Joshua's Journey...
Joshua grew up in the small town of Southside in northeastern Alabama. He is the oldest of two brothers, (his younger brother Chris is four years younger than him) and his parents (Greg & Lisa) have been together since they were in middle school. Joshua attended the Southern Baptist church in his town as a child, but hypocrisy and judgmental attitudes caused him to dismiss the church in his youth. In 9th grade, Joshua received the opportunity to attend a state magnet school for academically gifted youth. Such an opportunity also meant moving away from home at age 14 to live in the dorms at the school. In 1998, he graduated from the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science in Mobile, AL.
Joshua then became the first generation in his family to attend and graduate from college when he went to Maryville College in Tennessee on a full-tuition, Presidential Scholarship. Attending Maryville was a pivotal point in his life as it was at Maryville College where he, 1) met his wife Kellie Silva, 2) found his way back to his faith and later joined the Presbyterian Church (USA), and 3) learned of his love for teaching while working as a Teacher's Aide at a nearby elementary school.
After graduating from Maryville College in 2002, Joshua and Kellie moved to her hometown of Houston, TX where they married and Joshua began a career in teaching, mostly in middle school. Joshua took a two-year hiatus from his teaching career to pursue graduate study in theatre arts at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. However, Joshua left his MFA program after two years in order to return to teaching.
It was during a difficult and painful schism in his home congregation (Heritage Presbyterian Church in Houston, TX) over the full inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community into the ordained ministry of the church that Joshua first heard his call to ministry. After the schism, the church was left with less than 20% of its original membership and none of its pastoral leadership. So Joshua took on the role of caring for and leading the remaining youth of the congregation. It was during this time as the Volunteer Youth Director for Heritage that Joshua quickly realized how unprepared he was to take on such a responsibility, how little he understood about his own faith, yet how strongly he felt called to pursue ministry as his vocation. In the fall of 2011, Joshua, Kellie, and their two kids packed up the family and moved to New Jersey so Joshua could attend Princeton Theological Seminary, enrolling in the Dual-Degree program, where he earned both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Ministry with Young People (Children, Youth, & Young Adults).
Being a teacher, Joshua knows that people learn best from doing, so he immediately sought out a job in ministry while attending full-time seminary at Princeton. Joshua served as the Director of Children, Youth, & Family Ministries at Trinity Presbyterian Church in East Brunswick, NJ where he developed his pastoral identity and grew in his skills as a Christian educator, preacher, and spiritual leader. Joshua also spent a summer working as a CPE Chaplain at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton, NJ where he developed his pastoral care skills, especially with older adults. During seminary Joshua and Kellie grew their family by one more child - completing their family - and Kellie overcame a battle with thyroid cancer.
Joshua and his family then took their first call in rural Missouri at Grace Presbyterian Church, in Crystal City. While at Grace, Josh was actively involved in the community serving as the Co-President of the elementary school PTO, a Board Member for the local Homeless Youth Initiative, Secretary of the local Ministerial Alliance, and the Faith Outreach Lead for the local chapter of Moms Demand Action. Josh also taught World Religions as an adjunct instructor at the local community college where he enjoyed getting to know his students, providing them with (pastoral) care and concern, and showing them that not all Christians/Pastors are judgmental, fundamentalist, and literal interpreters of the bible. Instead, through his teaching and actions, he demonstrates that Christianity also includes people/pastors who study the bible from a critical and historical point of view, welcome and accept those often labeled as "different" or "sinners", and focus on the salvation of people from injustice in this world.
However, it was during this first call that Joshua began to come to terms with his identity. Having grown up in heart of the conservative Deep South, Joshua struggled with accepting who he really was. Finally, after much time spent in both couples and personal counseling, Joshua came out as gay to his family in 2019. His wife, Kellie, came out as well. With the help and support of family, friends, and counseling, the two amicably separated and divorced.
Since that time, Joshua has found love again with his partner Lawrence. In February 2020, Lawrence and Josh moved to Gulf Shores, AL to be near where Josh's parents retired. Of course, the pandemic derailed their initial plans, but together they worked through the highs and lows of 2020-2021.
While living on the Gulf Coast, Joshua served as the part-time pastor of Open Table UCC while supplementing his income by working as a bartender at a local beach resort. Open Table is a small but mighty congregation that helped to resurrect Josh's sense of call through their raw authenticity and social activism. Meanwhile, at the bar, the patrons are always pleasantly surprised to discover that their bartender is a pastor and often share their own lives and spiritual struggles with Josh while he pours them a cocktail. Joshua then went on to complete his CPE Residency at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola - earning 4 units of CPE (1 at Level I and 3 at Level II). Meanwhile, Lawrence worked as a Special Education paraprofessional for the Gulf Shores School District.
After completing his CPE residency, Joshua took a job as a Clinical Chaplain at SSM-St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis, MO. He and Lawrence relocated to St. Louis so that just could accept the job, so Lawrence could start his own business (The Sugar Plum Fairy: Whimsical Holiday Decorations), and to be able to spend more time with their kids. Josh and Lawrence also married in May 2023.
Joshua's Family
Josh & Lawrence, along with his ex-wife Kellie and her partner Chassity,
co-parent their three amazing kids:
Joey, O, and Aaron Silva-Noah.
co-parent their three amazing kids:
Joey, O, and Aaron Silva-Noah.