Jonathan Hanna Finds Purpose in Ministry and Music at UMO

By: Rhonda Jessup, Director of Public Relations

When Jonathan Shuford Hanna enrolled at the University of Mount Olive in spring 2022, he wasn’t entirely sure where the journey would lead. Now a Christian Studies major and campus worship leader, Hanna has found not only his place—but also his purpose.

A Sanford, NC native and middle child of five, Hanna grew up surrounded by music, ministry, and the quiet strength of a faith-filled family. His parents, Joe and Leslie Hanna were key spiritual influences—his mother, through worship leadership and prayer, and his father, through an example of Biblical manhood rooted in humility, strength, and reverence for God’s creation.

“Through the many nights our family has spent in the woods, deserts, and plains,” Hanna said, “my dad has shown us how deeply our Heavenly Father cares about us through the world He created for us.”

Hanna’s faith journey deepened when his family joined an Anglican church during his middle school years. The church’s rhythms of prayer and liturgy shaped his sense of sacred time and gave him a deeper awareness of God’s intentional presence. “We need only to stop and listen for Him,” Hanna reflected.

That same attentiveness now guides his approach to campus ministry. As UMO’s student worship leader, Hanna oversees weekly chapel and prayer services, collaborates on music selection, and mentors younger musicians. For him, worship begins in prayer. “Worship is far more about what God wants to hear than what anyone else wants to hear,” he said. “We start by acknowledging the glory of God—then everything else falls into place.”

Hanna’s musical gifts are both inherited and hard-earned. He comes from a family of vocalists and instrumentalists and counts the acoustic guitar as his primary instrument. He writes original worship and prayer music—songs that reflect both personal and communal moments of spiritual transformation.

Off campus, Hanna serves as worship leader at Pleasant Hill Original Free Will Baptist Church in Pikeville, where he strives to honor the congregation’s worship history while gently introducing new musical expressions. His background in Anglican tradition gives him a reverence for hymns and prayers of the broader Church—both ancient and modern.

Hanna’s academic journey at UMO has been marked by growth in both intellect and spirit. His favorite courses—Spiritual Formation, Christian Koinonia, and Creative Writing—have helped him explore the many dimensions of ministry, while deep relationships with mentors and peers have offered a safe space for vulnerability and discovery.

One mentor in particular, Dr. David Hines, made a lasting impact during Hanna’s freshman and sophomore years. “There were many things he did to support and check on me that I would have never expected out of a college professor,” Hanna recalled. “They didn’t just grow me as a student; they showed me what a true pastor and mentor are supposed to be.”

Although Hanna once questioned whether college was the right path, he now calls UMO a “home away from home.” His journey has not been without struggle. Like many young adults, he has wrestled with identity and self-worth. “I have this tendency to place my value in what I’m physically doing,” he admitted. “But God continually reminds me that my identity is found in my sonship to Him and nothing else.”

After graduation, Hanna is open to wherever God leads. Whether in church leadership or a completely unexpected vocation, he trusts that purpose will follow obedience. “I like to try to write my plans in pencil,” he said. “My life belongs to the Lord, and I want Him to do with it what He deems fit.”

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