Meet J.J.

When Pastor Kent Pierce answered a call to another ministry at the end of 2004, Lutheran Campus Ministries of Kent was left without the services of a full-time pastor. We were not, however, left without a worker to carry on the work of Campus Ministries with the students of Kent State.

John C. Voelker, better known to all of us as J.J., had been serving as Pastor Pierce’s assistant for almost half a year when Pastor Pierce was called to serve Campus Lutheran Church in Columbia Missouri. It was by the grace of God that J.J. was already on board to carry on the work of Campus Ministries in the absence of a full-time Campus Pastor. This he has been doing with enthusiasm, as you can tell from other articles in this newsletter.

A native of Ravenna, Ohio, J.J. is a graduate of Kent state, receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1995 with a major in Finance and Business Management and a minor in Criminal Justice. If this does not sound like the basis for a career in Campus Ministry, some of J.J.’s other experience might seem more appropriate. In the summer of 1995, prior to graduating from Kent, J.J. traveled to China as part of the Summer of Sharing program sponsored by the United Council of Churches. In China he worked for six weeks tutoring university students in conversational English. In the summer of 1996 J.J. was called to go to Israel by Volunteers for Israel where he spent six weeks working with youth, helping with food banks and other community services. Late 1996 and early 1997 found him in Slovakia as part of the Sister Cities Program. Located in Spisska Nova Ves, the sister city of Youngstown, Ohio, he again taught English.

While a student at Kent State J.J. was active in campus activities as a member of the All Campus Programming Board. It was at Kent also that he developed his interest in the art of Mime, something that he has since developed into a form of outreach to students. Also, it was while at Kent that he joined Faith Lutheran Church and became active in Campus Ministries.

J.J.’s activities with Campus Ministry brought him together with a young lady named Tammy Eschehedor. The couple were married in August of 2000 and were blessed with a baby girl, Zoe on March 26, 2004. J.J. likes to point out that Zoe means “Life” in Greek.

Tammy Voelker comes from Rossford, Ohio. She attended Bowling Green State University, graduating with a B.S. degree in 1994, Masters degree in French in 1996 and a second Masters in Library Science from Kent State in 2000. She still has fond memories of playing the Mellophone as a member of the Bowling Green Marching Band. She has taught French and now works as a Reference Librarian at Kent State as well being active in Campus Ministries along with her husband.

Having been deeply involved with Campus Ministries, J.J. was a natural choice of the Directing Committee when funds became available in 2004 to hire a Campus Assistant to Pastor Pierce. J.J., though he was already employed, answered the call, resigning his job to serve the Lord through Campus Ministry. With Pastor Pierce leaving, J.J. has assumed the additional duties necessary to keep Lutheran Campus Ministries of Kent an effective outreach to students at Kent State. While serving Campus Ministries J.J. is also enrolled in the DELTO program, Distance Education Leading to Ordination. We are truly blessed to have J.J. and Tammy as well as Zoe, who at age one is already showing a lively interest in Campus Ministry.