Elder Michele Irby is a native of Maryland and accepted the Lord as her personal savior on September 14, 1984 at Virginia State University. She was later trained and nurtured at the Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church under the leadership of Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr. and Co-Pastor Susie C. Owens (1986-2000). It was at "Calvary" that she served faithfully for eight years as Church Secretary and participated in a number of ministries. She is a 1991 graduate of Calvary Bible Institute. Elder Irby has been privy to serve in the Lord's church in many capacities, and every assignment has proven provident to her place in ministry.
In 2002, Elder Michele Irby founded Living By Grace Ministries, which is an outreach component that seeks to minister salvation, healing and deliverance to those whose lives have been woven in pain, rejection, and abuse. Living By Grace Ministries focuses on the truth that the grace of God has the power to restore, the fortitude to rebuild, and the compassion to mend the broken lives of those who are willing to surrender their imperfections, their faults, failures, and frailties to a God of love, a God Who longs to embrace them and make them whole in Him. As an advocate against Domestic Violence, Elder Irby has penned her first literary work entitled "Love's TKO: A Testimony of Abuse, Victory and Healing," which shares her experiences as a victim of a love gone bad through domestic violence.
Elder Irby serves surrounding regions through teaching workshops/seminars on Domestic Violence to such groups as educators, medical personnel, clergy, women's ministries, and youth alike. Elder Michele's ministry has also taken her to such areas as Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and Guam.
Elder Irby is a graduate of the University of Maryland University College earning a Bachelor's in the field of Human Resource Management, which will be a catalyst to the opening of her first transitional house for battered and/or homeless women and teenage girls. Elder Irby also holds two Associates Degrees from the Community College of the Air Force: One in Education and Training and the other in Social Services. Now in her 18th year serving in the USAF, she currently serves as the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the 113th DC Air National Guard Wing Chaplain Team. Her future educational goals include obtaining a Master's of Divinity with a concentration in Christian Counseling. Elder Michele has a great burden for souls and she firmly believes that being a soul-winner for Christ is the greatest responsibility in which to uphold... "He who winneth souls is wise." (Proverbs 11:30b)
