Who is Jesse Alexander?

In the early 1950s, Jesse Alexander’s father was a pastor in the small town of Waynesboro, Georgia, and he preached at a Presbyterian church. At this point in time, the whole town was pro-segregation, which was fueled even more by the presence of the Ku Klux Klan. Robert Alexander was against segregation, and did not hide his beliefs from his parishioners, even incorporating the pros of abolishing segregation into his sermons. One morning, Robert woke up to find his neighbor's lawn ablaze - lit with a flaming cross. The KKK had visited in the night, but they had gotten the wrong address. It was Jesse’s dad they’d been after. Although Jesse wasn’t born until about 15 years later, his father’s story fueled his passion for his faith - and standing up for what he believed in, no matter the consequences. He has spent his life following in his father’s footsteps - preaching to those who will listen, listening to those who need an ear, but most of all respecting all those around him. Unlike his father, however, Jesse does not belong to a traditional church as a pastor. It took him several years to figure out where he belongs. Alongside several other pastors and parishioners he created LoveFirst Coast, a missional community that follows God in an unusual way. Jesse was born in 1965 as the youngest of five siblings. In the small town of Leesburg, Florida, religion was prevalent in everyone’s lives. As a PK (pastor’s kid), Jesse understood the sentiment. He learned his faith and the value of helping others from his parents.

His community was considered low income, but some lived in poverty. This included a large portion of the African American population in the town. They were especially in need of clothing for the growing kids of the area. Jesse’s mom worked with the church to provide, but she didn’t donate clothes. She donated her sewing skills and taught a class on how to make clothes to anyone who needed it, Black or white. Jesse recalls that class as a reconciliation between races in a time of segregation and prejudice, but it was also something that inspired him. He watched and learned as both his parents helped others in any way they could. His dad Robert didn’t practice what he preached, he preached what he practiced. Jesse recalls countless “family legends” about his father that have been told through the years. The time when Dad offered food to a hostile vagrant, the time when he drove a prostitute to a shelter, the time when he intervened with a guy who had a gun and was threatening to kill himself. But what Jesse remembers most about his father from growing up is how safe and loved he made him feel, even when he made mistakes. Even when the mistake blew up Jesse’s face. When the pastor’s kid was 14, he was friends with a kid whose dad was a collector of antique guns. One day, the two got a hold of some black gun powder and decided to explode their model boats out on the nearby lake. Although any adult could see where this story is going, Jesse and his friend were intent on seeing some action. They were having trouble blowing up the boats from a distance, and Jesse got so frustrated that he lit the powder himself standing directly over the boat. Luckily for Jesse, his nearsightedness saved his vision, but the glasses couldn’t save his eyebrows. The young kid was eyebrow-less with third degree burns for days following. Jesse’s first profession was doing engineering work for the Navy at 19 years old. He had one year of college at Auburn University under his belt, but was already “designing gadgets for submarines.” He worked at that coastal systems station for almost 10 years before realizing that something was not quite right in his life. By that point, he had met and married his wife, Heather, had two kids with thoughts of more, but something was missing. He realized that God was leading his family out of their settled city of Panama City. He was leading Jesse to seminary. And so he went. There were a few contenders in choice of school, including the place Jesse’s father received his degree: Columbia Seminary. It was perfect for the growing family, there was ample space, a beautiful campus, and they had offered Jesse great scholarships. But there were no pets allowed. They would have to leave behind the family dog. Heather insisted that Jesse consider a seminary in Austin, Texas, as his school, and after visiting Jesse felt God agreeing with his wife. Jesse received his master’s degree in Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and did not get rid of his dog. As the youngest of five, Jesse knew the positive impact of having a big family. He is now a dad to four children, all about two or three years apart. When they resided in Panama City, Jordan and Seth were born. Jared was born while Jesse was attending seminary in Austin, Texas. And Sarah, the youngest, was born in Ococee, Florida. The family settled in Clermont, Florida for the better part of the kids’ childhood, but they soon moved to Jacksonville when Jesse felt called to work somewhere new. The family has resided in the suburbs south of the city for over 10 years, and they plan to stay for several more. Jesse began his religious career as a traditional pastor in Presbyterian churches. He bounced around a few times, looking for the right place to land. In 2011, Jesse worked as a pastor at Geneva Presbyterian Church outside of Jacksonville. It would be one of the last traditional churches where he would preach. Jesse had a very active belief in Christianity which involved getting out into the community to provide help or guidance wherever it was needed. The members of Geneva had a more stagnant way of worshiping. This difference was an issue for Jesse and the parishioners, and eventually led to him leaving his role as a traditional pastor to pursue something more. In 2013, Jesse and several others founded a small organization called LoveFirst Coast. This was something different from the roles he played at past churches. It is not a typical church organization - it is a missional community. According to the LoveFirst Coast website, the members of the community “gather for prayer and discipleship, invest in each other, and look for opportunities to bless [their] neighbors and serve in [their] city.” Jesse is one of two pastors involved with the community, and feels more at home in the small group than he ever did at a traditional church. The organization’s main goal is to continue “imitating Jesus Christ...[and] loving the people and place of the First Coast of Florida.” Jesse lives and preaches by an ideology he calls the restoration of shalom. Shalom is a Hebrew word that means peace, but Jesse has created his own idea of shalom. For him, it is made up of four parts: God, others, creation, and the self. God represents God, of course, but it also represents the idea of faith itself. Others includes everyone around an individual. Creation represents the material items around a person, but also includes a job, education, events, etc. Self is the relationship a person has with themselves. To restore shalom there has to be a right relationship, or peace, with all four parts, according to Jesse’s interpretation. As a pastor, Jesse thinks of himself as a part of that restoration of shalom in other people’s lives, whether they are a part of his religious community or not. He does not try to solve problems. He is just an ear to listen and pray for whatever issue someone might have.

