Pastor Keaton at his ordination

I first met Pastor Willie J. Keaton, Jr., a few weeks ago, and was immediately impressed with his passion and commitment to his congregation at Claremont Lafayette United Presbyterian Church, located in Jersey City’s Ward F. I was eager to sit down and chat with him about his impressions of his community, and his hopes and concerns for its future.

I know you previously served in North Philly and Chester, PA – both of which are communities that face a lot of challenges. Can you com pare what you see in Ward F with your experiences there?

Yes. In many ways the circumstances are almost identical. I started my pastoral ministry in Chester PA, in 2008 and at the time I was an ordained Baptist Minister. I only came to Chester to help start a after-school program and I was paid by a suburban church to work…