Music and Youth Pastor Jurell Hand

Pastors Jurell and Cindy Hand with
son D’Andre and daughter Shayla

Raised in the Savannah, Georgia, area, Jurell Hand comes to us with a music and youth work background that stretches back to his early days in the church. As a toddler, he would often be asked to sing “How Great Thou Art” for the congregation where his family attended worship. Jurell began taking piano lessons at age nine and continued them throughout the early part of high school and then again in college. He became pianist for his home church, the Rincon Church of God at age 14 and with the exception of a year away at college, continued for 10 years. He also began assisting the youth workers and would even substitute teach for Sunday School classes.

In 1991, Jurell felt the call to go back and finish up his degree at Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee, majoring in Christian Education with minors in music and business. While there, he became the Minister of Music at Chatsworth Church of God in North Georgia in the spring of 1992 and also doubled as their youth minister in the spring of 1995. In May of 1996, Jurell married Cindy Curlee who also had been very involved with education at her home church in Brevard, North Carolina, during her childhood and teen years, as well as teacher at the Mt. Olive Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee, prior to joining Jurell at the Chatsworth Church of God. After their marriage, Jurell and Cindy continued to minister in local churches in the Cleveland, Tennessee, area.

While working at Maytag Customer Service in the spring of 1998, Jurell and Cindy had been visiting her home church from time to time on weekends, and the pastor and staff were in search of a full-time Minister of Music and Youth. After much prayer and consideration, Jurell joined the staff of Brevard Church of God for two and a half years. Cindy headed up Children’s Church while assisting him with the youth. In November of 2000, Jurell decided to take a sabbatical and look for the next step.

All the while praying for God’s direction, Jurell and Cindy continued to attend other churches in the area until approached by Pastor Barefoot in the fall of 2002. Pastor Barefoot shared the vision he and others had for Harvest Outreach Ministries, and right away, both of them knew this was the time and the place for them. From the first service on, Jurell would be the Minister of Music and Cindy would take on the role of Children’s Pastor to focus on the overall children’s ministry, which includes Children’s Church and Vacation Bible School. In July of 2003, the church added Jurell as full-time staff in the position of Minister of Music as well as Youth.