Gary Penner serves as the Agape Mobility Ethiopia Chairman of the Board and is a retired corporate communications manager for Parkview Health. Penner is passionate about sharing the gospel of Jesus and helping those in need. He also has been a part of four short-term mission trips to Ethiopia since 2008.
When Penner met Saba MarcosAbout, Agape Mobility Ethiopia’s founder, in 2018, he was amazed by her warm, welcoming heart and compassion for the people of Ethiopia. After getting to know Saba and saw a need his communications skills could fulfill, Penner realized that he wanted to be part of her inspiring mission. Thus, with confidence in Saba’s cause and a desire to serve God, Penner joined her team.
Gary Penner
“I feel blessed,” Penner said when asked about his work, “I feel called, and I feel a responsibility to do this kind of thing, to share God’s word and His love.”
While reminiscing about encounters with the people of Ethiopia and its impact on him, one story in particular comes first to his mind. He shares that moments after arriving on a seminary campus in Ethiopia, he met a man visiting Addis Ababa from South Africa. The man was traveling through and asked in a confrontational manner what their group was doing. Penner responded that they were there to share the gospel of Jesus and His grace. To that, the man inquired, “What is grace?” That man’s question filled Penner with surprise and awareness of an opportunity. He shared the message of God’s grace for all people with him pointed him to Ephesians 2:8-9. The man’s demeanor quickly changed, and the man was noticeably inspired to learn more.
Penner says that through his experiences, his faith has dramatically grown, and a desire to serve God’s kingdom has been imprinted on him. Overall, he regards his church volunteer work and his role in Agape Mobility Ethiopia as contributing to the “best life ever.”
