Meet our Chaplain

Rev. Shelley Gardner

Rev. Shelley S. Gardner joined the Jarvie program as a full-time chaplain on May 1, 2020. She previously served in this role as a consultant since summer 2019.

Well acquainted with the Jarvie catchment area, Shelley enjoys the rich diversity of Protestant faith traditions, life journeys, and faithful expressions of service to the church and to the community represented in the active lives of the Jarvie beneficiaries whom she is honored to serve.

Shelley has a deep care and concern for the elderly, and it has been an integral part of her ministry since she was ordained in 2010. She served as the first ordained and installed female Associate Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Woodbridge, New Jersey. She finished her service there in December 2019 to join the Jarvie program full-time.

Shelley is an active Teaching Elder in the Elizabeth Presbytery, currently serving on Committee on Ministry and on the board of Johnsonburg Camp & Retreat Center. Shelley serves the Synod of the Northeast as the Moderator of the Synod Permanent Judicial Committee and participates in the Synod Mediation Network.

Shelley holds an Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Master of Arts from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a Bachelor of Arts from American University.

Shelley lives along the Hudson River in Weehawken, New Jersey with her husband, their dog, Reese, and cat, Reggie. She and her husband raised two daughters in the church.  Her eldest daughter served as a Young Adult Volunteer in Miami while her youngest served the church as a Deacon. Both are pursuing post-graduate work.