Jeff Glass Biography

I was born in Paris, France in October of 1955 of American parents. At 14 months of age, my parents moved to Switzerland, and settled in Geneva. I spent the next 18 years of my life living in Geneva; French is my first language. When my parents realized they would not be returning the United States, they began teaching me, and my two brothers, the English language; first at home, then in a bilingual school in Geneva.

My exposure to America, and the American culture came during bi-annual family vacations to Denver, Colorado, my father's hometown, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, my mother's home town. During the early years we didn't see too much more than those two cities. It was during one of the return flights to Geneva from New York that my professional career was launched, even though I was only 8 years old.

During the overnight flight, on an old Swissair DC-8, I was invited to come up to the flight deck and visit with the pilots. I don't think there is an 8 year old boy anywhere in the world that would turn down that invitation. The flight crew propped me up on the jump seat behind the captain and fitted me with head-phones. I could hear the pilots talking to each other, and with me. I could hear the radio chit-chat in the background; it was night time, and the flight deck, with all of its instruments, was lit up for night flight. As the pilots and I were talking over the intercom, one of the pilots pointed to the horizon through the front windshield and said, "Look, sunrise over the North Atlantic." As I turned my head to look out the front windshield of this old DC-8, my overwhelming experience was capped off with a sight I knew I would want to see time and time again. Upon graduating from high school in Geneva, I came right back to Denver, Colorado and enrolled in flight school. Within 18 months I was a young flight instructor and began working my way up the ladder of experience. I have been flying professionally ever since, and yes, I have witnessed the sun rise over the North Atlantic many times, except now as captain.

In 1977 I began heading west, and ended up in Van Nuys, California. With the exception of a short period of time living in Salt Lake City, Utah, I have lived in California ever since.

In January of 1980 my younger brother, John, came to Southern California to pay me a visit; he and I shared my apartment. It was during his visit in 1980 that I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I immediately became involved with a large church in Sun Valley, CA, and before long, I was giving my personal Christian testimony to inmates in the Los Angeles County Jail. This began a volunteer jail ministry which lasted for years. The Hand in the Storm was formed, and licensed under 501 (c) (3) during my early years as a volunteer chaplain, primarily to minister to inmates, and their families, after the inmate's release.

1980 was a good year for me as I also met a beautiful young lady sitting in the front row of our local church. Pam and I dated for two years, and were married in June of 1982.

In 1994 I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah for a flying contract and transferred my chaplaincy to the Utah State Prison. This year of ministry turned out to be one of my most rewarding years of ministry ever! In 1996 I was called to the San Francisco Bay Area on another flying contract, and have lived in the Bay Area ever since.

Family:

Pam and I have made our home in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1996. We have three grown children: Andrea, Ryan, and Andrew.

Church:

Our family attends, and we are members of West Hills Community Church, Morgan Hill, CA (Evergreen Campus).