Pastor Jamie Thompson

I was born and raised in Kinston, NC, daughter of Keith and Sandra Thompson and sister to Laura. My family has deep roots in eastern North Carolina and Queen Street United Methodist Church is where I was baptized, confirmed, and called into ministry. That congregation loved me, raised me, and taught me the faith, and I will always be indebted to them.

After graduating from Kinston High School, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Mount Olive College in 2007. I went on to Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, where I earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology, focusing on Theology and Christian Social Ethics. My ThM thesis explored the theological and ethical implications of the prison industrial complex, systemic racism in our criminal justice system, and the church’s role in pursuing restorative, justice-centered alternatives.

I began serving as a United Methodist pastor on August 5, 2012. Since then, I have served churches and communities across eastern North Carolina in Greene, Craven, Bertie, and Lenoir counties in a variety of appointments, including as an associate pastor, solo pastor, and community ministry founder and convener. The heartbeat of my ministry in every setting has been helping people connect across their differences.

Some of my favorite things are being outdoors, playing ultimate frisbee, practicing martial arts, reading good books, sitting on the porch, spending time at my family’s camper on Bogue Sound, and hanging out with my two cats, Zippy and Gladys Herdman.