Joe MacDonald has over twenty years of experience in church work. Before being a pastor, Joe spent many years serving as a music director in various United Methodist, Baptist, and Catholic Churches. He moved to New Mexico in 2006, from Houston, Texas. Pastor Joe taught choral music in several Houston area public schools as well as served as Music Minister in both small and large member churches. He also sang professionally in both Opera and Musical Theater while living in Houston.
Pastor Joe received his Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in Music and Speech Communications from Houston Baptist University. It was there that he met his wife, Cazandra. She received her degree in Music Education from HBU and, after working in the public school system for thirteen years, worked as a National Patient Advocate in the Bio-Therapeutics Division of Optioncare. Joe’s emphasis is in vocal music, and Cazandra’s principal instruments are the oboe and the English horn.
While Joe was the Music Minister at First United Methodist Church in Deming, NM., he traveled to Denver once a week to receive his Master of Divinity from the Iliff School of Theology. Despite the difficulty of commuting, he finished his degree in three years. Pastor Joe served as the pastor of First United Methodist Church of Truth or Consequences, NM., Rio Rancho United Methodist Church in Rio Rancho, NM., Hamlin Memorial UMC in Farwell, Tx, and currently serves at FUMC Belen, NM. He completed his Doctor of Ministry Degree at the Austin Presbyterian School of Theology in 2019.
Joe and Cazandra are both active in the bleeding disorders community in New Mexico, and he serves in different capacities at the state and national levels. Cazandra is a frequent writer, speaker, and blogger addressing the needs of the bleeding disorders community.
Joe and Cazandra have two boys Julian and Caeleb. Julian is a singer and currently enrolled at West Texas A&M University, where he is majoring in Musical Theater. Caeleb is in high school and enjoys playtime and socializing.
From a Pastor's Point of View 
Hello, my name is Tiffany Elliott. I’ve been reading your blogs on Hemophilia Today with great interests, in part, because my youngest son is also Caleb. I’ve been reading and writing about hemophilia, as it relates to disability rights and person hood, for a few years now, in part, as a means to understand my own life in an ableist, often abusive world, diagnosed with ASD/Asperger Syndrome as an adult. You’re story reminds me a little of another writer, who has become a friend, Bob Massie. He was also a minister (Episcopalian), and, like your sons, lived most of his life with hemophilia, and deals with joint damage. His book, A Song in the Night, as been a great encouragement to me in the past few years, as I’ve been working through things in my own life, through my own writing. I would like to get in touch to talk more of this, if that’s alright with you, of course. Please, email me. Thank you.
Tiffany, I apologize for taking so long to respond to your post. I would love to talk about your journey. I agree with you. I think we have several issues in common across disease states. Please feel free to contact me at macdonaldjoe64@gmail.com
Peace,
Joe