance for LeadersUnlimited.ag.org
Researches articles, ideas, and products for Pack-Kit quarterly mailing
Assists with the development, production and promotion of all discipleship and training materials
Assists in departmental events and functions as needed

Lindsey came to the General Council and Women’s Ministries in 2007 after graduating from Central Bible College with a B.A. in Counseling. She grew up in the Midwest and has led a variety of ministries for youth, college, church music, evangelism, discipleship, and addiction recovery.

Lindsey lives in Springfield, MO, with her husband Bryan, her “true prince.” After attending graduate school and raising children, she and Bryan plan to counsel struggling couples and families. They want to write books together as well.

Lindsey enjoys the outdoors, journaling, traveling, anything chocolate, song-writing with her acoustic guitar, and taking care of her pet turtle “Piddles”.