ELIZABETH JENSEN-FORBELL

Born in New York, Elizabeth moved to Jacksonville with her family when she was nine years old. Having lived in Florida for forty years, she still identifies herself as a “Yankee”, and visits family in New York and Pennsylvania whenever possible.

While in college, Elizabeth hoped to be a physical education teacher, but a job at camp changed that plan. She worked for 10 years as a camp counselor and eventually the program director of a day camp and day care center before she was offered a job as a church administrator.

Elizabeth was hired by St. Luke’s MCC in Jacksonville in 1990, and has been a church administrator ever since. She worked for St. Luke’s MCC for ten years and helped start FirstCoast MCC in St. Augustine. She worked for both churches for a period of time, supplemented her income with an additional job when FirstCoast was just beginning, and eventually was hired full time by FirstCoast MCC.

In addition to her job with the church, Elizabeth also volunteers as the leader of the Prayer Ministry and Modern Messengers Drama Ministry. She is also one of the Lay Delegates for FirstCoast MCC.

Elizabeth is active in the denomination, having chaired the Lay Ministry Nominating Team for several years and worked as a part of CRI - the Church Revitalization Initiative. Recently, Elizabeth was asked to serve as the leader of the North Florida Cluster of MCCs, where she visits and works with the six MCCs in North Florida.

Elizabeth and Rev. Ruth have worked, lived, and loved for 21+ years, and share a home in Jacksonville that Rev. Ruth’s father and uncle built. Their babies include 2 cats, Zora & Tony, and 2 red Dobermans named Sydney and Libby. In 2005 they were legally married in Canada, but one day hope to be legally married in Florida.