Christ UMC Family,
If you’ve tuned in with us over the past two Sundays, you may have heard news that God has called our pastor, Rev. Jake Steele, to another United Methodist Church in Hurricane, WV—Forest Burdette United Methodist Church. If you missed the initial announcement during the 11:00 a.m. worship service on February 16th, 2025, see below Christ UMC S/PPRC chairperson Laurie Ruberg’s announcement on Pastor Jake’s reassignment.
“As chairperson of the S/PPRC, I have two important announcements from our Bishop and Cabinet.
It is the intention of Bishop Debra Wallace Padgett to appoint Rev. Jacob Steele, currently pastor of Christ United Methodist Church, to Forrest Burdette United Methodist in the Nine Rivers District, effective July 1, 2025, and Rev. Steele has accepted the new appointment.
Also, it is the intention of Bishop Debra Wallace Padgett to appoint Rev. Joseph Hill as pastor of Christ United Methodist Church effective July 1, 2025, and Rev. Hill has accepted the appointment. Rev. Hill is currently the Conference Superintendent assigned to the Nine Rivers District in the West Virginia Conference.
Please hold Rev. Steele and his family, Rev. Hill and his family, Christ United Methodist Church, and Forrest Burdette United Methodist Church in your prayers”.
We at Christ UMC were truly blessed to have Pastor Jake preach to us every Sunday morning. He warmly welcomed all to the doors of our church and often said, “No matter who are, where you’re from or what is it that’s got you, you are welcome in this place.” We will dearly miss these words and Pastor Jake. We will also miss his incredible family, his wife Emily, and two children, Bethany and Brody.
While it is hard to say goodbye to Pastor Jake, we wish to extend the same warm “Pastor Jake” welcome to Rev. Hill. Below is more information about Pastor Joe, his wife Christina, and his daughter Majesty.
Reverend Joseph “Joe” Hill was born in 1975 to William and Patricia Hill in Wheeling, WV. The church of Rev. Hill’s early years was Simpson United Methodist Church. When Joe was ten years old, the family moved to Huntington, West Virginia. He graduated from Marshall University before marrying his wife, now of 26 years, Christina Overstreet Hill. The couple moved to Maryland in 2000 to work for State Farm Insurance, where God placed several mentors in Joe’s path that encouraged (harrassed) him to respond to a long-resisted call to pastoral ministry. He began seminary at the Lutheran Theological School in Gettysburg and found himself reintroduced to the United Methodist Church in his teaching parish. At the same time, Christina felt a call to complete her graduate work to become a counselor. Then with a young daughter, the family decided to return to Huntington in 2008 to be closer to family as they completed their graduate studies.
During seminary, Joe worked as an in-school mentor and tutor to at-risk youth, then as Minister of Youth and Christian Ed at First UMC, Huntington. He paused seminary to take advantage of a year-long residency offering in-clinical pastoral education at St. Mary’s Medical Center. As the residency was winding down, Joe resumed seminary, began his ordination process, and received his first appointment as Associate Pastor to Johnson Memorial UMC with Rev. Jack Lipphardt as Senior Pastor. Joe was next appointed as Senior Pastor to Cross Roads UMC with Associate Pastor Rev. William DeMoss. In June he concludes his term as a District Superintendent. He is grateful to have had the opportunity to care for more than 130 pastors and more than 200 churches in three different districts in the past eight years, but he and Christie are excited to get back into ministry together in the local church and in the community. Their daughter, Majesty Christine Hill, is 23 years old. She completes her nursing degree in May and begins working at Charleston Area Medical Center thereafter. Joe and Christie hope that, when they move, Majesty will keep at least one of the three cats she has talked them into keeping over the past fourteen years.
Watch the video below for a personal message from Pastor Joe.