By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

Pastor Greg Davis of The Connection church was known for seizing every opportunity he could to share his Christian faith with people in Shelby County and many miles beyond.

Davis, 54, passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 29 in Turkey, after completing a mission project alongside his wife, Wendy Davis, the church’s media director and a Turkish missionary to establish a Christian television station there.

“He was very passionate about sharing Jesus with people,” Wendy said. “At restaurants, he would always share, even with the waitresses. That’s why I loved him so much. He was never afraid or ashamed.”

Known to many as “Pastor Greg,” Greg founded The Connection, a church with campuses in Chelsea and Pelham, with Wendy nearly eight years ago.

“He started the church with about 50 people,” Dr. Mike Talley, the church’s youth pastor, said.

Since then, the congregation has grown to more than 1,000, steadily growing 10 percent for the past five years. Greg was recognized by the Alpha Conference and received the Church Growth Award from 2010-2015, Wendy said.

Greg was in ministry for more than 30 years, starting out as a minister of music.

“He surrendered to the ministry at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Birmingham,” Wendy said. “He served in Pelham, Mount Olive, Gardendale and Cullman, Alabama.”

Greg and Wendy both served as children’s pastors and then youth pastors for six years at Daystar Church in Cullman.

“That’s where we were led by God to plant the (Connection) church in Chelsea, Alabama,” Wendy said.

Greg not only established his own church, but also helped with “extreme” renovations at churches in Seattle, Brooklyn, N.Y. and Washington, D.C. for three consecutive years.

“Greg was always all about helping other churches and just furthering the kingdom,” Wendy said. “That was his heart, and all three of those churches are still thriving to this day.”

Talley described Greg as a “go-getter” and caring pastor that always wanted the people he interacted with to understand God loved them.

“He was extremely energetic, always going and absolutely non-stop,” Talley said, adding that missions were “always his heart” and he did “whatever he could do to spread the gospel,” even if it meant traveling more than 6,000 miles to form a Christian television station.

Talley said the mission trip to Turkey was an unexpected opportunity that Greg jumped on immediately.

Since Greg’s death, Wendy has assumed her husband’s leadership duties at The Connection with assistance from the church’s pastoral staff.

“Pastor Wendy has really stepped up and made it her mission to finish the vision (Greg) set forth,” Talley said. “Basically, she has stepped up and filled that role for now. I think what has kept the church together is her strength.”

Talley said the church’s current theme is “Together We Finish.”

“It has definitely been a time of grieving, but it’s been a moment of knowing God is in control and he has a plan,” Talley said. “We have to follow the plan, even if we don’t know what it is.”

Wendy said Greg’s favorite scripture was Jeremiah 29:11, which reads, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”

“One of the things Greg always told our children is winners never quit, and quitters never win, and that was kind of his motto in ministry,” Wendy said. “He never gave up, and he never quit.”

Talley said a GoFundMe account has been set up to help the Davis family with funeral expenses. For more information or to make a donation, go to Gofundme.com/PGdavis or call the church office at 678-9565.

Greg and Wendy have four children and four grandchildren.

“He was very proud of our four children, and then we have four grandkids, the love of his life,” Wendy said of Greg. “That’s part of his legacy, what he’s leaving for them, and the example he set.

“I just can’t let the (church’s) vision die,” she said. “We’ve got to keep moving forward and thriving on the work that God has started.”