OUR PASTOR

James S. Garvin, Jr., lovingly called "Pastor Jim" by his parishioners, has served as the Pastor of Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Dahlonega, Georgia since 2006. Jim graduated from Ocala High School in Ocala, Florida and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. Prior to his calling into ministry, Jim held positions of responsibility in process consulting, account management, sales, and research engineering with several Fortune 100 corporations. 

Rev. Garvin is an innovative and resourceful pioneer whose promotional efforts have resulted in the creation of several service organizations: Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services, Inc., Preferred Business Alternatives, Inc., On Bended Knee Ministries, Inc., and recently, Photographic Splendor, LLC., which produces audio/video memorials and other DVD programs. Jim is a free lance photographer with a passion for capturing nature's beauty and documenting special events. His interests include tennis, chess and reading. He is also a motor cycle enthusiast and rides a Victory cruiser. 

Rev. Garvin was always spiritual and a Christian, but it was after he experienced what he perceived to be personal failures at age 37, that he asked Jesus to come into his life and take control. Jesus did and Rev. Garvin's journey as a true Christian began. It was at a singles program at Roswell UMC that Jim met Ann, and where he became a Methodist. Jim and Ann married in 1996, but it was during a Disciple Bible Study in the fall of 2000 that Jim decided to pursue the calling to become a UMC ministerial candidate. In the spring of 2001, Jim resigned his position as an IT consultant and began the arduous journey with Rev. Herzen Andone as his mentor. 

In addition to being a "pastor's wife," Ann works full-time as a school counselor for Dean Rusk Middle School in Cherokee County. Also, she is an ordained interfaith minister and spiritual counselor, as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor and serves part-time as a private therapist, both with Grace Connections in Holly Springs, and with the Dawson County Drug Court in Dawsonville, GA. 

Jim and Ann team together in counseling couples and conducting workshops on marriage and family intimacy. They are associated with Mourning Dove Ministries in Roswell, GA and have studied with Intimate Life Ministries (Austin, Texas). They have seven children and 19 grandchildren and were formerly members of Roswell United Methodist Church and Birmingham United Methodist Church. Both Jim and Ann continue to be active in Walk to Emmaus spiritual retreat weekends.