NEWPORT, Tenn. — After more than 14 years leading the congregation at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Newport, Reverend Jesse L. Jones, Jr. has left to pastor at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Morristown.
Jones was celebrated at the Community Center in March, where more than 70 people came to send him off and wish him well. Perhaps the most exciting part of that day – and least expected – came when City Mayor Roland “Trey” Dykes, III presented Jones with a proclamation stating that March 19 will be a day of celebration in honor of Rev. Jesse L. Jones, Jr.
Melinda Goodrum is a member of the church who says she had many great conversations with the reverend and considers him close. She said he was touched by the proclamation, and fellow church member Shedenna Dockery said the gesture brought him nearly to tears.
“He was like, ‘This was so nice guys, I didn’t expect that,” Goodrum said. “He’s one of those people that you can’t do enough for him. He deserves any flowers you can give him.”
Jones was asked to pastor in 2007 when Macedonia Baptist Church was looking for a pastor. Now, as they look again, Jones thanks the city of Newport and the congregation of Macedonia Baptist Church.
“I want to express our gratitude – Jacqueline and I – to Macedonia Baptist Church for allowing us to minister to them over these 14 and a half years,” he said. “I cannot stress the love that Jacqueline and I have for Newport, for Macedonia and our sister churches. I really would love to express that to the highest: that it was not an easy thing to do for us to trust God in this fashion, and we truly miss and love our Macedonia family and our community, and to keep us in your prayers as we endeavor to continue to do what the good Lord would have us to do.”
Jones has worked to unify the community across denominations and different churches as part of Unity in the Community, a movement of the Holy Spirit to mitigate division and bring the community together.
Jones also serves his community as Student & Family Support Coach at Austin-East High School in Knoxville, where he lives with his wife. He serves the school system through Project Grad, a project for helping children reach their potential, which he says keeps him busy.
“I thoroughly enjoy that ministry as well. I call it a ministry because that’s what it is to me,” he said. “Helping our children and their families with their social challenges, just helping support our families, whatever social needs they need in order for the children to get to school safe, to be nurtured, to receive their education, to graduate and to move on to college, or technical school.”
Although the work of Project Grad is well known, and well-received in the press, Jones practices the love that he preaches in his community, even where there are no guarantees of recognition, but where he is needed nonetheless.
Dockery said even if a person was not a member of the church, Jones would show up for them.
“He would just be there,” Dockery said. “If someone was sick, or someone else had died, there was Reverend Jones.”
Goodrum nodded along.
“He has done more funerals for people he don’t know,” she said, laughing, to which Dockery agreed and interjected, saying he is an all-around good guy.
“It’s not like, ‘I’m going to show up on Sunday, and then I’m going back home to Knoxville,’” Dockery said. “No! He was two or three times a week, like, ‘What are you doing here?’”
Dockery said over the years Jones showed up unexpectedly in her own life.
“My aunt’s funeral in Knoxville, I didn’t know he knew her,” she said. Again, Dockery asked him, “What are you doing here?”
Goodrum said Jones passes all her personality checks.
“I am not a nice person,” she said. “If I don’t like you, trust and believe I will tell you. Jesse Jones—I can not find a reason not to like this man. He’s just a good person, and he likes me, in spite of myself.”
Jones said he was sad to leave Newport – observing that there are no differences between God’s children here, and those in Morristown, where he started working in late March – but that it was here where he learned the love of the community.
“I’ve really been graced in love, love of the community,” he said. “I am speaking of all the churches in and around the area. I’ve had a wonderful opportunity and time to fellowship with so many various congregations and churches there in Newport. You have family and friends, from church to church, and it did not matter if they were Baptist, or Methodist, or AME Zion, or even nondenominational. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the pastors in the community, the people in the community, and our families in the community. Very special.”
It was the Holy Spirit that brought him to Newport in the first place, Jones says, and it is the Holy Spirit that continues to guide him to his new work in Morristown.
Final statement from Rev. Jesse L. Jones, Jr.:
Sister Jacqueline and I would like to thank God, the Macedonia Baptist Church, our sister churches, ministers of the gospel, and the Newport community for your prayers, love and support for us over the past 14 plus years. It has been an honor and a blessing to be in service and fellowship with you and we thank God for you all.
Rev. Jesse Jones