Joe Koski
Pastor of College and Young Adults
Joe Koski has been working at Neighborhood for 9 years (since January 1998). Joe currently
serves as the Minister to College Students, in the Student Ministries Department.
Tell us about yourself:
The Joe likes to be called "The Joe". You can just call him, "Joe", since that is his real name, but so far, he has convinced a lot of people to call him "The Joe". So, if you want to be cool, you should call him that.
The Joe attended 20/20 Jr. High Ministry as a student himself, and was saved his first night at Omega High School Ministry (Thanks Mark Tyler!). He has interned and worked at Neighborhood for almost 10 years.
The Joe earned his BA in Human Develpment from Cal State East Bay. The Joe also has a severe learning disablity with mathematics, and yet, went on to earn a Masters of Arts in Theological Studies from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. He is very proud of doing this. Also, if he can do it, so can you.
The Joe enjoys coffee. Take him out for some!
The Joe is blessed to have been married to his best friend in the world, Mandy Koski, (whom he met at Crossroads, the Neighborhood Church College Ministry) for 4 years. She makes him very happy.
The Joe lives in Castro Valley and also, The Joe hopes you have a nice day.
What do you do as Minister to College Students?
A Minister to College Students teaches the Bible in a way that both furthers their understanding and interest in the Word of God, and also, challenges the students in their walk with Christ and spurs them on to good deeds. A Minister to College Students also spends a lot of time meeting with students in small groups, or one on one to help them sort through confusing life issues and to help them make good decisions. A Minister to College Students also understands that College ministry is all about helping the students run the ministry, and while he is still the acting leader as Pastor, his job is to train up the students to be leaders themselves. Also, a Minister to College Students is pretty funny (or at least this one thinks he is).
What is the best part of your job?
I really love spending time with students and helping them find the path that God has set up for them in their life. College is this incredible time to not only make your walk with Christ real, but to find what God has called you to do. God has really blessed me with the opportunity to help students grow closer to Christ as they make huge life decisions!
What do you think you would be doing right now if God had not called you to be in ministry?
The Joe always thought he would be some sort of cartoonist or illustrator. In fact, The Joe even told God, "No!", when he first knew that God wanted him to be a Pastor. Then The Joe realized that was a bad idea, and that he should never, ever, tell God "No!", so he told God he was "very, very sorry."
Now The Joe works here.
What do you order at Starbucks?
Usually a tall americano which is consumed black as midnight.
Right now, however, it is deathly hot, so The Joe has been drinking iced chais (always with soy!).
What is your favorite movie quote?
"Why? Why was I programed to feel pain?" -yells a robot that was set on fire by an angry mob on the Simpsons.
If you had a million dollars to spend today, what would you buy?
As The Joe works and lives in the Bay Area, he would use it as a down payment on a one bedroom, no bathroom condo.
Or he would travel the world, just wandering around and looking at cool stuff, and drinking lots and lots of coffee and tea.
What talent do you wish you had?
In college The Joe and his brother and a few of thier friends embarked on a very short lived musical career. They started a band, called it "The Mank", and since The Joe wrote the songs The Joe insisted that The Joe sang.
My friends, The Joe cannot sing. At all.
So, after a whirlwind tour of our drummer's garage, and one show at some club in...Sacramento? (The Joe doesn't even recall) We broke up.
Perhaps, if The Joe did not sing like a wounded seagull, they could have played two shows.
Henceforth, all that to say, The Joe has always wished he could sing.
The Joe, how did you get to be so awesome?
Well, firstly, I'd like to thank you for that very astute observation. Secondly, I'd like to say it took a lot of practice and hard work, but that would be lying. In truth, The Joe is awesome because the good Lord saw fit to make him that way.
(Ps- if it is not instantly obvious, we were allowed to make up one question for ourselves.)
Tell us about yourself:
The Joe likes to be called "The Joe". You can just call him, "Joe", since that is his real name, but so far, he has convinced a lot of people to call him "The Joe". So, if you want to be cool, you should call him that.
The Joe attended 20/20 Jr. High Ministry as a student himself, and was saved his first night at Omega High School Ministry (Thanks Mark Tyler!). He has interned and worked at Neighborhood for almost 10 years.
The Joe earned his BA in Human Develpment from Cal State East Bay. The Joe also has a severe learning disablity with mathematics, and yet, went on to earn a Masters of Arts in Theological Studies from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. He is very proud of doing this. Also, if he can do it, so can you.
The Joe enjoys coffee. Take him out for some!
The Joe is blessed to have been married to his best friend in the world, Mandy Koski, (whom he met at Crossroads, the Neighborhood Church College Ministry) for 4 years. She makes him very happy.
The Joe lives in Castro Valley and also, The Joe hopes you have a nice day.
What do you do as Minister to College Students?
A Minister to College Students teaches the Bible in a way that both furthers their understanding and interest in the Word of God, and also, challenges the students in their walk with Christ and spurs them on to good deeds. A Minister to College Students also spends a lot of time meeting with students in small groups, or one on one to help them sort through confusing life issues and to help them make good decisions. A Minister to College Students also understands that College ministry is all about helping the students run the ministry, and while he is still the acting leader as Pastor, his job is to train up the students to be leaders themselves. Also, a Minister to College Students is pretty funny (or at least this one thinks he is).
What is the best part of your job?
I really love spending time with students and helping them find the path that God has set up for them in their life. College is this incredible time to not only make your walk with Christ real, but to find what God has called you to do. God has really blessed me with the opportunity to help students grow closer to Christ as they make huge life decisions!
What do you think you would be doing right now if God had not called you to be in ministry?
The Joe always thought he would be some sort of cartoonist or illustrator. In fact, The Joe even told God, "No!", when he first knew that God wanted him to be a Pastor. Then The Joe realized that was a bad idea, and that he should never, ever, tell God "No!", so he told God he was "very, very sorry."
Now The Joe works here.
What do you order at Starbucks?
Usually a tall americano which is consumed black as midnight.
Right now, however, it is deathly hot, so The Joe has been drinking iced chais (always with soy!).
What is your favorite movie quote?
"Why? Why was I programed to feel pain?" -yells a robot that was set on fire by an angry mob on the Simpsons.
If you had a million dollars to spend today, what would you buy?
As The Joe works and lives in the Bay Area, he would use it as a down payment on a one bedroom, no bathroom condo.
Or he would travel the world, just wandering around and looking at cool stuff, and drinking lots and lots of coffee and tea.
What talent do you wish you had?
In college The Joe and his brother and a few of thier friends embarked on a very short lived musical career. They started a band, called it "The Mank", and since The Joe wrote the songs The Joe insisted that The Joe sang.
My friends, The Joe cannot sing. At all.
So, after a whirlwind tour of our drummer's garage, and one show at some club in...Sacramento? (The Joe doesn't even recall) We broke up.
Perhaps, if The Joe did not sing like a wounded seagull, they could have played two shows.
Henceforth, all that to say, The Joe has always wished he could sing.
The Joe, how did you get to be so awesome?
Well, firstly, I'd like to thank you for that very astute observation. Secondly, I'd like to say it took a lot of practice and hard work, but that would be lying. In truth, The Joe is awesome because the good Lord saw fit to make him that way.
(Ps- if it is not instantly obvious, we were allowed to make up one question for ourselves.)
Joe Koski
(510) 537-4690 x256