Pastor Gregg Matte and Houston’s First welcome Jeff Bumgardner as our new Minister of Worship and Arts at The Loop Campus! Jeff's role will be to provide leadership to our existing Worship Team at The Loop Campus, including staff members working with our Choir & Orchestra, Bands & Singers, Elevate Student Worship, High 5 Kids’ Choir, and the School of Fine Arts.
"I’m so excited for Jeff to become a part of our staff at The Loop!" says Pastor Gregg. "His shepherding heart, amazing skill, deep love for God, and willingness to serve will be a blessing to our church. God has his hand on Jeff and I anticipate great things!”
"My greatest passions are the Lord, my family, and serving the local church," says Jeff. "I love to dream God-sized dreams and create opportunities for others to use their talents and skillset to help those dreams become reality. I’m a dreamer, futuristic thinker who loves to find innovative ways to share the Gospel through music while drawing people into a closer relationship with God."
Jeff & Jody
The Lord saved Jeff in 1988 and called him into ministry two years later. He pursued his education in preparation for ministry while gaining experience serving churches through college and seminary. He and his wife, Jody (Broome), met in college as music majors. They were married in 1998 and have four incredible kids (pictured below in the following order): Caleb (20), Abby (18), Ella (2006-2016), and Ava Drew (10).
He recently served as Worship Pastor at First Baptist North Augusta (SC). He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Vocal Performance from Brewton-Parker College (Mt. Vernon, GA) and his Master of Music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Ft. Worth).
Jeff's first day at The Loop will be in January 2021. We look forward to welcoming him and his family to Houston and the Houston's First family!
A task force was created to find our new Minister of Worship and Arts. Here's what some members observed about Jeff and what they're looking forward to about his contributions to our church:
"Jeff is an accomplished musician and director that God has gifted with extraordinary abilities and vision. He has a heart that desires to minister not only to the local church, but also to encourage and develop the staff members he serves with. God has refined Jeff and his wife Jody in the most trying of life’s circumstances and they continue to faithfully give their lives to serve others and lead them in worshiping God corporately, whether it is through choirs, orchestras, bands, singers, or whatever the post-pandemic corporate worship may look like. Our church will be blessed to have him in leadership!" — David & Marsha Taylor
"God has blessed us with a true gem. Our church is receiving someone who is not only an accomplished performer and song-writer but is also an experienced leader of choirs, orchestras, and congregations. Jeff has a calm and humble presence and a warm and welcoming smile. His faith is profoundly personal, and his deep love for the Lord was obvious to me from our first interaction." — David Gober
Worship Team Members Say ...
Worship team members had a chance to meet with Jeff in October when he visited Houston for a few days. Here's what they had to say about their new leader:
"We had a blast getting the opportunity to meet Jeff and his family! They are a ministry family that loves people well. Jeff is a talented musician, worship leader, and songwriter, no question, but his genuine 'slow-down-and-look-you-in-the-eye’ kind of care is what stood out to me. That’s a type of ministry I’m excited to get behind!" — Josh Harris, Associate Director of Worship – Choral Music
"We are thrilled to welcome Jeff and his wonderful family with open arms here at Houston's First! For many years, our worship team has used music to minister to our people faithfully, humbly, and creatively. I believe that Jeff will not only fit right in with our culture here, but will be able to lead our team in amazing new ways as we continue to use the vehicle of music to minister to people in our city, and even around the world! Though he is incredibly talented, the qualities that stood out to me when meeting Jeff were his humility and genuineness. I can't wait to see what God will continue to do through our team as we enter this new season of ministry here at Houston's First!" — Chris Colee, Associate Director of Worship – Band & Singers
What Others Say ...
"I love it when people I love join forces! I’m so glad my friends at Houston’s First have found my friend Jeff Bumgardner. I’m thrilled and happy and excited for both the church and Jeff. I look forward to watching the Lord bear much fruit as you all labor together for the gospel in Houston and beyond in these coming seasons!" — Travis Cottrell, Worship Pastor | Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, TN
"Jeff Bumgardner is one of the most gifted worship pastors I know. Fortunately for any congregation he leads, those gifts are matched by a passion to honor the Lord and make much of His name." — Cliff Duren, Worship Pastor | FBC Woodstock, GA
Jeff Bumgardner
EDUCATION
Master of Music, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX, 2001
Bachelor of Science in Vocal Performance, Brewton-Parker College, Mt. Vernon, GA, 1997
EXPERIENCE
Worship Pastor, First Baptist North Augusta, SC — 2012-Present As Worship Pastor, my primary responsibility is guiding my team in the planning, preparation, and leading in each of our six worship services. Serving as part of our executive team, I also help to plan and cast vision for our staff and lay leadership while mentoring younger worship leaders on our staff and volunteer teams. I lead our choir in weekly rehearsal and special events, as well as creating opportunities for them to share their faith through word and song.
Worship Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Highland, CA - 2006-2012
Worship & Students Pastor, Old Union Baptist Church, Harlem, GA - 1994-1998
RECENT MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS
The Bumgardner FamilyLed the choir and orchestra at First North Augusta as we doubled in size.
Grew worship leadership team at First North Augusta from 1 to 9 staffers.
Developed music in missions ministry resulting in 3 Choral projects and a GMA Dove Award for First North Augusta.
Established North Augusta Lights - A Community Christmas Tree Lighting event on our church campus in partnership with our city leaders.
Created an artists series for Christmas featuring our choir and orchestra.
Co-authored a book, Green Hearts: God’s Goodness in the Worst of Times. The inspiration was the loss of our ten-year-old daughter, Ella, in 2016. My family has experienced the comfort of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and want to offer that same comfort to others who face similar circumstances.
Established Ella’s Gift. Since 2017, we have raised over $30,000 to fund gift bags for patients at Children’s Hospital of Georgia. We enlist volunteers to help fill each bag with kid-friendly items such as Play Doh, bubbles, activity books, stickers, crayons and a New Testament Bible. Our hope is to share the love of Christ with kids and their families during a very scary time in their lives. Ella’s Gift also sponsors an Acts of Kindness drive on Ella’s birthday in our community and local elementary school.
Received numerous awards for songwriting, including seven GMA Dove Awards.
