Joe Parker
I first began attending Fellowship when I was born, it's tough to remember where I attended before that, for some reason It’s a little hazy… In all seriousness, It’s a great joy to be able to say that I have never known another home church other than fellowship, I count myself greatly blessed to have only ever lived and grown up in this beautiful Jesus community, to know and be known is a great honor. Over the years I have served first as a summer intern, then as pastoral intern, then full-time staff and now as Pastor since 2022. My title is Pastor of Young Adults, and my primary responsibilities entail leading, discipling and teaching that demographic, as well as leading worship on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. One of the things which I love most about pastoring the Young Adult community is their willingness to take ownership for what they believe, and their resolve to confront the hard question which life has begun to ask of them.
My story with Jesus is somewhat circuitous. I professed my faith in Him at a very young age (age 4), driven by a fervent fear of judgment brought on by a somewhat terrifying Jesus cartoon… no joke. But I only really began to understand His sacrifice and love for me when I was 9, when I experienced an unexplainable and deeply personal peace and awareness of His forgiveness.However, by the time I was 12, much of that early awareness of God had faded. In its place was an egotistical little adolescent “functional atheist” who wasn’t all that sure about “all this God stuff.” But God, in His mercy, didn’t leave me in that foolish place. Instead, He woke me up with a metaphorical two-by-four, which came in the form of a mysterious illness. After six months of inconclusive tests, it was finally identified as a rare autoimmune disease called Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). After months of physical suffering and completely losing the ability to do anything resembling physical activity, I found myself—contrary to what you might expect—with a complete and unexplainable peace I hadn’t felt since that day when I was 9. I couldn’t explain it, other than to say I felt the Holy Spirit so near to me during those months and years. Even though I had run from God, He had been running after me all along. Jesus would not abandon me to my own selfishness. Once the doctors identified the illness, I was able to begin treatment. After some trial and error, we found a treatment that worked, and eventually my illness went into remission. I’ve been JIA-free ever since—and I’ve walked with Jesus ever since. Sometimes sprinting, oftentimes stumbling. Sometimes limping, sometimes leaping. But always walking with Him on this slow obedience in the same direction we call the Christian life. Always being guided and corrected, loved and forgiven by the One who owns my soul—the Good Shepherd.
Over the years, He has proven, time and time again, to be what He has always been: Faithful.
I am married to my beloved wife, Natalia, who works as a Christian Counselor. We have been married for nearly eight years and have three beautiful daughters, ages 1, 3, and 5. In our spare time, we love spending time outdoors—fishing, hiking, running, and exploring. We also enjoy good stories: reading them, watching them, and telling them! And we love music—playing it, singing it, and dancing to it!
In my spare time, you're likely to find me working on one of the million house projects I have to get done [We have a fixer upper house] or jumping on the trampoline with my wife and kids!