Meet Clifford Gee

Photo credit to Jo Darling Photography

Clifford Gee

Cliff serves as an audio engineer for our East Memphis & Downtown Outposts

How did you first come to Fellowship?

I was living in Minneapolis for graduate school. Once I had decided to move to St. Jude, I began searching the internet for churches in Memphis. Being a researcher, naturally I made a spreadsheet with church names, service times, locations, and core values. In addition to solid Biblical teaching, I wanted to find a church that looked like the city of Memphis. It struck me, as I looked through church websites, how homogenous many churches and their staff are.When I looked at the staff page for Fellowship, I was grateful to see that a church that places an emphasis on being multiethnic actually had a multiethnic staff. From there I listened to probably 6 months of Fellowship sermons while I was still in Minnesota. By the time I got to Memphis, attending Fellowship was basically a given.The first time I walked into Downton Elementary, within a few minutes Pastor Hassan walked up and introduced himself. I have subbed as a musician at a couple other churches on occasion, but Fellowship has been my home for the past two years.

Cliff on a Sunday

What do you do outside of Fellowship?

I work at St. Jude as a postdoctoral research associate in the area of discovering new antibiotics. When we’re not in the lab, my wife and I can often be found rock climbing at Memphis Rox, exploring the outdoors, or doing something artsy like watercolor painting. Other hobbies include listening to/playing/recording music, watching movies, cooking, and studying philosophy/theology.

What is one interesting thing about you that most people don’t know?

I grew up as a musician and have become proficient multiple instruments (including the ocarina) over the years. With that, I have a small YouTube channel (TheKeyboardChemist) to showcase my solo piano covers, song arrangements, worship videos, and other miscellaneous musical ideas.

What are the reasons you serve/work at Fellowship?

“A man can accomplish anything when he realizes he is a part of something bigger. A team of people who share that conviction can change the world” - S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Coulson relaying a quote from Nick Fury.It’s true for superheroes, and its true for the church. I think everyone at church can and should find some way to serve. We all have our own role to play to help further the kingdom of God.My first few years of college were spent church hopping and never really settling in anywhere, which meant I was missing the opportunity for building community and doing my part. I started to feel convicted, so in my senior year, I found a church, got plugged in with the worship team right away, and thus began my dive into church ministry.About two years ago, shortly after I moved to Memphis, Marci Pruzina invited me to drop in at a vocal rehearsal, where I got to know Seth, Darnell, Jonny, and the rest of our worship team. Serving at Fellowship has been a great way for me to get to meet new people that I may not otherwise meet.Being a part of the vocal team gives me time each week to worship with people from all outposts as we prepare for Sundays at our respective locations. Serving more behind the scenes on the audio side of things gives me a chance to both build relationships with the band members and to use the musical talents God has given me to make sure everything sounds as good as possible on Sunday mornings.Ultimately, I believe God is doing something special in the city through Fellowship, and I want to help in that process in any way that I can.