Meet Julie Parker - Pullum's New Membership Director

      When you hear the story of the journey that Julie Parker has already traveled, you might think that Liberty Church is the last place you’d find her spending time today. But by her own admission, our new Membership Director’s family involvement in the church has been one of many experiences that has bonded them. “I think that all the things the Lord has allowed me to go through have been for a reason,” she says. “Even if maybe it’s just to help someone else.”

      Throughout her life, strong influence from church and family – influences that weren’t always positive or reinforcing – have largely defined her. But even when those influences weren’t encouraging, she says, “My experiences have made me stronger and liberated me in good ways. Now I see potential in everyone.”

      Following her childhood is like following a rubber ball, as she describes being born in Tampa, moving to Pensacola, then to Birmingham, then to alternating time between the two cities, sometimes living with parents, sometimes with grandparents, jumping from school to school, surviving her parents’ ugly divorce, and becoming a caretaker for her younger sisters at an early age – all under the driving force of the family’s patriarch, her grandfather. Remarkably, she now exudes a sense of warmth, self-confidence and positive energy – all qualities that have enabled her to re-build her own family, root herself in the Navarre community and make her the ideal candidate for Membership Director here at the Y.

      Julie’s grandfather was a minister who founded Liberty Church and a Christian college in Perdido in the late ‘60s. Even though Julie and her parents moved to Birmingham when she was 9, she still spent summers and a couple of school years in the area under her grandparents’ watchful eyes. To hear her describe her early years, her grandfather and the church weren’t always accepting, a reality that she learned to accept.

      When she was 11, her parents divorced. During that time, she found herself thrust into the role of nurturer and protector of her two younger sisters, whom she tried to shield from the family drama. That self-described “momma bear” role is one she’s filled often, with her sisters then and later with her own children.

      Then Julie bounced again, this time landing in an Alabama fine arts school as a junior high drama student. “It wasn’t really a good place for a kid going through tumultuous home issues. Here I came from this sheltered environment with no secular influences, and all these kids were boarding there with little guidance and supervision.” She calls this time in her life a turning point during which she struggled with outside influences and experimenting with ideas and freedom.

      But once again, church became a critical factor. “My youth pastor in Birmingham was instrumental. He kept reeling me back in and kept me grounded. A senior high mission trip really helped remind me of priorities.” Her dad remarried when she was 14, and Julie lived with him and his wife for one year in Pensacola before returning to Birmingham, where she attended five different high schools before graduation. “I didn’t think anything about my life was abnormal – I thought everyone had dysfunctional families and stuffed everything in the closet!”

      After high school, she says she “didn’t realize she had any options” except attending her grandfather’s Christian college, where she majored in counseling for two years. She didn’t finish her education there because when her grandfather retired, the school closed and she returned to Birmingham.

      There she met her first husband, Kenny. Two years into dating, Julie learned that she was pregnant. “I always believed I was born to be an example – I was put up in front of the church with a minister saying ‘This is what happens’.” Despite the intended humiliation, Julie says she was still excited at the prospect of filling a role she’d always wanted – that of wife and mother.

      The early years of marriage were challenging, with Kenny serving stints in the Navy and the Merchant Marine, both of which took him away from the family for long periods. Their family grew to include Shelby, Mason, and Gigi, who was born shortly after the family moved to Pace in 1999. Kenny obtained his contractor’s license and began building in Navarre, prompting the family’s move to the south end of the county. Julie says his workaholic tendencies kept him away from the family as much as the military had.

      Through this period, Julie relished her role as a stay-at-home mom, but a request from a fellow mom made her bounce to a new role once again. The friend asked Julie if she could serve as a front desk manager fill-in for three days at a local day spa. “I ended up being there five years, and it changed my life,” she says. “I ended up being around such a variety of people. I was raised that you were expected to be a certain way or you were going to hell. But I learned that it’s OK to be different.”

      Kenny started his own construction business and earned a contract with FEMA for debris removal after Hurricane Katrina. With that, he left for New Orleans and never returned. Julie was left with a meager income, but through the help of an investor friend, didn’t lose her house. She again went into momma bear mode, drawing her kids in close and deciding that she “didn’t even like men.”

      It was a curious case of serendipity that led her to meet Brad Parker. Despite a friend’s attempt to introduce them, she resisted any dating. But he caught her eye in the school carline – or at least his car caught her eye. She was intrigued by the red ’79 Jeep Grand Cherokee he drove, but didn’t realize until much later, when she finally agreed to go out with him, that he was the guy her friend had been trying to set her up with. She describes Brad as a “take me as I am person” who says what he thinks, is very persistent, and has a sharp sense of humor.

      Their romance began in late 2006, and they’ve been together ever since. Between the two of them they have six children –ranging in ages from 17 to 10 – so life became interesting quickly. While Julie’s children were with her when they met, Brad’s three kids were living with their mother in Turkey, where she was on a government assignment. When his kids came home for a visit the following summer, one decided to stay. Only two weeks later, Brad learned he had to deploy, and Julie found herself in the momma bear role again.

      “We all sat down and decided that my kids and I would move into Brad’s house while he was deployed so his daughter could stay in her home. We were scared about messing up a great relationship by moving too fast, but I essentially became this girl’s guardian for eight months. We figured when Brad returned, we’d sit down and figure it all out.” When he did return, Julie and her kids stayed. In May 2009, he placed an engagement ring under her plate at Sunday dinner. They married that August and just celebrated their first anniversary.

      Brad completed his 20 years in the service in January, but made an additional three-year commitment to a new squadron after his former squadron closed. The family intends to make Navarre their permanent home after his retirement.

      These days, their daily life is a flurry of work, school, sports and the events of daily life – all organized by a weekly family meeting every Sunday at 6 pm. “Everybody airs out their dirty laundry, and we don’t get up until everything’s been covered,” Julie laughs.

      Meanwhile, Julie has continued on her personal journey. A former body builder, she says she’s still addicted to weight lifting and enjoys the stress relief it provides, especially with Brad as her training partner. When the couple has a break in their schedule, they enjoy riding their Harley Davidson. And, six weeks ago, Julie finally finished her degree in psychology.

      She’s excited about becoming part of the Y and all it has to offer. “My favorite part so far has been the opportunities I’ve had to interview people for financial aid and to hear their stories – then to say ‘We can offer you this’ and to offer my help on a personal level. It’s my passion to help people. If I can be a part of helping people see their own potential, that’s really exciting to me.”

      And, in the way that life has of coming full circle, Julie, Brad and the kids are active members at Liberty Church here in Navarre. Even though she vowed she’d never go back, it was Brad’s interest in meeting her grandfather – coupled with a well-timed postcard inviting them to become members – that led them to Liberty. “It just kind of happened. Now I’ve seen changes in our whole family dynamic because of the ownership we have in the church. It’s a place with great people who love people where they are.”

      And in that way, the church and Julie are very much alike.

Email Julie Parker.