Date: April 27, 2009
About: Connie Grossarth McClellan - Class of 1968

Former Quincyan to be Feautured on TV Show

Source: Quincy Herald-Whig
Author: Deborah Gertz Husar

The faith-filled testimony of former Quincyan Connie McClellan and her "Miracle Marine" son John will be featured Tuesday on "The 700 Club."

The show airs at 1 p.m. on WGEM.

In telling John's story, Connie McClellan stressed that prayer works and God is still in the miracle-working business. Above all, she highlighted two Bible verses -- "If you believe and do not doubt" from Mark 11:23 and "All things are possible with God" from Mark 10:27.

"I 'stood' on those two scriptures with every hurdle we faced with John's recovery, and God came through on every one," McClellan said.

"All together John had over 24 things wrong with him, everything from a severed facial nerve, no activity on the left side of his body, only one vocal cord, severe short-term memory issues," she said. "At this point, other than a deaf left ear and minor short-term memory issues, he has totally recovered. Praise the Lord!"

A producer and two crew members interviewed the McClellans in March in Columbia, where they live, and filmed five hours for what will be a six-minute segment.

"They were very professional, but also they walked the walk ... everything you would expect from a Christian television crew," McClellan said. "We prayed before every shoot."

Prayer has been a source of strength for Connie McClellan since Sept. 26, 2006, when John, a machine gunner, was shot in the head by a sniper while on patrol in Iraq.

Doctors say 99 of 100 soldiers with similar wounds die, but from the start, John defied the odds, turning into a "walking talking, writing miracle," according to McClellan who shared his story in her book "My Miracle Marine: The Story of Three-Time Purple Heart Recipient Lcpl. John McClellan."

"The 700 Club" -- hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen and Gordon Robertson with news anchor Lee Webb -- offers a mix of news and commentary, interviews, feature stories and Christian ministry, according to its Web site. The show, on air continuously since 1966, airs live weekdays before a studio audience from the Christian Broadcasting Network's facilities in Virginia Beach, Va.

On The Web: cbn.com/700club

-- dhusar@whig.com/221-3379