Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church

Scharmel Roussel

Scharmel Roussel

Scharmel Roussel

Scharmel Roussel graduated from Parkview High School in Little Rock, earned a B.A. in English from Hendrix College in Conway, and later earned a M.A. in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has previously worked in communications positions for the Little Rock School District, the North Little Rock School District, the Arkansas Department of Education, and the Westminster School District (a suburb of Denver, where her son was born). Her son J.P. is now a police officer in Conway. J.P.’s wife Mary is rehab director and speech pathologist at a nursing home in Beebe.

Scharmel completed Information Technology certification from UALR in 2009. She also has completed the process for certification in Digital Culture Ministry from the Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship and Lumicon Digital Productions. She is certified to provide workshops online at www.beadisciple.com and enjoys finding time to teach again. She taught a course on church communication twice in 2008 and once again in 2009 . She previously taught part-time at UALR in the 1990s.

Scharmel likes to read and enjoys Bible studies and book studies; she has completed Disciple 2. She enjoyed Rev. Harriet’s “Spiritual Pilgrimage to France” in May 2007, when a group visited cathedrals and labyrinths. She later enjoyed a similar experience in September 2008 in Italy with other Pulaski Heights UMC members and guests. She particularly enjoyed visiting Assisi, where St. Francis lived, studied and worked. From Scharmel’s perspective, St. Francis was the original Eco-Christian – concerned about the animals, the environment and all of God’s creation.

Among her favorite scriptures is “Nothing can separate us from the love of God…” from Paul’s letter to the Romans. Her goal in ministry is to spread that message of God’s loving presence – through print, radio, television and the world wide web. As communications director at PHUMC since 1996, her purpose has been to increase awareness among church members and the public of worship services, events, activities, and opportunities for all in the United Methodist Church, particularly PHUMC.

Along with other staff members, Scharmel belongs to a gym and works out several times a week. She earned two bronze medals for Nastar amateur downhill racing at Aspen and Snowmass in 2004. She has skied at resorts all over Colorado, in New Mexico, in Montana, in Austria, in Germany and in Switzerland.

Scharmel is fond of her Chihuahua -Poco Pablo Picasso, whom everyone calls Pablo, who was born in May 2008. Pablo has participated in Children’s Sermons and the annual Blessing of the Animals.