Minister Marlena Hayden (Birth name: Margolina Perez) was born in Columbus, Ohio on March 23, 1949, to Alice and Agosta Perez. After the passing of her mother when she was an infant, she was raised in Charleston, West Virginia by Izeta and William Lindsay. At the age of sixteen, she married her husband of 60 years, Lynn Hayden of Rand, West Virginia.

As a military family, she spent nine years living in Europe while her husband served in the U.S. Army. During this time, she experienced God’s saving grace in a life-threatening car accident, which planted the seeds of faith in her heart.

In 1983, while stationed in Texas, she began seeking God during a difficult season in her life. After moving back to Ohio, she attended a three-day revival where she accepted Christ, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and began her journey in ministry.

She joined Spirit Filled Church of Our Lord Jesus in December 1985 under Pastor Charles Stevenson. She acknowledged her call to ministry in 1988 and faithfully served in many areas including adult Sunday School, music ministry as a musician and choir director, church secretary, head of the usher board, and prison ministry at Orient Prison.

After the passing of her sister in 2000, she joined Abounding Praise Worship Center under Pastor Marvin Draper. Following two years of leadership training, she received her Minister’s License in 2009.

Today, Minister Hayden continues to faithfully serve as an usher and Adult Sunday School teacher, remaining dedicated to teaching, serving, and encouraging others in their walk with Christ.

Silver Madison Denny was born and raised in Landgraff, West Virginia, the only child of Dora and Elijah Madison. She grew up surrounded by family and friends who shaped her close-knit upbringing.

She is the proud mother of two sons, Gill and Glen (Jamie) Madison, and one daughter, Dr. Kara Denny. Her seven grandsons and fifteen great-grandchildren are her greatest joy. After living in cities across the country, Silver returned to Columbus, where she met and married Mark R. Denny, an architect. They recently celebrated 43 years of marriage.

Silver is a certified florist and balloon artist, with training from the Cincinnati Floral Design School, the American Floral Art School in Chicago, and programs in Athens, Georgia, and Las Vegas. She has a heart for serving and has volunteered with the Salvation Army Human Trafficking Hotline, Sister to Sister, 1 Divine Line 2 Health, several local safe houses, and the Columbus Community Kitchen. She also serves as a Volunteer Coordinator for the State of Ohio.

After being saved in 1975, Silver rededicated her life to God in 1990 following several battles with cancer. She is now a faithful member of Abounding Praise Worship Center under Bishop Marvin C. Draper and Pastor Charlene Draper, where she serves as Pastor Draper’s armor-bearer.

Silver often shares, “This is the family I thought I would never have, but God had a plan. Some things in my life only God could do. Praise be to God.” Her favorite scripture is Psalm 91, and her reminder is simple: “For the grace of God, there go I.”