Rev. Dr. Archie and First Lady Jeanette Ivy celebrate 23rd pastoral anniversary

The story of how Rev. Dr. Archie Ivy and First Lady Jeanette Ivy were joined together began in the small town of Shannon, Mississippi. Archie Ivy and Jeanette Rogers were both students at Shannon High School. Archie is the oldest son of ten children while Jeanette is the youngest of five children, both grew up in the time of segregation and the Jim Crow South. Both Archie and Jeanette would graduate from Shannon High School and attend college; Archie attended Jackson State University, while Jeannette attended Alcorn State University.

Although they knew each other in Mississippi, they did not start dating each other until they moved to Milwaukee. After dating for a year and a half, Archie and Jeanette got married and worked together to ensure what God has put together couldn’t be broken. Jeanette worked as a customer service representative for Blue Cross Blue Shield for 31 years. Archie worked for Milwaukee Public Schools for 30 years, first serving as a teacher (Robert Fulton Middle School, Milwaukee Trade & Technical High School), then ending his work in the education field as an administrator (principal of North Division High School).

In the 49 years of their marriage, God has blessed Rev. Ivy with 3 children: Reginald, Jeannece, and Andrea. Rev. Reginald Ivy is married to Debbie Ivy; both of them work for Milwaukee Public Schools and together they have two children – Taylor, who is 13, and Caleb, who is 11. Jeannece Ivy works for Milwaukee Public Schools as a teacher and is a head track and field coach for James Madison Academic Campus High School, as well as an assistant coach for The Milwaukee Striders Track Club; and Andrea Ivy works for Milwaukee County and is an aspiring actor.

Rev. Dr. Archie L. Ivy and First Lady Jeanette Ivy have served as Pastor and First Lady of The New Hope Missionary Baptist Church for more than 20 years (23 years to be exact). In those 23 years, Pastor Ivy and First Lady Ivy have watched The New Hope Missionary Baptist Church grow and expand to the church that it is today, and with continued support from church congregation and divine help from above, they will continue to work to help the church continue to be the resource it needs to be for members of the church and the community.