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Virginia Union University Athletics

Joe Ellison

Joe Ellison

Reverend Joe Ellison, Jr., is the Vice-President for the Family Restoration Network.  Reverend Ellison serves as the Director of Chaplaincy Services, which covers Professional Sports such as the NFL, Richmond Raceway (Nascar) NCAA, High School Athletics, Law Enforcement, Military, Hospitals, & Prisons. 

Reverend Ellison attended St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia where he lettered in football before leaving to accept the call to the ministry.  Reverend Ellison is considered one of the most innovative, evangelistic outreach pastors of our day.  He has held some of the most powerful inner-city outreaches and crusades to reach the lost, help the poor and homeless.  He has been married to his childhood sweetheart, Kendra, for twenty-one years.
 
Education
  • Graduate of Highland Springs High School where he lettered in football and track.
  • Awarded a Football Scholarship to Virginia State University and transferred to St. Paul's College and lettered in football and studied Political Science.
  • Certificate of Ministry from Wheaton College-Billy Graham School of Evangelism and is pursuing his Doctorate in Ministry.
  • Awarded two Honorary Doctorates from Carolina Theological Bible Institute and Seminary and Doctor of Chaplaincy from Chaplain Fellowship Ministries for extraordinary ministry and services.
Ministry Accomplishments
  • Former Pastor and retired from City Park and Essex Village Community Church
  • Served as a Youth Pastor, Elder, Outreach Director and Associate Pastor. 1987-1995
  • Served as the National Director of Promotions for Urban Harvest in Hampton, VA
  • Launched Essex Village Ministries in 1996, which included a church, outreach center and child life center with his wife, Kendra Atkinson Ellison. (Essex Village had 1,464 families of single parents, children and senior citizens.)
  • Reverend Ellison gained local, state and national recognition for his extraordinary outreaches in the Essex Village Apartments.
  • (Some of the outreaches included fifteen years of Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey drives, blessed over 100 children from Essex Village and Southside to a trip to Disney World and several Christmas toy drives with WREJ-1540.)
  • Named Inner City Pastor of Year.
  • Several Back-to-School supply drives in the City of Richmond and Henrico County.
  • Regional Chaplain of the Year. (Law Enforcement)
  • Gospel Times Father of the Year for Foster Children.
  • Numerous certificates of Achievements from the City of Richmond and Henrico County.
  • Appointed to Faith Based Commission in Washington, DC by former Governor and Senator George Allen.
  • Appointed Chairman of Mayor’s Youth Commission by former Governor and Mayor Douglas L. Wilder.
  • National Director for Pastoral Relations for STAND, Pastoral Relations the Family Foundation and Virginia Christian Alliance.
  • Reverend Ellison served as a Pro Chaplain with the NFL, NASCAR-RIR and NCAA.