When Jesse was more of a traditional pastor, people came to him all the time to talk about their problems and to ask for prayer. Now, he finds himself reaching out to his community more than he ever did before, and feels called to help those even if it may get uncomfortable. Outside of his religious career, Jesse works at a small engineering company as an architectural engineer in the suburbs south of Jacksonville. One morning, he came into work and noticed his boss was not quite himself. He told himself not to ask - it might only make things worse. But Jesse could not shake the feeling that he was supposed to ask what was going on. It turns out that Jesse’s boss was in need of guidance. He was going through a big move and a divorce, and needed someone to talk to. Against his initial judgement, Jesse reached out to counsel the man who signs his paychecks, and continues to do so today. I first met Jesse four years ago when I befriended his son. I was intimidated at first by the tall man in a bright polo shirt, but that intimidation was almost immediately taken away by his kind words and crooked smile. From that moment on I felt welcomed by Jesse and his family. That day I joined the family of six for dinner. Dinner with the Alexanders always starts and ends the same way: with a prayer from Jesse. There was no question about holding hands, bowing heads, and silently listening to what the pastor had to say to his family. The dinner itself followed, but it served only as an intermission between prayers. The end of the meal signaled the person to the right of Jesse to grab the heavy book kept on the windowsill, hand it to him, and again sit and listen to what Jesse decided was a fit reading for the night. Another tradition that is never left out from the end of dinner is Jesse or his wife asking: “What was the best part of your day?” Everyone around the table has to come up with something that was good enough to be the best part of the day. Each person waits until he or she is asked to speak. His children usually say something about the dog, school, or whatever activity they got involved in that day. Jesse sits patiently while everyone talks, sometimes chiming in with a comment or anecdote that relates to the conversation. But he doesn’t say his best part, not until someone remembers to ask him as well. A lot of the time, at least on weeknights, Jesse’s best part is dinner itself. For the Alexander family, there are two most important meals of the day - dinner, as well as breakfast. These are the two times of each day that Jesse would gather the family to spend time together. His children remember waking up as early as the first person who had to get up in order to eat together before school or work. This usually ended up being around 7 am. Jesse had a unique way of making sure everyone stayed alert during breakfast. He went around the table, filling up glasses or bowls with orange juice or milk, and giving the sleepiest person a surprise on the head. Jesse’s youngest son Jared has vivid memories of sitting at the breakfast table early in the morning, almost falling asleep into his cereal, only to be woken up by a splash of milk on his head and his siblings giggling. Each of Jesse’s children has a similar story to tell about their father. The youngest, Sarah, remembers going fishing with Jesse in the neighborhood ponds. Each time anyone caught a fish, Jesse would ask his kids to kiss the fish before throwing it back, and when they refused, he would kiss it himself, just to freak out his kids a little bit. Jordan, the oldest of the four siblings, remembers being a fourth grader overwhelmed by “hours of homework every night.” Jesse witnessed her distress and decided to be an advocate. He sat down one night and did all of Jordan’s homework, with a timer running, to bring the issue to her school and relieve his daughter.

Jesse lives his life in imitation of Christ. He works at improving the four aspects of Shalom in himself every single day, and reaches out to those who need help restoring a part of their peace in themselves. I asked Jesse how he was able to do what he does every day. He replied very simply: “A lot of what motivates me to do what I’m doing is what others have done for me.”

Jesse and Heather, 2020

Photo Credit Jesse Alexander

Written by Samantha Fitzgerald

April 22, 2021