Gordon Clymer

(From Mason-Woodard Mortuary)

Gordon R. Clymer of 304 N. Verbryck St. in Carl Junction passed away at Freeman Hospital early in the morning on Thursday, Aug. 26th. Gordon was born June 7, 1936. He grew up in Black Oak near Gary, Indiana and was the only child of Ross W. and Genevieve E. Clymer. 

His family moved to Lowell, Indiana when he was in junior high school. He graduated from the Lowell High School in 1954 and the Ozark Christian College in 1959. In 1964 he graduated from the University of
Tennessee with a BS in Education and in 1971 with a MS in Educational Psychology. He was ordained to the Christian Ministry at the Southside Christian Church in Hammond, Indiana on Aug. 9, 1959. Calvin L. Phillips was Minister.

Gordon served for three years from 1959-1962 as Associate Minister at the First Christian Church of Kingsport, Tennessee with Dr. L. Palmer Young. For seven years he served as the Preaching Minister of the Christian Church of Fountain City in Knoxville, Tennessee (1963-1969). 

For five years he was Chairman of the National Bible Bowl Committee, the largest teen quizzing program in the nation as part of the North American Christian Convention (1965-1969). He also served two terms on the NACC Continuation Committee (1963-1969, 1974-1975). He was National Chairman of “Equipping an Every-Member Ministry” committee, Bicentennial Venture for Evangelism (1975-
1977).

For twenty eight years Gordon was professor and Director of the Christian Education Department at the Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Mo. (1969-1997). Then he spent six years on staff at Good News Productions International serving as Special Projects Director (1997-2003). 

As part of his work at GNPI he began an Internet based distance learning component for Christian Colleges. He spent the next ten years (2003-2013) as Coordinator for what became the Consortium for Christian Online Education (theccoe.com). 

In those ten years the Consortium enrolled more than 4,000 students from 20 colleges, comprised of 19 college credit courses. He has also written for a variety of Christian publications.

Gordon served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of GNPI for twenty years (1976-1996). For thirty years he served on the Board of Directors of the Joplin Neighborhood Adult Literacy Action (1981-2011). He also served six years on the Board of the Prague Christian Library in the Czech Republic. 

From 2004-2009 he travelled twice a year to Europe for board meetings and to conduct seminars. Since 1970 he has travelled extensively, having been in more than 75 countries and all 50 states. He was a member of the Board of Advisors for Windward Islands School of Evangelism from 1998-2010. He also served as Board Chairman of the Asian Christian Mission in Thailand, the Waray-Waray Project in the Philippines, and the Caribbean Anchor of Hope in Jamaica. His latest project was organizing meetings for 58 retired Christian Ministers.

In 2007 he was given the Seth Wilson Outstanding Alumnus Award by the Ozark Christian
College.

Gordon is survived by his wife, Mary, of the home, one son David Clymer, and wife Kimberly of Joplin, and three grandchildren, Cory Fisk, and Alex and Anna Clymer. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Sharon Fisk, and a grandson, Ryan Fisk.

Visitation will be at the Mason Woodard Mortuary on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 29th) from 2 – 3 p.m.
Funerall services will be at the Christian Church of Carl Junction at 10 a. m. on Monday August 30th. with burial to follow in the Carl Junction Cemetery. 

Memorial contributions are requested to Ozark Christian College, or Good News Productions International in care of the Mortuary.