REVEREND
DOCTOR JESSIE COLES KEATON
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Jessie Coles Keaton is a native of Lenoir,
North Carolina. She is the youngest of seven children, and was strongly influenced by her maternal grandfather and namesake,
the late Reverend Jesse Monroe Patterson. Jessie was married for 27 years to the late Jerry Keaton. She has two grown sons,
Jared and Jeremy Keaton, both of Charlotte. Upon graduation from Lenoir High School, she attended Wake Forest University,
and later Lenoir Rhyne College, where she earned the Bachelor of Arts degree. She has held North Carolina teaching certifications
in Elementary and Secondary Music Education, and in Birth to Kindergarten Education. Prior to receiving the call to ordained
Christian ministry, Rev. Keaton's career path included General Music Teacher with Caldwell County Public Schools, Educational
Specialist with the North Carolina Department of Human Resources in Morganton, and Child Development Coordinator with Blue
Ridge Community Action, Inc. in Burke and Caldwell Counties. In the latter capacity, she served on Preschool Interagency Coordinating
Councils in Burke and Caldwell Counties. She was also employed for eight years as General Representative for Duke Power Company
in Lenoir. Although she was nurtured in her Christian faith at Smith Memorial United Methodist Church in Lenoir, she experienced
a radical spiritual conversion experience on October 8, 1986. By 1991, she had begun to discern the call to ministry. Yet,
she waited for God to open the door for theological training before answering the call. She began theological studies at Gordon-Conwell
Theological Seminary in 1995, and earned the Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School in 1999. On May 24, 2008,
she received the Doctor of Ministry degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. An ordained elder in the
United Methodist Church, Rev. Keaton has served as Senior Pastor of Memorial United Methodist Church, High Point since June
2005. In December 2005, she led Memorial in launching a children's ministry entitled "Children's Academy for Life Transformation."
In January 2007, this ministry expanded into a nonprofit organization called the "Academy for Life Transformation, Incorporated."
The Academy an outreach ministry of Memorial United Methodist Church, hosts a network of life-transforming ministries to children
and families. Prior to coming to Memorial UMC, she served as Associate Pastor of First United Methodist Church, Charlotte,
and as Pastor of Covenant United Methodist Church, Charlotte. She is a member of the World Methodist Order of the FLAME (Faithful
Leaders as Mission Evangelists), and has engaged in Christian mission study tours in Korea and Brazil. She has led a number
of retreats and women's conferences. Her greatest passions are helping lead people to their Kingdom potential and destiny
through the power of Christ's Spirit, and calling all God's people to come together in genuine Christian love! Her most beloved
title is "Child of God." |
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Cynthia Marshall joined the staff as Church Secretary in May 2004. She assist our pastor and congregation with
needed administrative support. Cynthia can be reached at (336) 889-4501. |
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