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Pastors and Outreach Workers Bio |
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Rev. Jamie Brunk
Pastor |
J. Jamison Brunk (Jamie) is from the East Ohio Conference. He graduated from Otterbein College and received his M.Div.
from Asbury Seminary. He is the pastor of the Booneville, Warrens Chapel, and Clifty UMC churches in Owsley County.
Jamie's wife Sue is the Health Educator for the Owsley County School system. Sue recently completed six years as the
Conference UMW President. She is very passionate about children, teaching Sunday school and leading the Children's
Bible Club at Booneville.
Jamie and Sue have two sons. Jon is married to Susan and they are expecting a baby very soon. They live in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania and where Jon works as an engineer building water systems. Joe works in Bowling Green, Kentucky as in
information technology for Fruit of the Loom. He really enjoys working on his radio program at the Christian Radio
station at night as "Your Average Joe."
Jamie heard about The Red Bird Missionary Conference while working as maintenance man at a church camp in upstate NY in
the summers while in college and seminary. There he met Pastor Don Penner from Red Bird in 1977 at that camp. Jamie
worked with Don on the weekends during his second year of seminary (1977-78) at Beech Creek and Greenbriar. Supt. Joe
Davis asked him to serve Middle Fork and Stoney Fork for one year, beginning in June 1978, as interim pastor and he agreed.
He returned to seminary full-time after that year, then after graduation, came back to serve at Red Bird, serving again at
Middle Fork and Stoney Fork. Jamie has been here ever since. Although a member of East Ohio, Jamie has never served there.
He served almost 10 years at Middle Fork and Stoney Fork, and has been at Booneville / Clifty / Warrens Chapel for
almost 22 years.
Jamie's call to mission work began as a child. His mother grew up in Hazard, KY. His grandparents were originally from
Owsley County. "I have always had an affinity for Eastern KY and mountains, from the time I was a boy. I was saved at a
Billy Graham movie at the age of 15. Became very active in church, youth group, school Christian groups in both High School
and College. Took leadership roles. Responded to a call to the ministry as a junior in college, then pursued seminary
(since that is the way we United Methodists do it!). You might say my first sense of a call to Eastern KY and Red Bird
came when I watched Don Penner's missionary slide presentation in the old camp tabernacle at Camp Findlay back in the
summer of 1977. That call became more real as I worked with him on the weekends during my second year of seminary,
then became solidified as I served the year at MF & SF as the interim pastor."
Jamie states that his biggest struggle is seeing so many needs and wanting to meet as many of them as he can, so he tends
to over commit himself. He remains passionate about serving here because of his family connection to the mountains from a
boy. This has given him the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of youth in particular. "Just seeing one kid
"make it" as a firm believer in Christ and develop as a Christian leader and "do" something with his/her life is a great
joy and blessing."
He recalls his most memorable moment in ministry here as his first day at Middle Fork as a green 23-year-old pastor.
"When my friends who had helped me move in (took about 10 minutes) had left, I looked around and said "What do I do now?"
So I started walking down the road, knocking on doors and introducing myself. I didn't know any better. "
Jamie's love for the Red Bird Missionary Conference continues. "I love the Red Bird Missionary Conference because it
has given me a practical opportunity to serve God in a setting that has been a challenge to my spirit. Because of
the friendships that I have been privileged to develop and the men who have mentored and influenced me. Because of
the passion that I see in others who also serve alongside me at Red Bird. Because God is at work here."
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