STAFF

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Joan Karr, director of care ministries
jkarr@hempfieldumc.com
717-285-5156, ext. 222

Joan serves as the triage person in crisis care, meeting with those in crisis and helping them to find resources either through Hempfield UMC or an agency. She is also the staff contact for 29 ministries under the Care Ministry umbrella and serves as the staff liaison to the Care Commission. She runs our small crisis food cupboard, which is available to those in need and does “whatever is necessary to honor God in all of the work in Care Ministry.”

Her ministry philosophy is to Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply, Speak Kindly, Pray Often, and Leave the Rest to God!

She is Hempfield UMC’s youngest Charter Member and is married to Jim. They have four children: twin sons, Jess and James, and Kelly, who is married to Shawn Reppert; and two granddaughters, Maya Drover and Gracie Reppert.  She loves dogs and has two “perfect in every way” puppies. She has an older brother – their parents are deceased – many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Joan accepted Christ at the age of 8, during an evangelistic service at Silver Spring Evangelical United Brethren church and rededicated herself to Christ on many occasions growing up.

She has served on staff at Hempfield UMC for the past 18 years, first as the church secretary and as the senior pastor’s executive secretary and as head of Care Ministries. Her hobbies include working with plastic canvas, writing encouragement to many disabled friends all over the U.S. and reading. She was once “ a pretty good surfer.”

She graduated from Donegal High School in 1966 and earned an associate degree from Franklin and Marshall in 1968. She loves to pray for the needs of others and to praise God for the miracles he performs every day.