Meet The Senior Pastor

Pastor Marvin O’Dell and his wife, Theresa, accepted the call to come to Desert Cities Baptist Church as Senior Pastor in August, 2006. Pastor Marvin had successfully pastored Faith Baptist Church in Somis, CA (Ventura County) for 26 years and had moved to Phoenix, AZ in 2004. He had been speaking in churches and had filled the pulpit here at DCBC while the church was without a pastor. The church felt that having the O’Dells at DCBC would be the direction God was leading, so they extended the call. After much prayer, Pastor Marvin accepted the call. Pastor Marvin and Theresa relocated to the Coachella Valley in January, 2007, and have settled into a home in Palm Springs. Pastor O’Dell was educated at Baptist Bible College, Springfield, MO and is affiliated with the Baptist Bible Fellowship International.

Pastor Marvin brings more than 30 years of ministry-related experience to Desert Cities. His strong emphasis on Bible teaching and preaching has been the hallmark of his ministry through the years. He is a good communicator, and his love for God translates to a love for the people to whom he ministers. In addition to pastoring, Marvin is involved in preserving the western heritage of our country through an involvement in western and Americana music. He is a western music singer/songwriter and board member of the Western Music Association. He also is DJ for a western music program that airs weekly on the internet.

Theresa has been equally involved in ministry with her husband through the years, leading women’s Bible studies, speaking at women’s conferences and groups, and organizing women’s functions in the local church. She is involved in church music and grew up in a pastor’s home where she began singing at an early age. She ‘s had a career as an editor in educational publishing and textbook development and is currently employed in administration with the Palm Springs Unified School District.

The O’Dells have been married more than 40 years and have a son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren who reside in AZ.