{"id":4145,"date":"2019-08-16T13:45:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-16T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/2019\/08\/16\/a-spiritual-hero-goes-home\/"},"modified":"2023-06-02T07:15:15","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T05:15:15","slug":"a-spiritual-hero-goes-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/a-spiritual-hero-goes-home\/","title":{"rendered":"A Spiritual Hero Goes Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n<center>\n  <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"975\" height=\"406\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Untitled-7e7569bb.png?resize=975%2C406&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Untitled-7e7569bb.png 975w, https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Untitled-7e7569bb-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Untitled-7e7569bb-768x320.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px\">\n<\/center>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<i>The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them!<\/i>&#8221; Psalm 16:3 NLT <\/p>\n<p> It is with great shock and sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Bob Gempel on Tuesday, August 13th. On Monday Bob was stricken with a brain aneurysm while having breakfast with his beloved wife Pat. After she called 911, they prayed for God to lead them. Shortly after Bob lost consciousness. After an emergency surgery he passed away a day later graciously spared of suffering. Pat was at his side the whole time, and the family quickly gathered in Radnor, Pennsylvania to grieve this unexpected loss. <\/p>\n<p> Bob means so much to so many and since his passing tremendous expressions of love, support, and comfort have come in from around the world. With Bob&rsquo;s numerous roles in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gpcc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Philadelphia church<\/a> as leader, elder, counselor and friend, his service as a founding elder of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostoncoc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Boston Church of Christ<\/a> and ICOC church leader, as well as his global influence as founder and former CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopeww.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HOPE<\/a>\n  <i>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopeww.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">worldwide<\/a>\n  <\/i>, Bob&rsquo;s departure will surely be felt all around the world.\n<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<center>\n  <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"483\" height=\"402\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Untitled-3e3b8ac7.png?resize=483%2C402&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Untitled-3e3b8ac7.png 483w, https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Untitled-3e3b8ac7-300x250.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 483px) 100vw, 483px\">\n<\/center>\n<p><\/p>\n<p> The family wishes to thank so many who expressed their condolences and shown great kindness during this time of sadness and loss. Although we will miss having Bob in our lives, we rest assured that he has gone to be with God. <\/p>\n<p>\n  <i> &#8220;But those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy!&#8221; Isaiah 26:19 NLT <\/i>\n<\/p>\n<p> Two memorial services have been planned to celebrate Bob&rsquo;slife: <\/p>\n<p>\n  <b> Philadelphia <\/b>\n<\/p>\n<p> Sunday, September 1st, 2:00-4:00 pm <\/p>\n<p> Temple Performing Arts Center <\/p>\n<p> 1837 North Broad Street, Philadelphia Pennsylvania 19122 <\/p>\n<p> (Parking Directly across Broad St., Lot #1 &ndash; Broad to Norris to 15th St. to enter) <\/p>\n<p>\n  <b> Boston <\/b>\n<\/p>\n<p> Saturday, September 7th, 11 am <\/p>\n<p> Boston Church of Christ <\/p>\n<p> 75 Pleasant St., Arlington Massachusetts <\/p>\n<p> In lieu of flowers the family request donations to be sent to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hopeww.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> HOPE <\/a>\n  <i>\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hopeww.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">worldwide<\/a>\n  <\/i> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hopeforkids.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hope For Kids<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them!&#8221; Psalm 16:3 NLT It is&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":4146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[71],"tags":[62,54],"post_folder":[151],"class_list":["post-4145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-hopeww","tag-north-america"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Untitled-3e3b8ac7.png?fit=483%2C402&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"dtadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/author\/dtadmin\/"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phsvEw-14R","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4095,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/hope-for-kids-robert-gempel-legacy-fund\/","url_meta":{"origin":4145,"position":0},"title":"Hope for Kids Robert Gempel Legacy Fund","author":"dtadmin","date":"August 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Pat Gempel and Kim Evans would like to thank you for your prayers and support during the sudden loss of Robert Gempel, Pat\u2019s husband and Kim\u2019s dad.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/bob_gempel_boat.png?fit=468%2C264&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2177,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/rob-skinner-podcast-with-pat-gempel\/","url_meta":{"origin":4145,"position":1},"title":"Rob Skinner Podcast with Pat Gempel","author":"dtadmin","date":"December 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Join Rob Skinner as he interviews Pat Gempel, who has 30+ years of ministry experience.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/gemples_church_of_christ.jpg?fit=1200%2C840&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/gemples_church_of_christ.jpg?fit=1200%2C840&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/gemples_church_of_christ.jpg?fit=1200%2C840&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/gemples_church_of_christ.jpg?fit=1200%2C840&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/gemples_church_of_christ.jpg?fit=1200%2C840&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 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3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5355,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/8-scriptures-to-read-when-youre-anxious\/","url_meta":{"origin":4145,"position":3},"title":"8 Scriptures to Read When You\u2019re Anxious","author":"dtadmin","date":"May 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Anybody else struggling with anxious thoughts lately? When I\u2019m anxious, my mind starts swirling\u2014fast and wild, a tornado of thoughts. If I want to stop the madness, I have to turn to godly friends and godly words.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Women's Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Women's Ministry","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/womens-ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/black-and-white-anxious.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/black-and-white-anxious.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/black-and-white-anxious.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/black-and-white-anxious.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/black-and-white-anxious.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2700,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/new-dt-heart-soul-engagement-dillon-and-rachael\/","url_meta":{"origin":4145,"position":4},"title":"New DT Heart &amp; Soul Engagement: Dillon and Rachael","author":"dtadmin","date":"November 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Dillon (California) and Rachael (Pennsylvania) met on DT Heart & Soul earlier this year. Though COVID created some unique circumstances, they built a close relationship, fell in love and were recently engaged.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rachael26Dillon.jpg?fit=1200%2C1014&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rachael26Dillon.jpg?fit=1200%2C1014&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rachael26Dillon.jpg?fit=1200%2C1014&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rachael26Dillon.jpg?fit=1200%2C1014&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rachael26Dillon.jpg?fit=1200%2C1014&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5500,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/press-for-progressinternational-womens-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":4145,"position":5},"title":"Press for Progress\u2014International Women\u2019s Day","author":"dtadmin","date":"March 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"March 7\u2014A memorable day. 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Mordecai discovered the sinister plan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Women's Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Women's Ministry","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/womens-ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/7f437faf-e54a-4c49-80ae-f0ad3f886d71.jpg?fit=1000%2C435&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/7f437faf-e54a-4c49-80ae-f0ad3f886d71.jpg?fit=1000%2C435&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/7f437faf-e54a-4c49-80ae-f0ad3f886d71.jpg?fit=1000%2C435&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/7f437faf-e54a-4c49-80ae-f0ad3f886d71.jpg?fit=1000%2C435&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Untitled-3e3b8ac7.png?fit=483%2C402&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4145"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=4145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}