Linda Jaymes grew up in Union, New Jersey and attended Penn State University where she majored in
Spanish, earning a B.A. in Liberal Arts at the age of 20. At the age of 25, she found herself struggling as a
single parent on welfare with two young sons, and it was at this point that God drew her back into the
fellowship of the church. Remembering the witness of the small but vital 2nd Presbyterian Church of Union,
NJ, which had profoundly shaped her childhood, Linda became an active church member again, this time in the
Community Presbyterian Church of Edison, NJ, where she served as elder, choir member and chair of many
committees of session over a ten year period. During those ten years she also worked as a caseworker for the
Middlesex County, NJ Board of Social Services and in the private sector as a customer service manager, an
office manager and an industrial buyer for the Venezuelan government's international purchasing agency,
CVGIA.
Looking back, Rev. Jaymes realizes her call to ministry came at the age of 14, following a week at Presbyterian
Camp, Johnsonburg, NJ. But like a young Samuel without an Eli to help her discern God's voice, and doubtful
that ministry was an option for women, it took 25 years for her to fully recognize and respond to God's
compelling call.
In 1991, through Presbyterians for Renewal, Linda received the Lydia Award, a seminary scholarship for
evangelical, second-career Presbyterian women. While studying at Princeton Seminary, she sang with the
Seminary Singers and Touring Choir; she served for two years as student assistant at the Fanwood
Presbyterian Church; as the first full time summer chaplain for Johnsonburg Presbyterian Camp, and completed
one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education while a chaplain at Somerset Medical Center. She received the Master
of Divinity degree from Princeton in 1994 and was ordained by the Presbytery of Elizabeth to the Ministry of
Word and Sacrament upon receiving the call to Central Presbyterian Church in Chambersburg, PA. Rev.
Jaymes served as Associate Pastor at Central from August 1994—January 1998, when she became the Pastor
of Olivet Covenant Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. During this pastorate she served for two years on the
Board of the Presbyterian Coalition and since then has taken an active role on the planning team for the
Evangelical Gathering of Presbyterians in the Philadelphia area.
Rev. Jaymes’ interests include home decorating and rehab, and she is
currently spending most of her spare time working on her 1890
“Victorian farmhouse” in West Mt. Airy. She also enjoys singing with
the choir, bird watching, gardening, and ethnic foods. Her faithful
Jack Russell Terrier, “Tali” is never far from her side and it is not
unusual to see this amazing, 15 year-old dog running down the street
with Rev. Jaymes on leash!
Rev. Jaymes is especially interested in small group ministry and encouraging folks in the pews toward a deeper,
life-changing faith through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Sharing her faith journey through word and
song, with voice and guitar, is Linda's special gift for witnessing to the transforming power and presence of the
Holy Spirit. It is her prayer that her life and shared ministry with the Olivet Covenant congregation will bless
the neighborhood and bring glory to God.
