Co-Pastor Dorelle Arnwine

 

As native of Chicago, ILL. Pastor Dorelle learned early in life that the desire to help people came effortlessly. As an only child, her mother would often take her to the Jr. Blind Facility to do volunteer work, often repeating the same speech to her,  "always remember there are those less fortunate than you. Learn to give back now and make a difference." Those words stayed with Pastor Dorelle her entire life.

 

As a teenager growing up in Southern California, Pastor Dorelle was an active member of her Church's youth department as well as an outspoken member of the high school debate team. Often depicted as a champion of the underdog, Pastor Dorelle decided to go into the occupation of social work. It was after her trip to Haiti, where she witnessed such extreme poverty and extreme wealth that she decided to undertake Sociology and Black studies at the University of California Santa Barbara. While in attendance at UCSB, Pastor Dorelle was a founding member of the performing UCSB gospel choir. Her love for the performing arts moved her to co-produce several gospel musicals, which were performed at the campus and local churches.

 

Pastor Dorelle moved to the Antelope Valley after graduation and began her work in the ministry as a youth pastor at a local church. Her love for children and the desire to empower young people to reach their full potential, led her to become an elementary school teacher for several years. She continued to teach and was frequently asked to do motivational speaking at local events. At one such event she met her future husband, Pastor Michael D. Arnwine. Their love for God, children and the arts was the bond that brought them together.

 

Pastor Dorelle switched careers and began her tenure as a social worker with a local family agency. There she used her talents to strengthen at risk families by providing in home counseling services, parenting classes, counseling pregnant minors in the local high school and training welfare to work with mothers on how to obtain their childcare licensing.

 

Her advocate work continued as she and her husband established a viable youth organization, YIP, Youth In Power. Their objective was to provide scholarships to youth continuing their education, while instrumentally equipping youth to organize and run their own youth facilities. YIP with the guidance of Pastor Dorelle and Pastor Mike, conducted bi-yearly youth retreats, banquets honoring young people accomplishments, mentorship programs, entrepreneur programs and musical workshops.

 

During this time Pastor Dorelle completed her Master's of Science in School Counseling at the University of LaVerne, and began working as a college counselor at the local community college.

 

Pastor Dorelle has completed her first children's book and has appeared several times as a quest speaker on the local access television station. She has co-produced several documentaries depicting African American History and continues to engage in motivational speaking and preaching.