Southminster Presbyterian Church

         Pastor Joe was born in St. Louis, Missouri and in answer to the "St. Louis Question". . ."Where'd ya go?" Pastor Joe proudly answers, "Kirkwood High School!"  At Kirkwood, Pastor Joe lettered in football and wrestling and worked on the sports staff of the school newspaper.

         Following high school, Pastor Joe matriculated to Westminster College in Fulton Missouri where he graduated with a BA degree, studying Religion and History. While at college, he was active in the Sigma Chi fraternity, lettered in track (where he threw the javelin) and was the Co-captain of the Rugby Club.  He worked on the sports staff of the college newspaper and had roles in "South Pacific" and "Our Town".

         Being "called" to the ministry in the spring of his Junior year of college, Pastor Joe received a full scholarship to attend Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky.  Pastor Joe played football and basketball for the seminary.  He also played amateur soccer and was on the semi-pro Louisville Rugby Club.

         After being ordained to the Gospel Ministry by the Presbyterian Church USA 38 years ago, Pastor Joe served churches in downstate Illinois, South Florida, Birmingham, Alabama and here at Southminster!

         Besides his seminary degree, Pastor Joe's professional certification includes two units of Clinical Pastoral Education.  His professional development has taken him to pursue post-graduate studies at Louisville Seminary, Princeton Seminary and various conferences and retreat centers.

         Previously he served on the Board of Church Advisors at both Warren Wilson College and Blackburn College.  Currently, Pastor Joe serves on the Alumni Board at his Alma Mater, Westminster College.

          Through church related travels with numerous youth groups and adult work trips, he has served in Missions throughout the United States.  His professional travels have taken him to the Middle East and to the mission field in Haiti.  He especially enjoys volunteering at the Pilgrim Soup Kitchen in North St. Louis.

        Pastor Joe's honors include membership in Pi Delta Epsilon National Honorary Publications Fraternity and Alpha Phi Omega National Honorary Service Fraternity.  In 1977 Pastor Joe was commissioned an Honorary Kentucky Colonel by Governor Julian Carroll of Kentucky.  In 2001 he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Westminster College.  And in 2010, he was selected as a "Lindbergh Leader".

         Pastor Joe's avocations include coaching baseball (23 years), varsity high school soccer (2 years), ice hockey (11 years) and varsity high school tennis (2 years).  He has served in leadership positions on both the Affton American and Lindbergh High School ice hockey boards and on the Lindbergh High School Lacrosse Board.  He also served as the coordinator of both the Lindbergh Varsity Ice Hockey Team and the Lindbergh Varsity Lacrosse Team. He is an avid fan of the Cardinals, Blues and Mizzou football team, attending as many games as he is able. He also loves to read, take his daily "90 minute" walks and attend the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concerts.  He is a Senior Member of the Crestwood-Sunset Hills Rotary Club.

         He has been married, for the past 38 years, to the former Lindsay H. Kessler of Louisville, Kentucky.  Lindsay has taught Sunday School for over 30 years, directed and taught Vacation Bible School, is a commissioned Stephen Minister, served on the committee that began our Mother's Day Out Pre-School and is a member of the Nightingale Circle. She is a tenured teacher in the Lindbergh School District, teaching both Elementary Reading and Math.

          Pastor Joe and Lindsay have four children and one granddaughter.  Sarah (Mike) Richmond directs Human Resources and Training for a large corporation.  In 2009 she gave birth to her beautiful daughter, Rose. Sarah's twin sister, Ellen Marting, lives in the city and is a Marriage and Family Therapist at Care and Counseling. Ashley (Adam) Cotorceanu lives in U. City and is the Associate Manager at Avalon Exchange, a vintage clothier in the fashionable Delmar Loop. And Timothy is a senior at Westminster College where he's active in his fraternity (Kappa Alpha, Vice President, rush chairman, pledge trainer and corresponding secretary.), sports (varsity golf 4 years, captain of the Lacrosse Club), student leadership (Student Ambassador and Freshman Mentor) and just plain "living the life!" 

         Pastor Joe has been a Pastor at Southminster Church for the past 29 years!