A Message from Joseph

Greetings to you all!

It is with excitement and joy that I have been nominated to be your new Associate Pastor for Mission & Youth. It has been a delight of mine to get to know your church, your excellent Associate Pastor Nominating Committee, and the places and sacred spaces that make up Shallowford Presbyterian Church. As the search process continued, the more I realized that I had visited Shallowford before! While attending Presbyterian College, I was part of the choir and handbell choirs, and previously performed in your beautiful sanctuary.

In a lot of ways being called to Shallowford feels a lot like being called home. The community that is fostered and the desire to constantly strive to make life better for all children of God is something I am eager to be a part of. Engaging with our mission partners, and creating space for our youth to grow in their faith is some of the most outward-facing ministry the church can do. I look forward to working with you all to come up with fun, energetic, and exciting ways of spreading God’s love to all people in all spaces.

It is my prayer that today we all listen to the ways the Spirit is calling us. To be confirmed as your next Associate Pastor is both an honor and a privilege as we seek to do God’s transforming work in the world together — particularly in thinking about how we walk with our youth in their faith journeys, and how we be a partner for a city and a world that needs so much good. God places a calling on all of our lives, and it would be the biggest joy to be able to call Shallowford home.

Peace,

Meet The Jumpers

Joseph is married to his wife Emily, who was a friend during their time at Presbyterian College. They currently reside in Charlotte, N.C. with their dog, Phoebe, and cat, Obi. Joseph and Emily love to explore new places, attend concerts, and try new restaurants. They’re usually up to date on all the latest television shows and love trying new things. They were married in 2023 and went to Iceland for their honeymoon. Joseph loves to watch the Carolina Hurricanes (hockey), read, play video games, and travel in his free time. He also loves to laugh and can be found listening to podcasts or spending time with friends.

Emily is a native of Augusta, Ga., and attended Presbyterian College. She worked as an elementary school teacher before she made a career change to work in the Applied Behavior Analysis field as a Registered Behavior Technician, working with youth with autism.

Q & A

I am excited to serve as Shallowford’s Associate Pastor for Mission & Youth because of the community aspects associated with these roles. I have a passion for working with others, and within this role, I will work with a compassionate team of pastors and staff to further the mission of the church. It is an honor and a privilege to be alongside your youth on their faith journey and engage with mission partners near and far.

It’s the sense of “togetherness” I feel when I’m at Shallowford. During my conversations with the APNC and seeing the congregation on a Sunday, I quickly noticed the importance of hospitality. There is a real family aspect to the environment here. I am intrigued by how this community is fostered and sustained as regulars and newcomers alike find themselves at Shallowford.

I look forward to establishing new relationships with the youth, and Shallowford’s mission partners. One of my favorite aspects of ministry is being able to dream and engage with new people.

I have always wanted to do good in the world. I first felt the Spirit pull me as a high schooler, and have chased that feeling ever since. I view ministry as a space to be the hands and feet of God’s will in the world. Part of that involves being a force for love and compassion for others. God’s grace lifts me up and restores my soul in my efforts to carry out the good work of God in the world. 

As a youth, I was active in student government, marching band, Scouting, and in my church. I served on an APNC as the youth representative and had an active role in our youth band. While at Presbyterian College, I served in leadership roles in my fraternity and completed several summer youth internships. Since then, I’ve worked as a Pastoral Resident which also involved me guiding the leadership of the church.

Ruth 1:16-17 — Within the passage, Ruth agrees to follow Naomi to a strange land with a strange god, pledging her love and devotion to her mother-in-law, a woman with no familial ties. I believe the same love Ruth has for Naomi is emblematic of the love we are all called to share with one another. This text was used in a song I sang in the PC choir, and through a sermon at my ordination service.

I am a fan of fantasy and science fiction, particularly A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. The ending to the TV show was divisive but we can talk about that at a later date! The last book I read for fun was Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. It’s a science fiction-themed story about a man traveling through different alternate realities.

The 2013 Presbyterian Youth Triennium — It was my first time attending a youth conference and also happens to be the place where I first felt the call to ministry. It was amazing being among roughly 5,000 other youth, all there to share community and glorify God. It’s something I’ll never forget! 

References

In his time at Myers Park, it became clear that Joseph is a pastor with a pastoral presence in all areas of ministry. He came with a lot of youth ministry experience. With the support of the residency program, he has grown in confidence in his ministry of pastoral care and his worship leadership. Joseph connects with members of all ages with his caring authentic demeanor and his great sense of humor.

Rev. Millie Snyder , Executive Pastor of Myers Park Presbyterian Church

My family and I are grateful to Joseph for his profound leadership of our High School children during this time at Myers Park Presbyterian Church. It was a privilege to watch him amongst Youth and quickly began to admire his ease with each one as he served as a leader at the Montreat Youth Conference. Those teenage years are never easy, but Joseph’s natural relatability and comfort in that environment was special to see. He made it “cool” to be involved in Youth Group and Mission Trips! With all of the things pulling on Youth these days, he showed them how to unplug, ground themselves in the Word, and love each other along the way. Blessings to you all!

Braden and Alfred Hamilton, Elders, Myers Park Presbyterian Church

As his pastor in Myrtle Beach, I knew from the start that Joseph Jumper had the markings of becoming an exceptional minister. Watching him grow and develop as a child of the church, we all witnessed the gifts he displayed. Nurtured by a wonderful family, a caring congregation, and an excellent education, Joseph is now ready to accept new responsibilities. His intangible gift of leadership will serve him well in all future ministries. Congratulations on extending this call to him!

John Brearley, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian, Myrtle Beach

During his work at Paw Creek Presbyterian Church, Joseph led us in our outreach to the rapidly diversifying neighborhood that we serve. His great rapport with families and children of many kinds of backgrounds was an important model for all of us and directly helped us double the size of our weekday community religious programming during our first post-pandemic year. We miss having Joseph with us, but following his example and leadership, our outreach continues to thrive and grow.

Elliott Hipp, Pastor, Paw Creek Presbyterian Church