Joseph F Glenn

Known for his love of people and a passion for missionary work, Joseph Franklin Glenn was a visionary who lived a life of service to his family and his church family. His legacy, especially in Honduras, leaves a global impact. Joe Glenn, age 90, of Atlanta, Georgia, passed peacefully at home on Saturday, January 13th, 2024.

Joe was born in 1933 in Cleveland, Tennessee to James and Ona Glenn. He had a brother and a sister, Jimmy Glenn and Dortha Glenn Travis (Dottie). Joe attended David Lipscomb College as well as Tennessee Tech, where he graduated with a major in Accounting. He also served two years in the U.S. Army in Alaska. In 1958, he moved to Atlanta where he met and married Elizabeth Connell (Betty Glenn). They were founding members of the Decatur Church of Christ (now the Zyka Indian Restaurant), where he served briefly as a pulpit minister and also a deacon and an elder. In the mid-1990s, the Decatur Church family relocated to what is now the Northlake Church of Christ.

In the early 1970s, in an effort to develop a large group of medical practitioners who would rotate into the mission field, Joe was part of the leadership group that established the first HMO in Atlanta. This entity was bought by investors and is known today as Kaiser Permanente. The funds from the sale enabled the establishment of World Outreach Foundation, where Joe became the founding President and traveled throughout the US to recruit medical missionaries to serve people in remote locations in other countries who did not have access to basic medical care. This was the parent organization for Honduras Outreach Inc.(HOI).

In the 70s and 80s, Joe was an influential force in the expansion of medical missions in the Churches of Christ. Joe served on the boards of the African Christian Hospital Foundation, connected with Nigeria, and also Health Talents International in Alabama, which established an international medical evangelism training program. Joe also served on the board of Escuela Biblica Honduras in Catacamas, which provides training for indigenous preachers.

In 1985, Joe Glenn, along with fellow visionaries Archie Crenshaw and Jerry Eickhoff, helped to establish a mission center to serve the people in the remote mountain villages of Olancho, Honduras. The Rancho el Paraiso (Paradise Ranch) which initially had no running water has grown and expanded to include a church, an orphanage, a medical facility, an agricultural training center, a school and recreational area. Many youth groups from all faiths have contributed countless hours of service to improve both the physical and spiritual lives of the community.

Also in the mid-80s, Joe initiated Predisan Health Ministries whose name comes from the words Predicar (to preach) and Sanar (to heal). The vision is “to see people experience wholeness: physical, spiritual, social, economic and environmental health, according to God’s redemptive plan.” Doris Clark and family became the first physicians to anchor this ministry in Catacamas, along with Dr. Amanda Madrid, both of whom have given a lifetime of devoted service. Thousands of lives are still being ministered to through the programs of Predisan to this day. In 2014, Joe received personal recognition from the President of Honduras for his lifetime of service.

Joe was the founding President of Christian Senior Housing Foundation, which was a non-profit that built over 60 affordable housing facilities for seniors nationwide. He also established The Travis House, now the United Cerebral Palsy Travis house in Stone Mountain, to provide assisted living for people with special needs in honor of his nephew Rob Travis, who had cerebral palsy.

In addition to his 40+ trips to Honduras, Joe traveled around the world to places including Liberia, Guatemala, Belize, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Croatia, Dubai, and Israel.

Joe and Betty have two children, Jeff Glenn and Janis (Glenn) Gaines. They have four grandchildren, Samantha (Gaines) Norcross, Braden Gaines, Anne Marie Glenn, and Elizabeth (Gaines) Davis. They are blessed with two great-grandchildren, Cedar Quinn (Davis) and Jasper Norcross. The family memories with their beloved Poppy will always be cherished.

Words cannot express the love and gratitude we have for this humble servant of God. Joe was loved by all who knew him, and his legacy will long be remembered. “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ” (Ephesians 5:2).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to Predisan, Inc. or HOI, Inc. at

2555 Northwinds Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30009

The Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 20th, 2024 at 11am ET at Northlake Church of Christ CV, 1625 Cooledge Rd, Tucker, GA 30084. The service will be live-streamed for those who cannot attend.