Jamey
Jamey Codding
Director of Communications
communications@thefreshwater.church
Jamey’s life has been defined by two encounters: the day he met the prettiest girl in his high school and, 18 years later, the day he met Jesus.
Jamey was born in Medina and eventually made his way to Brunswick, where he somehow convinced the shy cheerleader sitting behind him in physics class during his senior year to go on a date. Seven years later, the high school sweethearts married. Today, Mandy and Jamey have three incredible kids: Emma, the compassionate big sister with the quick wit who loves well, laughs often is probably listening to Taylor Swift right now; Andrew, the entertainer of the group with the impeccable comedic timing who’s almost as loyal to his Cleveland sports teams as he is to his family and friends; and Eliot, the kindhearted kid brother whose gift of connecting with others allows him to offer hugs when they’re needed most and whose love of sports rivals his dad’s and his big brother’s.
As much as Jamey adores his wife and kids, everything changed for him when Jesus turned his life upside down at the age of 35. Up to that point, Jamey had been determined to figure out why life was so hard and how he could fix himself, once and for all. It wasn’t until he met Jesus in the sanctuary of the old Freshwater building on Humbolt Avenue that he began to understand the only way to “fix” his life was to surrender it to the One who not only gave it to him in the first place, but then died to save him. Ever since, Jamey’s heart echoes the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ.” More and more. Every day.
Joining the Freshwater staff in 2021 had been a dream of Jamey’s since he and his family began attending the church nine years earlier. He has spent his career writing, designing, building and creating after graduating with a journalism degree from Ohio University in 1999. And yet, nothing excites Jamey more than exploring with someone else the ways Jesus is using the challenges and triumphs of life under the sun to remind us just how desperately we need Him.
