Pastor Joel V. Holmes is grateful and thankful for being appointed in July of 2023 as Lead Servant at Christ United Methodist Church Baltimore County. Pastor Joel served as Pastor at Beechfield UMC prior to leading at Christ UMC. Pastor Holmes also works as a Sensor and Systems Technician for a major local Defense Contractor. Pastor J is passionate about worshipping, singing and praising God. He loves a good laugh and will share a joke or two at any time. Pastor Holmes considers himself to be everybody’s pastor, and will pray, talk and minister to anyone at any time. His favorite scripture is Psalms 138:2 which says; “I will worship toward thy holy temple, And praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” This scripture is alive in his life because he has learned that God will honor His word because His name is attached to it. We just have to hear and believe His word.

Pastor Joel is a native of Baltimore and lives in Cherry Hill with his beautiful wife Lorna. The have four children (two boys and two girls), two “daughters in loves” and six grandchildren. Pastor Holmes loves fishing, grilling and traveling whenever he can. When we become discouraged or are facing a hard time he always says; : “It’s always something…..(pause, wait, then he blurts out) to THANK GOD FOR!”