July 2012 – Featured Gamer – x iPastor x

x iPastor x is the gamer tag for Xbox used by Pastor Steven R. Dodd. Pastor Dodd is an innovative pastoral leader called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the beliefs of the evangelical Christian faith. His primary focus is maintaining the worship of God and to inspire in all persons a love for Christ, a passion for righteousness, and a consciousness of their duties to God and their fellow human beings. His pledge is to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before God” (Micah 3:8). Demonstrating His Spirit through worship, witnessing, and ministering to the needs of the people of the church and the global community so that the Kingdom of God can be expanded.

He was born in California and spent most of his teenage years in Medford, Oregon. In 1988 he enlisted in the United States Air Force and retired after 21-years of faithful service in 2010. During his military career he held many diverse high-level positions to include being hand-selected as a Presidential Escort to both President Bill Clinton and the late President Gerald Ford. One interesting note regarding Pastor Dodd’s time in service is that in 2001, Pastor Dodd found himself ground-zero at the Pentagon while narrowly escaping the traumatic events of September 11, 2001.

Following his military service he attended Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While there, he was honored with being named the 2011 Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges. Additionally, he graduated at the top of his graduating class with Summa Cum Laude honors (3.98 GPA). He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Ministry – Bible and Theology Major; of which he completed this intensive 5-year Bachelor of Arts degree program in just 18-months! Currently he is working towards his Masters of Divinity – Pastoral Leadership at Olivet Bible University in Bourbonnais, Illinois and plans to continue his education until he achieves his Doctorate in Ministry.

Pastor Dodd is married to the former Suzanne Herdoiza of Cape Coral, Florida. They are the proud parents of 6-children (Kara, Tori, Sarah, Anyah, Brie and finally a boy… Christian). How Pastor Dodd came to know the Lord is a remarkable story in itself. Pastor Dodd invites you to read his testimony on his blog at http://pastordodd.com