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Pastor Matt Jones Honored for 20 Years of Service to the Mountaintop Church Community

Jan 09, 2023 12:49PM ● By Steve Sears

Matt and Diane Jones receive an on-stage blessing from the Mountaintop Church congregation

Mountaintop Church Pastor, Matt Jones, has an envelope which he saved. The envelope some time ago contained a tithe offering, and the words on the front read, “Thank you. This church saved my life.”

“I have seen so many lives changed, and I'm very blessed,” Jones says. “This is not about me, it's about the church, and what Christ does in people's lives. But I'm grateful that he's allowed me to be the pastor of it.”

Jones on Sunday, December 4, celebrated 20 years of serving at Mountaintop Church, and December 6 was proclaimed “Matt Jones Day” in the township of Mount Olive.

“We were really stunned by the whole thing,” Jones says of the reaction of he and his wife, Diane. “They had kept it a secret. I guess they started planning in May. What a blessing. You certainly don’t do it (pastoring) for those accolades, but it was touching. It really was.”

The surprise service consisted of both in-person special guests and video tributes from both friends and parishioners throughout the years. Celebrity greetings were received from actors Whoopi Goldberg and David Zayas, Major League Baseball analyst Scott Braun, and musicians Kevin Jonas and Bigg Robb. Mount Olive Township Council President, Joe Nicastro, thanked Jones for 20 years of service in the community, announcing the township’s intent to ratify December 6 as “Matt Jones Day.” The Joneses also received special gifts, including a plaque and sizable bonus offering, and afterwards a reception was held at Pastor Matt’s favorite eatery, Enzo’s Ristorante & Pizzeria in Budd Lake

Pastor Matt Jones and his wife, Diane

 When Jones, 57, first started at the church, Diane was the church secretary due to her excellent administrative skills, but now she also helps out with the women’s ministries and plays drums during church services. Jones adds, “Most of that is either myself or Pastor Cody (Vagle) when it comes to preaching, but I have a number of men who have a gift in the church to preach, and I utilize them. I feel that's something that I need to do, constantly be mentoring and discipling and developing.”

Prior to coming to Mountaintop Church, Jones was for two years at a small home missions church (also known as a church plant) in Middlesex, New Jersey. Prior to that, he was Principal at Full Gospel Christian School in Livingston. He arrived at Mountaintop in 2002 – to a tiny congregation of about 10 people. “We really didn't know what was going to happen,” Jones recalls, “and I was told either grow it or give it a very dignified funeral. I really didn't know which way it was going to go. But God showed up.”

And God still does. The greatest accomplishment for Jones is, as alluded to earlier, changing people’s lives. “We've been able to help people's lives, giving them purpose, giving them perspective, strengthening them for the day that we live in.”

As Jones and his congregation look toward the future, a church assessment and visionary process is being conducted to enlarge the scope of Mountaintop Church, as well as expand the facilities including the food pantry, and create additional space for seniors. Jones says more space equals more people. “The more people who come, the more people we have an influence on, and then those people are influencers. A big part of ministry for me is not just what I do for people, but it's equipping people in their own life, to share Christ and His love and serve the people.”

Jones sums up his 20 years at Mountaintop Church. “It hasn't just been about me; it's been about what God has done among us and in this community. Many years ago, God saved my soul, he redeemed me, and I have tried to live a life that tries to bring other people to that same redemption in their lives. I’m hoping my life exemplifies that on a regular basis.”