ABOUT

Our purpose is to worship God and love one another by taking Christ to the community and the community to Christ.

We are a multi-generational downtown congregation with active children, youth and adult ministries. We operate under a “safe gatherings” policy to keep our youth and children safe. Safe Sanctuaries is an overt expression in making congregations safe places where children, youth and elders may experience the abiding love of God and fellowship within the community of faith.

Pastor Steve Easterday-McPadden

Pastor Steve and his wife, Kim, have served FUMC Grand Junction since July of 2015. In addition to serving in the lead pastor role here, Steve served in senior pastoral roles at Ft. Collins FUMC and Longs Peak UMC in Longmont. Steve and Kim’s first pastoral appointment was to an associate pastoral role at FUMC Durango (now “Summit Church”). All of Steve’s appointments have been in Colorado.

Prior to entering the ministry, Steve was an electric power engineer with Public Service Company of Colorado, now Excel Energy.

Pastor Steve earned his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1986 and graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky with his M.Div. in the year 2000. He has been a Cub Scout Packmaster, a motorcycle enthusiast, bicyclist, guitarist, and vocalist. He was the tenor banjo player in a Dixieland/gospel/jazz band in Longmont. Needless to say, music has played a pivotal part of Steve’s ministry and was instrumental in his discernment of his call. Please note that all those puns are intentional!

Steve’s wife, Kim, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Engineering also from CU, Boulder, and has worked as a Branch Office Administrator for Edward Jones Financial offices here in Grand Junction and in Johnstown, Gunbarrel (Boulder), and Longmont, Colorado. Along with her husband, she has lead Disciple Bible studies and other classes.

A current interest of Kim’s is in participating with Steve in leading pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Greece/Turkey where Paul’s ministry found fertile soil. She belongs to UWF (formerly the UMW) and likes to cook and do behind-the-scenes work for church dinners, along with helping with our Breakfast in the Park ministry in downtown.

Steve and Kim have two daughters, Carly who is a registered nurse at Boulder Community Hospital, and Daryl who is a Physics professor at Michigan State University. Their twin sons, Peter and Isaac, graduated from CU, Boulder with degrees in computer science (Pete) and Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry (Isaac). Both live on the Front Range. Carly and her husband, Brent, are the proud parents of Steve and Kim’s two grandsons, Corwin and Bennett.

You can contact Pastor Steve by e-mailing pastorsteve@fumcgj.org