Meet Wilson UMC's New Pastor
The Staff/Parish Relations Committee is excited to announce the appointment by Bishop Elaine J.W. Stanovsky of the Reverend Randall W. Jessen as pastor of Wilson United Methodist Church, effective July 1, 2009.
Rev. Jessen received his Doctor of Ministry Degree in 1997 from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore KY with a major emphasis in Church Growth and Evangelism. From February 2006 to the present, he has been the Dean of Beeson International Center for Biblical Preaching and Church Leadership at Asbury Theological Seminary. He has served the following churches in the Rocky Mountain Conference: July 2002 to Jan 2006 - Senior Pastor at the First UMC in Colorado Springs; November 1993 to June 2002 - Pastoral Team Leader at the Broomfield UMC in Broomfield; February 1988 to November 1993 - Senior Pastor at Longs Peak UMC in Longmont, and June 1984 to February 1988 - Associate Pastor at Fort Morgan United Methodist Church in Fort Morgan.
He and his wife Sue are also active in many mission ministries, which include Global Hope, Inc., serving abandoned and orphaned children in western Romania; StarStone International, providing care and support for HIV+ children in Romania; HIV/AIDS Education for the Local Church and Public Schools, and many other mission projects, which included Westside CARES while living in Colorado Springs.
Rev. Jessen grew up in Golden and came to faith while living as an adult in Genoa, Colorado, (near Limon) during the late 1970's. He served as mayor in Genoa from 1978 to 1981. He and Sue have four grown children and seven grandchildren, all living in Colorado. Their daughter Ana is 20 years old and is the recipient of the Equestrian Special Olympics gold medal. Ana continues to live at home and will attend "Bridges", a District 20 special needs program for kids who have completed high school. In 2005, Randy wrote and published: Ana's Voice: When God Speaks Through a Silent Child. A copy of this book is available for checkout in our church library. He also enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and travel.
For those of you who have asked: Rev. Jessen would like to be addressed as "Randy," but for those who are not comfortable with informal names, "Pastor Randy" is just fine.
We look forward to introducing this new family to Wilson. Please keep them in your prayers and also remember to give thanks to our Heavenly Father for being with our District Superintendent Rev. Olon Lindemood, the Rocky Mountain Conference, and our Bishop Elaine Stanovski for their part in making this appointment possible.
Yours in Christ,
Carolyn Sayler
Chair, SPRC Committee
Pastor Randy’s Blogspot
Get acquainted with our new pastor during this transition at Visit Randy Jessen's Blog. He will post a few thoughts two or three times each week as a way of sharing he and his family’s side of the experience.
Pastor Randy's Book
The library now has a copy of Ana's Voice: When God Speaks Through a Silent Child by Dr. Randy Jessen. This is a must-read for all of us at Wilson. It is a history lesson with intrigue that addresses social issues and mission work; but, most of all, it is a story of strength, dedication, faith, and love. What would you do if God spoke to you?
This story of Ana Jessen can be purchased on Amazon.com for $13.99 + shipping or on Authorhouse.com for $11.20 + shipping. For those prefering a hard copy, the price is $18 + shipping. Members of SPRC will also have copies to share.