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By Anne Carmichael
For the Jessamine Journal
When Wally Rendel left his position as lead pastor at Jessamine Christian Church in November of 2018, the search for a new leader began.
In February of this year, Lee Faust was selected to assume the role as lead pastor and is excited to reach out into the community to connect with residents in Jessamine County.
Located at 130 Courchelle Drive, the church has the following service times to accommodate its members: 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning; Sunday evening 4:30 p.m. Kayak Children’s Ministry for ages 4-year-old to fifth-grade and 6 p.m. Student Worship Service for middle school and high school aged children. Wednesday evenings feature adult choir at 6:30 p.m., followed by adult classes at 7 p.m.
Originally from Versailles, Lee graduated in 1993 from Johnson University, a private Christian University with a main campus in Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee with a degree in biblical studies. He was later ordained at Woodford Christian Church.
The first eleven years of Pastor Faust’s ministry were spent as the senior minister at Lebanon Christian Church in Lebanon, Indiana. He later served as the Executive Pastor of Leadership at Woodland Hills Christian Church in Abingdon, Virginia, prior to accepting the position at Jessamine Christian in Nicholasville.
Lee and his wife, Jonnie, were married in 1991 and have two grown children, Jessica and Ben, as well as a grandson, Knox.
“I am very excited about our programs and ministries here at Jessamine Christian. I hope to reach out to more of the community and connect with the residents. I want them to know that this church is for the hurting, not a hotel for saints,” Faust said.
Jessamine Christian Church has a variety of ministries and outreach programs for every age group. Drew Dawson is the student pastor who leads the middle school and high school age students. His wife, Kayla Dawson, is the children’s pastor. Monty Cooper is the executive pastor, who oversees the administrative side of the church. He has over 35 years in the ministry in Kentucky and Ohio.
Seasoned Salt is a ministry geared toward seniors. Those over the age of 60, or who are married to someone over age 60, or who know someone over 60, or who just feel over the age of 60 are welcome. The group enjoys monthly activities and road trips, as well as participating in service projects.
Local outreach programs in which Jessamine Christian Church is involved include All God’s Children, Bluegrass Christian Camp, Bluegrass Men’s Fellowship, Jessamine Food Pantry, Community Service Center of Wilmore/High Bridge, UK Christian Student Fellowship, Assurance for Life (Pregnancy Center) and Sayre Christian Village.
When Pastor Faust gave his first sermon at Jessamine Christian Church earlier this month, he took the opportunity and related the Kentucky Wildcats and March Madness to the message he wanted to bring to his congregation. The sermon was entitled, “The Coach.”
“I’m a huge Wildcat fan. I love sports – all sports. I played sports and I had coaches who impacted and shaped my life in profound ways. Then when my kids came along, I coached them and even umpired,” Faust said.
“It’s not just those who coach sports who are ‘coaches.’ There are academic coaches, musical directors, mentors, and even parents are coaches who guide their children through life. But the greatest coach of all, is Jesus Christ. In the gospel He tells us the good news that even a knucklehead like me, and some of you knuckleheads who have fallen short, can be saved. That’s the reason Jessamine Christian Church has been around for twenty-five years. That’s the message I want to take out into the world and into our community,” Faust said.
Jessamine Christian Church recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 24. Members of the Jessamine Chamber of Commerce and honored guests Judge David West, Mayor Pete Sutherland, the Rendels and others were on hand to celebrate the church’s longevity and contributions to the community.