REV. FAY ILENE REILLY NIEMANN

Fay Ilene Reilly was born on April 21, 1961, to Eleanor and Douglas Reilly in Wautoma, WI.  Fay and her siblings, David, June, and Steven, worked hard and played hard in the vast woods of their family’s 33-acre homestead and thus began Fay’s love for fun and adventures in the great outdoors. Fay developed a deep love for children while assisting and learning from her mother, who was a Sunday School Superintendent. It was her parents’ daily modeling of authentic Christian faith that would become the foundational stone of Fay’s worldwide impact in ministry.

Fay graduated from Wautoma High School in 1979, and in 1983 graduated from North Central University in Minnesota, with a BS in Missions. She immediately left for Nome, Alaska, missing her college graduation ceremony because of the pressing needs in that community. For two years, Fay was deeply grateful for the guidance and mentorship of Tommy and Barbara Davis. While working on her Masters in Christian Education at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (1985-87) in Illinois, Fay also volunteered in children’s ministry at her home church, Crossroads Family Church, under the remarkable leadership of Samuel Timm.

In 1988, Fay was hired by Muldoon Community Assembly in Anchorage, Alaska, as a Kindergarten teacher by day and a Children’s Pastor by night. Through her charismatic hard work, MCA children’s ministries rapidly grew and by 1990, Fay became MCA’s first full-time Children’s Pastor. During her tenure as Children’s Pastor, Fay designed and implemented many programs and events; however, her greatest love was the dream and implementation of the Kids in Training (KIT) team.  Her vision to train children in ministry was realized through the variety of opportunities for the KIT team to serve in Anchorage at Vacation Bible Schools, Fadazzle-Wazzle, and other community events. She led missions trips to many villages throughout the state of Alaska, Burkina Faso, Thailand, Australia, Guatemala, and India.

On December 31, 1992, Fay married the love of her life, Charles Niemann, and four years later, on December 29, 1996, they welcomed their 2.5-pound little miracle, Nicole Marie, into their family. On July 18, 2020, Trevor Brown was added to the family when he married Nicole, and on August 24, 2021, Fay’s first grandchild, Eleanor Roselyn, was born.

Fay’s accomplishments have been remarkable: she received her Doctorate in Ministry from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in 2015; was the first woman presbyter in Alaska; became an Executive Pastor at MCA; was the Alaska District Children’s Ministries Director; was the Executive Director of the Alaska School of Ministry (AKSOM) and Yeshiva, a master-apprentice-based internship program that encourages, empowers, and equips disciples for global engagement; was a strategic part of helping to establish four elementary schools in Burkina Faso through the BOAZ operation, which she co-founded; recently authored Alaska’s Spiritual Gold: 100 Years of Church Growth; and was part of The Network of Women Ministers in the Assemblies of God where she collaborated to write mission statements and create strategic plans to help women fulfill their God-given destiny.

While Fay is known and loved throughout the world, it was her family and close friends who provided her with the encouragement to follow the Lord’s call and boldly go!

Fay passed away on September 17, 2021, at the age of 60. She is survived by her husband, Chuck Niemann; daughter, Nicole (Trevor) Brown; granddaughter, Eleanor Brown; father, Douglas (Edna) Reilly; brothers, David (Cindy) and Steven Reilly; sister, June (David) Sheneman; sister-in-law, Rita Niemann, and her many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Eleanor Reilly; mother-in-law, Catherine Niemann, father-in-law, Charles Niemann, and sister-in-law, Janet Niemann.