"Helping You Possess What You Pursue"
Dr. R. J. Lightsey was born in Albany, GA and grew up in the outskirts of Pittsburgh, PA. In addition to his 23 years in ministry, Dr. Lightsey has also spent 30 years in the business marketing and consulting field, in the profit and non-profit sectors. He has done management, marketing, training, special projects, and consulting work for LTV Steel Corporation, Eqitable Life Assurance, Volkswagen, Metropolitan Life Insurance, Computer Science Corporation, and Family Time Ministries, among others.
Since 1990, he has been President and CEO of Higher Ground Marketing Group, a company that promotes and markets products and services for small businesses. From 2001 through February of 2008, he served as Director of Community Outreach and then as Director of Constituent Services for U. S. Congressman Mike Ross, Fourth Congressional District, Arkansas.
In 2007, Pastor Sharen launched a ministry at JCC to address and educate the community in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. She was recently appointed by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe to serve on the newly formed HIV/AIDS Minority Task Force.
In addition, she is the President and CFO of an accounting firm, Numbers 2 Numbers, Inc. The company provides general accounting, payroll, tax, and consulting services to local businesses in Pine Bluff and surrounding areas.
She, along with Dr. Lightsey, has facilitated business training and seminars including cultural diversity training for the Pine Bluff Police Department. Also, Pastor Sharen has conducted financial training workshops for churches and civic groups and was an adjunct professor at Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock.
Pastor Sharen and Dr. Lightsey have been married for twenty-four (24) years.
HIGHER GROUND MARKETING GROUP
"Helping You Possess What You Pursue"
Dr. Lightsey graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He received a diploma in Supervisory Management from LaSalle Extension University in Chicago, Illinois and is also a graduate of the South Jersey Professional School of Business in Marlton, NJ. He earned a Master of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Christian Bible College and Seminary in Independence, Missouri. Dr. Lightsey is the author of “Living in Praise,” published by Vantage Press. In 1989 he received the Outstanding Young Man in America Award for outstanding professional achievement, superior leadership ability and exceptional service to the community. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Jefferson County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), and the Southeast Arkansas Character Council. He is a member of the Pine Bluff Entrepreneurship Collaborative (PBEC), Co-Chair of the Pine Bluff 20/20 Initiative Implementation Committee, and a Lifetime member of the Pine Bluff (Arkansas) Branch of the NAACP. He has written grants and has appeared before numerous civic and professional organizations.
Dr. Lightsey is the founder and senior pastor of Jubilee Christian Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where his wife, the Rev. Sharen K. Lightsey, serves as Co-Pastor. They also own an accounting firm, Numbers 2 Numbers, Inc. They have two adult sons.
Sharen K. Lightsey is a native of New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Psychology from Rutgers University, and a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Baker College. In the spring of 2011 she will complete the requirements for the Doctorate in Christian Leadership Degree from Christian Leadership University in Buffalo, NY. She has been active in ministry for over 27 years.
She received her ministerial license in 1998 and earned her ordination in 2000. She currently teaches the adult Bible Class at Jubilee Christian Center (JCC), co-facilitates marriage classes with her husband, provides pre-marital and post-marital counseling, and writes monthly mini-sermons for the Lightsey Ministries website: www.lightseyministries.org.
