Our President

Isaac H. Chappell serves as the senior pastor of Jefferson Community Church of God in Christ, serving since 2010. Whether in the pulpit or wearing another hat, Pastor Chappell focuses on sharing the love of Christ with individuals and the community in any way that he can. Christ’s love transforms hearts, minds, relationships, and everything in between.

A lifelong resident of Ashtabula County, he began his career in public service as a Correction’s Officer with the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department, serving more than 20 years. The position afforded him the unique opportunity to not only protect the public but also minister and pour into valuable people, who made bad decisions, on their not-so-best days.

Those interactions inspired him to get involved with drug and alcohol counseling. He earned a drug and alcohol counseling license in 2003. So many people made bad decisions because of substance dependency. Once dependable, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers, had been transformed, seemingly overnight to people they could no longer recognize. However, the love of Christ and evidenced-based counseling could change it all.

In 2005, Pastor Chappell founded the Eagle Eye Family Development Center, with his late wife of 31 years, Janice Chappell. The organization offered out-patient drug counseling, with a faith-based foundation. The center led to countless individuals realizing the life-changing power of a Christ-centered life and gaining liberation from the claws of addiction.

Eventually, church and family obligations led to the closure of the organization in 2015. Currently, he has re-established the organization and included new initiatives with it as well. The newly revived Eagle Eye Family Development Center has now expanded to helping people in crisis, planning community activities, working with families, and writing reports to monitor their progress. 

The most critical component of Isaac’s work is serving as a resource to the community, referring people in need to the services they need and following up on their progress, and being a networking bridge that connects people all over the county, pointing them in the right direction. Most important to his story, remains his time with his family. Four adult children and two grandchildren keep him busy. Healing from the loss of his wife of 30 years, he chases Val and Liam, his grandchildren around during time away from the church.