About Us

Lon was born in Providence, RI and  grew up in Central Florida. After serving in the United States Navy, he  worked as a farrier, insurance claims adjuster, Director of an Adult Day  Center and as a family crisis interventionist and trainer.

Lon earned a BS from East Tennessee  State University, majoring in Speech Communications and Sociology. He  served as a Licensed Local Pastor in the Holston Conference for 12 years  before attending Candler School of Theology at Emory University. While  there, he served Mt. Gilead UMC in Woodstock, GA as a Student Pastor.  Lon received his Master of Divinity degree in 2001. Returning to  Holston, Lon was ordained Elder in 2007. Since his return he has served  East Pine Grove Park for sixteen years and the Johnson City Parish for  the last 3 years.

Lon is married to Terry, a Systems  Analyst. They have one son. Lon enjoys music; walking his dog, Sammie,  and preaching. Lon particularly focuses on relating the gospel to our  contemporary culture and helping folks discover how God’s grace can  impact their everyday life.

Hello, I’m Jessee Harrell, the new Youth  Director at St. Paul! I’m excited to be at St. Paul and look forward to  building a strong and thriving youth ministry. I’m from Radford,  Virginia, and recently graduated from Liberty University in May. Through  Liberty, I taught and observed in five schools in central Virginia,  both public and private. I was a counselor and volunteer at Camp  Dickenson for many years and have connections there that will last  forever. All of my experiences have helped me realize how much I enjoy  teaching and counseling young people. I can’t wait to get to know  everyone at St. Paul and in Wythe County! Thank you for this  opportunity, to God be the glory!