Life Story:
I was born in Brooklyn, NY, but I have spent the better part of my life in New Jersey. I grew up in Monmouth County, and my childhood consisted of playing guitar and celebrating the 1994 Stanley Cup Champions, the New York Rangers. I was raised Roman Catholic, but I personally didn’t take any of it too seriously. I believed in God, but I didn’t really have any use for him. It wasn’t until high school that I started thinking more deeply about spiritual things. A friend of mine was killed in a car accident my junior year, and I had a ton of questions.
It was around that time that my parents had started attending a local evangelical church, and they decided that I would join them. I hated going, and I made that very clear. But little by little, week after week, the preacher began making more and more sense. It was toward the end of my junior year that I gave my life to Jesus, and that changed everything.
Upon graduating high school, I went to Cairn University (Philadelphia Biblical University at the time). I studied elementary education and Biblical studies, but the brightest part of my tenure there was meeting my future wife Deanna. After graduation, I started teaching 5th grade at a Christian school up in Middlesex County, and the only parts of the job I enjoyed were my students and being able to teach them the Bible. The following year a position in the high school opened, and I became the 11th and 12th grade Bible teacher. Following my time as a high school Bible teacher, I became a youth pastor. The goal was to go to seminary and continue in the ministry, but God had other plans. I ended up becoming a high school writing teacher at a charter school up in Newark, NJ, and any further plans for ministry were placed on the shelf.
During this time, Deanna and I got married and had three children (Nathan, Elisabeth, and Joshua). That’s when we decided to make a move. I quit my job, enrolled in Westminster Theological Seminary, and by God’s grace, we landed here at Redeemer Fellowship in July of 2019.
Family:
Deanna and I met in college. We have been married since 2008, and we have three children, Nathan, Elisabeth, and Joshua. There’s nothing I love more than being with the four of them.
Education:
I double majored at Carin University in elementary education and Biblical studies, and I have a Master of Arts in Religion (Biblical studies emphasis) from Westminster Theological Seminary.
Ministry Experience:
I served for four years as a youth pastor and young adults pastor up in north Jersey at Evangel Baptist Church and Mountainside Chapel before heading to Jacob’s Well in North Brunswick, NJ. I served as a volunteer there for a number of years, leading worship, leading a small group and preaching on occasion. The last three years there I served as a pastoral resident, where I led connections, benevolence, and preached regularly throughout the year.
Hope for Redeemer:
My hope is that the people of Redeemer Fellowship would be centered on the Good News of King Jesus, and that our lives, both together and individually, would be marked by the cross of Christ. My prayer is that Redeemer Fellowship would become a place where the broken and weary would find safety and rest in Christ!
You can contact me at jon@redeemernj.com