05/05/2026
Our Shallowford Stories: 📖 ✨Embraced
“I am a Cradle Presbyterian,” Jimmy Shafe said. “My grandfather and my father were both Presbyterian Ministers, and my Mom served in Congo and Brazil as well as Moderator of Savannah Presbytery.”
Jimmy’s parents moved to Congo in 1939 to serve as Presbyterian missionaries, but returned to the U.S. in 1942 when his father became ill. Years later, Jimmy returned to the Congo with his mother to continue mission work and complete his high school education. After coming back to the U.S., he attended Presbyterian College and Georgia Southern University, where he and Jan got married.
Jimmy started his training and consulting business after he and Jan moved to Atlanta. They joined Rehoboth and raised their children in the church, where they attended Sunday school. Upon returning to Atlanta years later, Jimmy and Jan visited more than 20 churches in search of a church home.
Then, two dear friends invited them to worship. When Jimmy and Jan walked up to the glass doors outside the sanctuary, they were greeted with a friendly face and a firm handshake. Soon, they discovered a connection with a member who worked in the nursery at Jimmy’s father’s church in Athens, Georgia, when Jimmy was just a baby, sparking a renewed connection in a different season of life.
Later, as pastors learned about Jimmy’s heart for Congo, he heard it prayed for from the pulpit. And when he had heart surgery, Jimmy wrapped himself in the warmth of a gifted Shallowford prayer shawl. Again and again, “Jan and I felt embraced by the welcoming attitude of the congregation at Shallowford,” Jimmy said. Jimmy has embodied that same spirit in the many ways he has served as a leader in this church family.
Jimmy has been involved in mission and ministry all his life. He is the founder and director of Congo Hope, a Shallowford Mission Partner, and serves on the board of Education Congo. At Shallowford, he has been active on the Mission Committee, continually seeking ways for the church to focus its efforts beyond its walls to serve those in need.
“Jan and I have found Shallowford supportive and encouraging,” Jimmy said. “It is home.”
