About our Nominee

Jennifer Lusher is a woman of God, the called to action as early as the age of 3. She grew up in a Christian family, with her mother teaching them at home and her father teaching her family at Church. She is an associate pastor at Community Life United Methodist Church and she is in the Care Ministry world. Serving those in need is a strong passion of hers and she works very hard to make sure those in need don’t go without. Coming from Birmingham, Alabama, our wonderful area is exciting and peaceful for her. She loves and serves the community with God on her side.

 

Q & A

Q: What inspired you or led you to your current career/owning your business?

A: I grew up in a Christian family. Dad was a pastor, mom was the home pastor. Dad was the pastor for the Church, mom was the pastor our home. At 3 or 4 I used to line up all my stuffed animals and put my dad’s preaching Bible on a stool. Dad would say that I was created to do this. Growing up, being around Church people, who cared, loved, and served. Mother’s of the Church and older women, they just poured their love and everything into me throughout the years.

 

Q: How long have you lived or worked in Navarre?

A: It will be going on 4 years in October.

Q: Who is the most interesting person/business owner you’ve met here in Gulf Breeze/Navarre?  Who would you like to see nominated as a Face of Gulf Breeze/Navarre?

A: I would say I have 2. The first is also a pastor(I call her my pastor), her name is Sheila Bates. She’s the pastor of Cokesbury United Methodist Church. She is just amazing. What she is doing in our conference is unheard of. She’s a woman and a minority and she’s pastoring a fairly large Church. That’s not very common. She’s the only one in our conference currently doing that. 

The second one is Rev. Christina Shever. I also call her my pastor. Just her life and specifically in the last few years, she had a son named George. He had some heart conditions and surgeries. They had to live in Boston. Between taking care of her son and Church life is just inspiring. It makes me take a look at my life and it keeps me humble. It keeps me from complaining, especially when my 3 year old doesn’t do what I want. 

The third woman is Gretchen Clark. She serves here in my Church as one of the way leaders. She’s in the secular field. She’s just extradorinary. There are very few rooms that I sit in, these days that I feel intimidated or that I feel like there is a woman that can match my mental energy. I love her and I want ya’ll to know that, but she is just brilliant. She just got a new position in cyber security at UWF. 

 

Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people? (Or someone starting their own ministry?)

A: One question I would ask them, is “What is God calling you to do?” If you don’t know, don’t go to college to find out. Do something. Serve people, do something that brings you joy. The only way to find out what your calling is, is to plug into the one calling you.(God) God may be calling you to do something you don’t need a degree to do. You also need to make sure you have a good plan.  

Q: What current/former local business makes you the most nostalgic about (or what is most iconic in) Gulf Breeze/Navarre?

A: Coming from the city of Birmingham, I don’t have as much nostalgia about the area. I have a lot of respect though. I love the slowness. When I first got here, everyone would talk about the traffic. I was like, where? Coming from Birmingham and traffic being shut down for hours at a time, it’s much different here. But even when it’s bad, it’s cool, no matter what. All I gotta do when I’m driving down 98 and is look to the left and see the Sound. I think my nostalgia is more of an appreciation. It’s more of a simple beach town and I love it. 

Q: Where do you see yourself (and your career/business) in 5 or 10 years?

A: I’ll still be in ministry. The Methodist Church is shifting and changing. We have some serious conversations to have about who we are and who we want to be in this world. We were actually supposed to vote this month if we were going to split or not. Each conference was going to have to vote and decide what they were going to do. I will go wherever God calls me to be. I want to stay in the area though if possible. 

 

Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Gulf Breeze/Navarre, and what do you love there? (What is your favorite dish, and where do you get it?)

A: Navarre is Scooters off of 87. They have really good seafood and have great prices. I love their grilled chicken, my husband loves their mahi mahi. In Gulf Breeze, I love Aloha Grill. 

 

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?  And why?

A: I wanna go to the Samoan Islands. I just love that culture. The food is absolutely amazing. 

 

Q: What is your favorite movie OR what is the first movie you remember seeing in a theater?

A: My favorite movie is Carena Carena. It’s a movie starring Whoopi Goldberg. She takes care of a young girl who lost her mom and brings back her joy. 

 

Q: What is something on your bucket list?

A: I tell people if I could change how God called me, I would own a guitar shop. I would sell guitars, certain kinds anyway, that I know would bring people joy. 

 

Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about Gulf Breeze/Navarre?

A: My favorite thing about this area, is that I’ve never been so many people that are so relaxed. It’s so close to paradise. We get to see that paradise everyday. Therefore, people are more relaxed and there is a sense of gratefulness. There is just this contentedness that I haven’t experienced elsewhere. 

 

Q: Choosing anyone alive and a non-relative: with whom would you love to have lunch?  Why?

A: In my mind, heart, and soul, I feel I am the Florida/Alabama Oprah, so I would choose her. I love and adore her. She’s this girl that was born dirt poor in Mississippi. Her dad didn’t know about her as a child, mother didn’t want her, and ended up being raised by her great aunt and grandma. Both of whom were dislexic, and actually meant to name her Orpah(from the Bible), but couldn’t spell it right and named her Oprah instead. She didn’t inherit her wealth, and every odd was stacked against her. She’s just such a role model. I consider myself the Oprah of Christianity. 

Q: What is your favorite music?

A: I love country and gospel music.

 

Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?

A: Not a lot of people know that I love to play guitar. I would actually have loved to go on tour and play. 

 

Q: What 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?

A: Alabama, Home is where the heart is, and family. 

 

Q: If you were cast into a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your co-star, who would you choose?

A: Oprah. If I’m in there with Oprah, it’s gonna sell! Also Robert Redford! 

 

Q: If you had a full-time staff member that was fully paid for, who would you choose? Chef, Housekeeper, Driver, Coach, Physical Fitness Trainer, or Nanny?

A: Oh my gosh. That’s so hard to choose. I wanna raise my own kids, so I would choose a chef.

 

If you would like to know more about Jennifer, or Community Life Church, go to a service and check out their website!

Website: Community Life Methodist Church

 

Be sure to check out what our other nominees had to say!