Today we’d like to introduce you to J.J. Collins.
Hi J.J., it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I am the daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher. This meant I could either sing or pray, so I chose to sing. I hear a cassette tape of Sandi Patty when I was about 8 years old, and I thought it was just about the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, and I wanted to sing just like that. I am a big personality, so I naturally gravitated to the theatre. I attended UGA where I majored in voice, but when I graduated, I didn’t know how to get a paying job as a singer (no one prepares you for that!), so I became a legal secretary, then a realtor. I went back to graduate school to the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins Institute and got my master’s degree in Voice with a concentration in Opera. I sang professionally for a while, and then I taught at the University of Tampa and Valdosta State University. My partner and I started a business during that time named “Rodeo Beach,” and for about 7 years, we traveled full-time around the country in a 39-foot 5th wheel RV selling outdoor outfitter products at rodeos, motorcycle rallies, boat shows, and festivals. We opened a brick-and-mortar store in Macon in 2011. We went through a difficult breakup in 2012, and I moved to Savannah in 2014 with my current spouse, Parker Collins, and my best friend, Cate Hill. I started working at Hunter Maclean as a paralegal and at Wesley Oak as the minister of music. I have been at both places ever since. I regularly sing in shows and cabarets in Savannah.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
All of my struggles have been growth opportunities. I would not be in the beautiful situation I am in today if it weren’t for the difficulties of my past. I started over completely at the age of 40 with no job, no home, no spouse, 1/2 a Jeep, my clothes, my piano, and my voice. It was a scary time. I managed to pick myself up with the help of friends and family, and those experiences have helped define my compassion, my resilience, and my gratitude.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Right now, I am on a very clear and joyful path. I am currently enrolled in seminary at McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, GA. My desire is to grow in my faith, to become more knowledgeable and educated in theology, and to be able to minister to other people with greater depth and resources behind me. I love people, and my desire is to serve and connect. I believe community is the most important part of living aside from God, and it is my desire to bring people together in safe spaces for enjoyment, worship, contemplation, communion, and connection. I preach a minimum of once a month at our church, and I enjoy crafting the entire worship experience so that it is cohesive from start to finish. As the minister of music, worship planning has always been something I enjoyed, but being able to deliver the message as well brings it to a whole other level. I enjoy being able to combine my loves of music, preaching, teaching, worship, and community all in one space.
What makes you happy?
So many things make me happy. My spouse, Parker, makes me happy every single day. We almost didn’t happen, so every day is a gift. I wake up each morning in deep gratitude for her calm, steady presence in my life. I am a blessed woman!
Seeing my congregants connecting with each other in joyful, authentic ways makes me happy.
Moving my audience to emotion with singing makes me happy, whether it be laughter or tears.
My dog Tinker makes me happy because she reminds me of the simple joys of life and how loving someone can be enough.
My friends make me happy because they are incredible people. Funny, interesting, complex, wild, chaotic, loving, calm – they run the gamut, and I am so lucky to be surrounded by amazing, intelligent, talented people.
Being out in nature makes me happy because it is a reminder of God and of the fact that I am really not that important.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WesleyOakChurch
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-j-collins-2598861b/
Image Credits
Jon Waits
