REV. CHERISNA JEANMARIE NEW CHAPLAIN AT JARVIS

Hawkins, TX –Jarvis Christian College’s new chaplain officially began her duties Jan. 11.

The Rev. Cherisna Jean-Marie, a Haitian-American born and raised in Newark, N.J., came to Jarvis from Nashville, Tenn.

The Rev. Jean-Marie was ordained into the Christian ministry by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at New Covenant Christian Church in Nashville, Tenn., where she served as an associate minister. She completed her chaplaincy work in Atlanta, Ga., offering up the ministry of pastoral care and counseling to a diverse community of all walks of life and faith traditions. She is a co-contributor for the African-American lectionary, a book project titled, “These Sistas Can Say It,” and Partner Prayers for Advent 2014 with the Bethany Fellows Group (Disciples of Christ). She is a Bethany Fellow (Disciples of Christ) and a member of the National Consortium of Black Women in Ministry- Nashville branch.

“Jarvis speaks to my passion ­of reaching a demographic of young people — being able to speak to their needs in ways that will allow them to tap into their fullest potential so they can be all that God has called them to be, in spite of,” the Rev. Jean-Marie said. “Jarvis speaks to my passion of preaching the Gospel to young people in such a way where it draws them to Christ … letting them know there is a power within them that comes from God, that they can have access to even now.”

The Rev. Jean-Marie graduated from Kean University in Union, N.J., in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Communications. After graduation, she worked in the university setting in the Division of Student Affairs, encouraging college students to tap into their fullest potential and embrace the true and living God. It was during that time she discovered her calling into the pastoral ministry. After five years in higher education, she answered her call to ministry and matriculated into Vanderbilt Divinity School as a second career student.

The Rev. Jean-Marie was called into the ministry in 2006, licensed in 2009 and ordained in 2012.

In 2010, she completed her Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School and was awarded the coveted Florence Conwell Prize for outstanding preaching. She is known as an authentic and passionate preacher and teacher of God’s word. In addition to her pulpit ministry, she is a workshop facilitator, motivational speaker and ministry consultant and community event organizer.