an interview with Stephen McWhirter & Joel Gerdis
by Mitch Bohannon
photos by Steven Estes @stevenestesphoto
We caught up to Stephen McWhirter of Iron he felt the Lord telling him to have a prayer nothing huge, but it’s certainly effective, and is
Bell Music just a week after an incredible and worship night at his house. What started really dear to a lot of people’s hearts because
experience with them at the Christian Musician with 20 people, eventually started growing and it represents a place where people can come
Summit in Tacoma, WA. Stephen was driving became 100… and so they got this renovated spend time with the Lord. It’s really set apart
with his wife across Wyoming on his way to horse barn and turned it into this prayer facility. for that. It’s not a church, it’s just a bunch of
their next show in Sheridan, WY. Stephen set
people who want to gather and have a space
up a conference call to include Joel Gerdis, The name, “Iron Bell Music” kind of came to us dedicated as a place for spending time with
one of the other main voices you hear on the because we were looking for property and we Him.
record, for the interview. felt like the Lord was telling us it would have one of those old iron dinner bells on it. When you [WM] How did each of you get the invite that
[WM] To start, would you give us some look up the meaning of these old iron dinner brought you to Iron Bell Ministries?
background on Iron Bell Music? bells from the 1800’s, when they were really useful, they would ring them to call workers in [Joel] I actually have known Gregg and
[Stephen] Iron Bell Ministries is based in from the field to sit at the dinner table. For us, Shelley, the founders, for about 19 years. I used
Louisville, KY and takes place in a renovated it’s like calling the sons and daughters in to the to lead worship with one of their daughters.
horse barn there. It was founded by Gregg table with the Lord. So, when they launched the very first worship
and Shelley Dedrick in 2009. Gregg was in
night in their home in about 2008, I actually
the corporate world for a long time. He was [Joel] Yeah, God just really put it on their lead worship for that with one of my friends. A
at PepsiCo and Yum! Brand for years, and hearts to buy a tall barn that needed a lot of few years after that, they asked me to serve on
eventually was the President of Kentucky Fried renovations to be ready. They turned it into a their board for the Ministry. Stephen and I have
Chicken for about five years. After he retired, facility that could hold about 240 people. It’s known each other almost that long as well, just
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December 2017
WorshipMusician.com