Andrew Ray Twibell, 36, of Bourbonanais, Illinois, passed away 8 June 2020, following a long battle with cancer. He was the pastor of Kankakee First Church of the Nazarene.

Andrew was born 21 October 1983 in Muncie, Indiana, to Barry and Renee Samples Twibell. He attended Burris Laboratory School and graduated from Heritage Hall Christian School in Muncie, in 2002, where he served as class president and was a member of many athletic and academic teams.

Andrew graduated from Olivet Nazarene University in 2006 with his Bachelor of Science in Biology and with his Master of Arts in Religion in 2007. As an undergraduate student, Andrew served as class president during his sophomore year and as student body president during his junior and senior years. Following his college career, Andrew served as a resident director for four years on the Olivet campus.

In 2010, Andrew enrolled at Asbury Theological Seminary and graduated in 2013 with a Master of Divinity. Andrew was ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene that same year. Following three years of pastoral ministry at Grace Community Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky, Andrew and his family moved back to Bourbonnais, Illinois, where he served as the assistant district superintendent for the Chicago Central District of the Church of the Nazarene.

In 2017, Andrew was called to serve as the lead pastor of Kankakee First Church of the Nazarene in Illinois. He served on district and national leadership committees for the Church of the Nazarene and authored several articles for denominational publications. Along with his wife, Simone, he led many mission trips to Central and South America and Europe. Andrew and Simone served as volunteer missionaries in the Mesoamerica Region of the Church of the Nazarene.

More important to Andrew than all of his accomplishments was his deep faith in God and his relationships with family and friends. He was a committed and loving father to his children, Lucas and Sofia, and he deeply cherished his wife of 12 years, Simone. 

“He was a student of God’s word and lived out his faith by serving others,” according to his obituary. “On his journey of suffering, he embraced humility, gratitude, and worship. To know Andrew was to love Andrew, and those who knew him learned much from him. His greatest desire in life was to see lives transformed by God’s redemptive grace.”

He was preceded in death by his brother, Christopher Twibell. 

He is survived by his wife, Simone; son, Lucas; daughter, Sofia; his parents; grandfather Glen A. Twibell; two brothers Cory Twibell and Craig Twibell; three nephews, a niece, and many cousins.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday 13 June 2020, at Middletown Church of the Nazarene in Middletown, Indiana. Burial will follow in Garden of Memories Cemetery, Muncie, Indiana.

On Monday, 15 June, a drive-by memorial event will be held near Centennial Chapel on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University from 4-7 p.m.