Joanne
Describe who you are and tell us a little bit about your journey.
I grew up as a “military brat” and was blessed to live in many different areas throughout the US and Europe the first 18 years of my life. Staying in most places for only 2 – 3 years, I learned to make friends fast. During my middle and high school years I was active in the Protestant Youth of the Chapel and grew in my faith through the mentoring of some great adult leaders. I graduated from Heidelberg High School in Germany and flew back to Virginia where I attended Old Dominion University and met my husband Mike. We both settled in Northern Virginia after college. I enjoyed careers in law firm administration, commercial real estate and restaurant management consulting during the next 40 years. Mike and I, along with our daughter Jennifer, started attending Old Bridge United Methodist Church in Lake Ridge, VA in 1996 and Mike and I remained actively involved there for the next 24 years. Once again, my involvement with other ministry leaders, not to mention the spiritual guidance I received from 4 excellent Pastors, continued to nurture and fuel my faith. After retirement, we made the decision to relocate to Crozet, VA where our daughter and her family were residing and moved in late September of 2019. Having left a wonderful church family behind in NOVA, we knew we wanted to find a new church family fast. Our first “church shop” was at Crozet United Methodist Church and we never went anywhere else. We knew right away we’d found our new church family!
What most excites me about my work and the contribution I can make
I’ve always enjoyed meeting new people. I began serving as a greeter at CUMC right after COVID and it was a great way to meet the wonderful folks at CUMC and welcome them back to church. As the Lay Leader for the Contemporary Worship Service, I look forward to continuing to welcome both existing members AND visitors. I’m excited about the opportunity to help people use their spiritual gifts to connect to one or more of our many ministries and to help make it easier for people to do that. Finally, I hope to find new ways to reach out to our local community and introduce them to the wonderful work God is doing through the people of CUMC with the ultimate goal of welcoming them to our CUMC family.
What I’m passionate about
I’m passionate about spending time with family and friends. We moved to Crozet to be close to our daughter & son-in-law and we love being involved with our grandsons on a regular basis. They put a smile on our face and add immeasurable joy to our lives. I love daily morning walks through Crozet with Mike, enjoying the beauty that surrounds us and meeting and making new friends. I’m passionate about “giving back”, especially now that we’re retired, for the many blessings I’ve received during my life.
What I like most about Crozet UMC
Mike and I were warmly welcomed, both by Pastor Sarah as well as members of the church, the minute we walked in. Members introduced us to various ministries and small groups so we could quickly connect and get to know more of the people in our new church family. That hasn’t changed in the 4-1/2 years we’ve been attending. People of all ages and ethnicities at CUMC shine God’s love every Sunday and everywhere they go…..and they want to share that love with more and more people. Together, we’re all going to make that happen!