Joyfully His: The beautiful Life of Kathy Russell

“It is my desire, my resolve, my pledge that I want to spend my life giving to our children, letting them know Jesus.”

With hearts full of sorrow yet overflowing with gratitude for a life well lived, we celebrate the memory of Kathy Russell, beloved Children’s Ministries Director for the Carolina Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Kathy fell asleep in Jesus on Tuesday, July 15 after a life given in service to God.

Kathy joined the Carolina Conference on May 1, 2007, and for nearly two decades, she led the Children’s Ministries department with passion, creativity, and unwavering dedication. To those who worked alongside her, Kathy wasn’t simply a department director, she was the Children’s Pastor for the entire Conference. Her ministry was marked by deep spiritual leadership, tireless effort, and a heart abundant with love for Jesus and the children He treasures.

Kathy sang her first solo at the age of five and never stopped using her gifts to glorify God. While she initially pursued a career in nursing, God called her instead to music and education. With degrees in Music Education and a Master of Education in Music, Kathy spent 10 years as a teacher in the Potomac and Chesapeake Conferences before serving in Carolina. She also found time to be the music teacher at Cornerstone Adventist Academy in Charlotte.

At camp meetings and events, Kathy led the children’s and music programs, taught Sabbath School workshops, and poured her soul into every program she touched.

Perhaps one of Kathy’s most far-reaching ministries was Kathy’s Kids StoryTime, a podcast that shares character-building, Christ-centered stories with children around the world. To date, her podcast has had over 750,000 downloads and continues to impact lives globally. Yet for Kathy, the joy wasn’t in the numbers—it was in the smile of a child who recognized “Miss Kathy” and knew they were loved.

Kathy and her husband Rick, who serves the Conference as Vice President for Finance, shared a partnership rooted in faith, calling, and deep affection. They adopted their son Bradley from Ukraine in 2002 and their daughter Grace from China in 2008. Kathy cherished motherhood, raising her children to know and love Jesus.

On June 1, 2024, Kathy was commissioned to the Gospel Ministry in Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska—a recognition of the pastoral care she had long been providing to the children of this territory. As she stood before her colleagues, family, and friends, she made her pledge: “I want to spend my life giving to our children, letting them know Jesus.” And that she did—faithfully, joyfully, and wholeheartedly.

Kathy Russell was a woman of gentleness and grace, of wisdom and strength, of compassion and conviction. She was deeply loved and will be deeply missed. But her legacy lives on in every child who came to know Jesus because of her, in every song sung with joy, in every Sabbath School inspired by her training, and in every heart touched by her love.

We grieve, but we do not grieve without hope. Because Kathy knew Jesus, and she made Him known. And one glorious day soon, the same Jesus she taught so many children to love will call her name—and she will rise, radiant and whole, to meet her Savior face to face.

“Well done, good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21)