Rev. Anna Melissa Jackson is a native New Yorker and the eldest child of immigrant parents who came to the U.S. from the Republic of Panama. She has had a variety of work experiences before going into ministry. She was a bookkeeper in her father’s accounting firm, a legislative aide in the New York State Assembly, and a vice president in the derivatives division of an investment bank. She is an avid reader, loves jigsaw puzzles, needlepointing and playing her cello.
Pastor Anna was raised, confirmed and ordained at New Lots Community (Reformed) Church in Brooklyn, N.Y. She has served the Reformed Church in America (RCA) on commissions, tasks forces, and the General Synod Council. She also served on the Board of Trustees of New Brunswick Seminary and on the General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. After graduating from New Brunswick Seminary in 2000, Pastor Anna was ordained and served as the pastor of Queens Reformed Church in Queens, N.Y. for seventeen years. Since 2017, she and her husband, Rev. Dwayne Jackson, have been serving as co-pastors of Second Reformed Church of Hackensack, NJ.
In many faith stories, there is often a “come to Jesus” moment, when the person realizes that they need Christ in a way they never appreciated before. My story isn’t like that. In my case, it was Jesus who came and got me.