By Bryant Thigpen
Riverbend News
Andy Schiltz was born in 1951 to Ray and Mary Schiltz in LaCrosse, Wis. Shortly after graduating from high school, Schiltz joined the U.S. Marine Corp and served this country from 1972-76, but little did he know that God was preparing him for a greater service.
In 1977, Schiltz moved to Cleveland, Tenn., to attend college at Lee University, (LU). While attending LU, he met the love of his life, Jan, in February of 1978 and the couple tied the knot on August 11, 1979. The couple later welcomed two children, Nathan and Amelia, to the family.
“I actually went to college thinking I wanted to be a school teacher. However, it didn't take me long to realize that wasn't for me,” he laughed. “But, I did have this burning desire to teach.”
Shortly after Shiltz graduated from LU in 1982, the couple moved to North Florida to the area where his wife's family resided. The couple was attending the Westlake Church of God while he was working at Jimbob Printing in Madison. “It was during that time, I didn't really have a lightning bolt experience, but I just felt like I had a real desire to preach the Word,” he said. “That's about when I knew God was calling me to preach.”
That same year, Schiltz was given the opportunity to serve as an interim pastor at the Greenridge Church of God in Jasper. Not long after serving as an interim, they asked Schiltz to consider taking the pastor position. “They asked me if I would be their pastor, and I had a peace about it, so we accepted the position,” he recalled. During the four years Schiltz was at Greenridge, he also served as a youth pastor for the district. Together with his wife, they coordinated and hosted youth events at churches within the region.
In 1986, the Schiltz family then departed Florida and headed north to Neenah, Wis., where he would pioneer a church. The couple remained in Neenah until 1990, when they relocated to Prairie du Chien, Wis., where he continued in pastoral ministry.
From 1991-93, Schiltz took a break from ministry while the family relocated back to Florida. In November of 1993, Schiltz accepted the position as pastor of the Westview Church of God in Blounstown where he led the church until 1998. After resigning as pastor, the couple stayed active in the church until they came back to the area in April of 1999 and began as pastor of the Live Oak Assembly of God. Schiltz remained at the church until June of 2000.
For three years, he served as an associate pastor at Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Lake City before stepping back into the position of senior pastor at the Garden City Church of God in Jacksonville. Schiltz served as the pastor of the church for 10 years before resigning and what he thought would be retirement. “I really thought I was done with pastoring,” he said. “But God had other plans.”
In 2014, the couple moved to Jasper and began attending the Jennings Church of God. They were active serving the church when the opportunity arose for Schiltz to step into the role as pastor. Schiltz began serving as the pastor of the Church of God in 2015 and is still going strong.
“I have a real love for ministering to people,” he said. “I love being able to help people in their time of need. The mission statement at our church is, 'Have a passion for the Word, and compassion for His people.' I love any and every opportunity I have to share the Word and to be there for the people.”
As a result of his love for the Word of God, Schiltz went back to school and attended Logos University, where he graduated in 2008 with a Masters Degree in Theological Studies.
Whether it's ministering in nursing homes, on social media or behind the pulpit, the love for teaching the Word of God is the motivation which has kept Schiltz going strong for nearly 40 years and will keep him moving forward for years to come.