Pastor Roesel was ordained on August 26, 1956 by the Wildwood
Baptist Church in Wildwood, Florida. He graduated from Stetson University in 1958 and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Kentucky in May 1961. He and his wife, Edna Sue, and three children served Baptist churches in New Smyrna Beach and
Zephyrhills Florida before coming to FBC Leesburg in 1976. He served as Senior Pastor at FBC Leesburg for thirty
years. During that time, the church was blessed with phenomenal growth with over 7,000 people baptized.
He led the church into the concept of Ministry Evangelism out of
his desire to do more for those coming to the church in need than just give them a meal and send them on their way.
In 1982, under his leadership, the first mission for transient men was opened in an old house adjacent to the church and the
Christian Care Center was officially incorporated as a 501C3 non profit organization. God continued to bless the efforts
of Dr. Roesel and FBC Leesburg and in 1985 they opened Leesburg's first emergency care shelter for abused children, currently
called the Children's Emergency Shelter. In 1987, the Pregnancy Care Center was opened, followed by the Women's Care
Center in 1989, the Benevolence Center in 1991, the Residential Group Home in 2003 and a host of other programs such as Abstinence
Education, Mentoring, Tutoring and other non-residential programs. In 1996 a Parish Nurse Program was opened primarily
to serve the men and women in the residential facilities. This ministry was later expanded into a sister non-profit
organization called the Community Medical Care Center (CMCC) through a partnership with Leesburg Regional Medical Center.
The CMCC now serves the medically indigent of Leesburg and the surrounding area.
The Charles L. Roesel Ministry Evangelism Training Center was completed
in 2007 and now houses the CCC administrative offices and state of the art training facility to equip othe churches seeking
to reach out to the lost of their community through the Ministry Evangelism Concept.
Dr. Roesel co-authored Meeting Needs Sharing Christ, Ministry
Evangelism in Today's New Testament Church with Donald Atkinson published by Lifeway Press in 1995.
