Stephen Clarke Zoeller

(Testimony)

 

Stephen was born in Evansville, Indiana, before WW2, with mid-western values.  The greatest influence on his early life was Ferdinand Gehlhausen his Grandfather, because his father Vernon was overseas saving the world in the Army.  As a youth they moved a lot because of his dad’s job so Stephen never developed any close personal relationships until high school.  He worked his way up through scouting to Eagle, Silver Eagle, Ad Altare Dei (God & Country) awards. In high school, was selected for the Order of the Arrow along with his first best friend Mickey Hogan, who died in their senior year from surgical malpractice.

Stephen worked at Cape Canaveral in Life Support after St. Joseph’s College, Rensselaer, IN  and in 1963 started racing in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) in a Formula Vee (FV) at Osceola raceway.  For the next 27 years, won and lost races, made and lost friends (several of them were killed racing).  He watched as a driver was killed in front of him.  Was involved in two major accidents, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, NC, he was knocked unconscious, then  at Road Atlanta where he broke his back and spent several months in hospitals in GA, and then went through eight years of physical therapy in order to walk again (with a limp).  He lived his life like he really didn’t care anymore about anything except being successful in his job, and being a playboy in every sense of the word.

But he knew that something was missing, praying (on a mountaintop in Fontana, SC, Easter Sunday Sunrise) for the “right” woman to come into his life to be able to share all the wonderful things that he was experiencing.  Be careful for what you pray for because God answers prayers, God sent a good and holy woman that helped turn his life around.  She gave him children, six wonderful grandchildren to love, and a desire to turn his life around.

Going to Promise Keepers in 1997, he renewed his commitment to Jesus Christ and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Later he had a vision of God telling him to take the 27 years of racing knowledge and use it for HIM.   HE told Stephen to return to the track with a mission to give everyone the opportunity to be SAVED before they go on the track as a driver, crewmembers or safety workers. (Several safety workers have been killed, helping others).

So in October 1999, Stephen set out for Sebring to offer assistance in Motorsports Ministries, and due to the illness of the Chaplain, was thrust into SERVICE starting that day and has been God’s servant ever since.  He has served as an ordained Deacon and an elder in a Presbyterian Church.  Then he participated in and/or worked Emmaus Walks and Chrysalis Walks.  stephen and his wife have taught weekly and biweekly bible classes in addition to pre-marriage classes (3 day course) for the past few years. Later ordained as minister, they have traveled the United States as Series Chaplains for three major racing sanctioning bodies (HSR, PBOC, and SCCA), performing weddings, baptisms, funerals, memorial and internment services, as well as speaking in churches all over the east coast of the U.S.

Stephen has done services at tracks from Homestead, FL to Watkins Glen, NY and was at Vegas International Speedway in January of 2008.  He has spoken at many churches, from Methodist Churches on the Beach in FL, to Assemblies of God churches in Ill to Victory in Christ International Church (ND) on the east coast.  Stephen has been honored by SCCA to have been asked to do the invocation for every Hall of Fame Inductees Banquet that they have ever held.  In 2006 Stephen was elected to the Board of Directors of the “National Fellowship of Raceway Ministers” (http://www.racewayministries.com/RoadRacingMinistry.html ) where he serves as the Director of Road Racing Ministries.

After 10 years + of intense pain from his accident and dragging his left leg, Stephen was miraculously healed over night, by the Grace of Jesus Christ and no longer walks with a limp or is in pain from the accident.  God has blessed him with the ability to give people that need healing, the hope of God’s promise as characterized in his work with Cancer Children for the past 12 years.  He may make you laugh, make you cry, or feel convicted by the Word, but your life will never be the same.

 

Link to Stephanie:  http://www.racerev.com/People/StephanieZ.htm

 

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