Pastor Joe Monahan
Succasunna is Joe Monahan's second pastoral appointment. Before arriving here in July 2006, he served four years as pastor of Califon UMC in Hunterdon County, NJ.
Joe earned his Master of Divinity in 2003 from Drew University Theological School. He is a full elder in the United Methodist Church and a member of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference. He serves on the Conference Council on Finance and Administration.
Joe grew up in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. He met his wife Stephanie at Virginia Tech while studying industrial and systems engineering. During college and after completing his degree, he worked for IBM in Research Triangle Park, NC. It was among the people of the Millbrook United Methodist Church in Raleigh where Joe received his calling to ordained ministry.
Steph and Joe's have two young daughters: Zoe and Lilly. They also have a hound dog named Ellie. They enjoy their family, travel, hiking, and the outdoors. Joe plays guitar and bass and leads the praise band at Succasunna UMC.
"To me, the most important mark of Christian living is a spirit of hospitality. We are to reach out and welcome all people with the love of Christ - not just some, but all. That means going out of our way to help, to care, to listen. In our wedding liturgy, the pastor closes by saying to the congregation: 'Bear witness to the love of God in this world, so that those to whom love is a stranger will find in you generous friends.' To me, that sums up what Christian living is all about. I take those words very seriously, and I want the church to take it seriously too. If we can get that right, then people will be falling over themselves to come and experience the love of God we know in Jesus Christ."
