Heaven Bound Ministries, Inc. is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization incorporated in the state of West Virginia and governed by a Board of Directors whose sole purpose is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ via various musical concerts, i.e. Southern Gospel, Praise and Worship, Patriotic, live ‘on stage’ Christian musical presentations, i.e. HE’S ALIVE! and the spoken word through out the tri-state area of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Heaven Bound Ministries, Inc. originally began when Mrs. Doris Estep, Mrs. Brenda Hetzel and Mrs. Jeannie Pierce Waychoff, all who attended the same Baptist church in Wheeling WV, in the mid 1990’s, began singing Southern Gospel music as the trio called Heaven Bound. The ladies loved the Lord, each other and music so it only seemed natural that God had brought them together.

His vision for Heaven Bound was much greater than theirs because He grew Heaven Bound into a 20+ member traveling singing group called Heaven Bound Et Al. He then enlarged the group to a 200+ member non-denominational organization called Heaven Bound Ministries. In the late 1990’s, the formal incorporation of Heaven Bound Ministries, Inc. was accomplished; thus, opening the door for the organization to cover the total responsibility of producing and directing their ministry events, including HE’S ALIVE!, the musical Passion Play that has become an annual Resurrection Season tradition in the Ohio Valley. At last count, the Heaven Bound Family’s enrollment through the years has included nearly 1000 individuals!! Still to this very day, the sole purpose of the ministry organization is to glorify our triune God with every lyric, every song, every word! God has so blessed this ministry organization so that we might bless others!!

Hebrews 3:13

Brenda, Jeannie, and Doris

Mike, Rick, Brenda, Jeannie, and Doris

Board of Directors

I have been honored to be with He’s Alive from the beginning in 1996 in a local church in Wheeling as the narrator. I have been blessed to pray with many wonderful folks who have come forward at the end of each presentation. Seeing lives changed is why we do what we do by presenting He’s Alive every Easter season to the community. I have also been blessed to be narrator for other Heaven Bound ministry productions in the past. I work at the City Mission in Washington PA. I live in Wheeling WV with my wife Debra of 42 years and have 5 children and 7 grandchildren with another on the way. In Jesus, Paul Smith

In addition to being one of the members of the Board, I am also honored to carry the role of Prayer Chairman for Heaven Bound Ministries, Inc.

Brenda Hetzel was born and raised in Ligonier, PA; a little town East of Pittsburgh. She was a member of “The Hays Family & Friends”, a family-based Gospel singing group and puppeteers. The Hays Family traveled the Tri-State (PA, WV, OH) proclaiming the Gospel in song and in puppet performances. God, however, led her to Wheeling, WV where she met and married her husband, Larry.

That move brought her to First Baptist Church in Wheeling where she became close friends with Jeannie Pierce Waychoff and Doris Estep, also from First Baptist Church. God took that bond and molded them into “Heaven Bound” which then blossomed into “Heaven Bound Ministries, Inc. God has been…and always will be…the focal point in Brenda’s life as well as in the life of Heaven Bound Ministries.

I have been blessed to be involved with Heaven Bound Ministries since 2001 and with He’s Alive! since 2013. I serve on the HBM Board of Directors and also as Co-Choral Director. I have served on the Board of Deacons and currently serve as one of the Worship Leaders at Waynesburg First Assembly of God. Prior to joining He’s Alive! in 2013, I was the Musical Director of Hosanna, an Easter Passion Play presented at Waynesburg First Assembly of God for 20+ years. I enjoy singing with my HBM family and also Generations Quartet. I live in Waynesburg, PA with my wife Jacki and we have two children & their spouses and four grandchildren.

Jeannie Pierce Waychoff is one of the original ‘founding sisters’ of Heaven Bound and has served on the Board of Directors of Heaven Bound Ministries, Inc. since its inception in the late 1990s. Jeannie, along with her sisters-in-Christ, Mrs. Doris Estep and Mrs. Brenda Hetzel, all of Wheeling, WV at that time and all fellowshipping at the same Baptist Church in Wheeling, began singing together as
the Southern Gospel trio, Heaven Bound, in the mid 90s. All the gals loved the Lord, each other and Southern Gospel music so it just seemed natural that God had choreographed their lives so that He could be glorified in song by Heaven Bound! Little did any of them know that God had a greater vision for Heaven Bound! (Read more about the formation of Heaven Bound Ministries, Inc. on our
Home Page.) In addition to being a Board Member, Jeannie is humbled to carry the role of Director for many of the ministry events presented by Heaven Bound Ministries, Inc.

Jeannie is a mother of four (all grown and married) and a grandmother of 10. She lives on a 25 acre farm in Greene County, PA (Waynesburg area) and loves her horses and is always busy outside enjoying the beauty of God’s beautiful world. She is a member of the Ruff Creek Bethlehem Baptist Church, Ruff Creek, PA. It is a precious little country church — the same church that she started attending when she was 2 years old and was baptized there when she was eight!

Jeannie also owns and operates a small retail craft-style store called Grandma’s Store where individual creativity is celebrated and testimonies about God’s goodness and grace are encouraged to be shared!

Memorials

Mrs. Doris Alley Estep: HE’S ALIVE! 2019 was dedicated in loving memory of our beautiful sister-in-Christ and ‘singing buddy’, Doris Estep. Doris was 87 years young when the gates of Heaven welcomed her into her heavenly home on March 11, 2019. Doris, whose rich alto voice complemented the original Heaven Bound trio that was birthed by God’s grace in the 1990s, was an inspiration to all who knew her because she was never sad, never discouraged, always smiling, hugging and loving on everyone! Her beautiful smile and sweet, sweet God-filled Spirit touched more lives than she ever realized! In addition to being an active
vocalist on every concert for over 20 years, Doris faithfully served on the Board of Directors for Heaven Bound Ministries from its very inception and was always a vital part of the planning, praying and decision making process of the organization.

Miss Kathleen Hoyman: Our sweet “Miss Kathleen”, who faithfully served our Heaven Bound Ministries organization as our Prayer Chairperson with beauty, grace, dignity and humor for nearly twenty years, walked into Heaven and was met by her loving Savior on October 23, 2013. She was 96 years young! Her Jesus granted her clarity of mind and a love for all those members of the Heaven Bound family right through the end of her earthly life. Miss Kathleen never missed a single rehearsal, concert or HE’S ALIVE! performance in all those years that she served as our ‘Prayer Warrior’!! As she said, “I never tire of the music or the message”. The HE’S ALIVE! 2014 performances were dedicated in loving memory of our sweet saint, Miss Kathleen Hoyman.