By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Joel Simpson left a job in IT to become worship director at First Methodist Church in Geneseo.
He said just hours after posting his résumé online at the beginning of this year; he was contacted by the Rev. Chris Ritter, directing pastor at First Methodist.
“I had never even heard of Geneseo before, but things progressed through the interviewing and hiring process and a few short months and a big move later, here we are,” he said.
Joel Simpson is the worship director at Geneseo First Methodist Church. Photo Claudia Loucks
Simpson has been involved in music since his teen years and he explained. He was born and raised in a small town in northwestern Wisconsin and attended the local public high school where he was part of the jazz band program, and also played bass in his church’s youth worship band.
While a student at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, he played music for student organizations and at a local church where he said he was “challenged by the worship director to seriously think about a full-time career in music ministry.”
After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at UW-Superior, Simpson attended Hillsong College, Sydney, Australia, to study the Bible and learn about music and church leadership.
He then returned to UW-Superior to complete a Master’s Degree while working part-time as a music associate at one church and took on the role of leading Saturday evening services at a second church in the area.
After graduating, Simpson returned to his home church in Wisconsin where he became worship director…”A year later, I followed my full-time career in IT to Madison, WI, where I also served as a volunteer musician for a new church plant,” he explained. “After five years in Madison, my employer relocated me to Rochester, MN, to work on projects with Mayo Clinic, where my wife, Clarissa, was a nurse.”
In addition to his fulltime IT job, he joined the staff of a church in Rochester as music director.
It was during those years in Rochester when Simpson said the responsibilities and travel requirements for his tech job continued to increase and he added, “These changes, along with a growing family, made it increasingly clear to us that it was time to move on.”
In addition to guitar, Simpson also plays bass and drums and added, “I also play saxophone, but that likely won’t make an appearance at church.”
As worship director, he is responsible to plan the flow of services, handle oversight of the AVL systems, schedule the music and teach teams, create digital media and often lead the congregation in singing…”I also bring quite a bit of graphics and IT experience and will be using those skills, as well,” he said.
He and his wife have two children and Simpson said, “We are happy to call Geneseo our home. We love Jesus, we love the Church, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be part of the First Methodist family. The congregation and community here have been incredibly welcoming and supportive. The New Testament points out that we should always continue to gather as the church, that we should sing to one another and from our hearts to the Lord, and that we should encourage one another as we follow Jesus in the way we live. As the worship director at First Methodist, my prayer is that we will see that kind of passionate worship and encouraging fellowship in our congregation and community, and the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit at work in each of us.”