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Dr. GreGory Wendell
Pastor of Hope Assembly
Dr. GreGory Wendell was born in Phoenix, Arizona on October 28,1976, the second of three children. His parents Bishop Gregory and Elect Lady Cynthia Newman affluent members of the clergy and thriving pastors in West Phoenix, began a house of worship when GreGory was just 4 years old.
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At the age of 7, young GreGory became the first musician of the church and at the tender age of 13 became headmaster of the adult choir. Growing the music ministry over the course of years, El Bethel Community Choir at one point grew to 100 voices; leading GreGory to also assist a tri-state choir that consisted of members from Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Gifted by God with so many talents, GreGory became a milliner and was just 8 when he created his first hat. Unfortunately, he used material from one of the chapeaus belonging to his hat-loving mother for practice, ruining it in the process.
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Practice making perfect, one would think GreGory studied style and technique at an esteemed fashion institution; when in fact, he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in global business with a concentration in marketing from Arizona State University.
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Garnering the attention of world renowned milliner to the British Royal Family Peter Bettley, GreGory developed a successful millinery business partnership in London, UK. This birthed the humble beginnings of GCNGi pronounced
(jă-sÄn-gÄ“) – a label he derived from the first initial of each of his family members.
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GreGory took the fashion industry by storm, traveling the globe hosting trunk shows and attracting media attention in television appearances, newspaper and magazine articles.
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GreGory’s path of philanthropy, charity work, events and causes include: The Geena Davis Institute, The Arc of San Diego for Mentally Handicap Children, Tinnyz Kickz4Kidz, Seed of Hope Outreach, El Bethel Community Outreach, O-Live! Theatre, Church Stars Network, Open Happiness Project, The Greater New Orleans Hurricane Relief Foundation, St. Judes, Soldiers’ For Angels, No Kid Hungry, and California Wildfire Relief Fund.
GreGory closed his business in 2007 when his father’s sudden illness unexpectedly occurred and the family church was in need of a leader. Established in 1981 and serving the community some 38 years, El Bethel is the largest apostolic church in the state of Arizona and a pillar in the community.
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Never wavering in his commitment to the church in-spite of all his success, GreGory’s dedication to the ministry working side by side with his family made him the perfect choice of acting pastor to the assembly. Stepping in when his church needed him the most, his support, guidance and inspiration nursed his father back to health while keeping the assembly and leadership in tact.
As chief administrator the past 12 years and appointed successor of El Bethel Community Church, Pastor GreGory restructured and established the following community services with a staff of over 100 volunteers.
The impact of these services also caught the eye of Arizona’s Channel 12 News Station with a feature on Arizona’s EVB Live.
What makes GreGory’s life of service even more remarkable is, he now resides in the state of California and travels over 2400 miles a month back and forth to his home church in Phoenix, Arizona.
In January 2020, unexpectedly GreGory's humanitarian work was recognized by one of the oldest of the eight Ivy League universities, Yale International of London, UK bestowed an Honorary Doctorate in Humanitarianism to GreGory. This high level academic recognition celebrated GreGory's enormous contributions with over 10,000 documented hours of volunteer and philanthropy work to society.
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Now pastor of Hope Assembly, Dr. GreGory is the embodiment of hope who uses his skills and expertise to counsel, inspire, uplift, and motivate the community, making him one of Arizona’s most valuable assets.