Meet Josh Hough, Facilities Director!

If you haven’t met Josh and Jenni Hough yet, you’ve got to catch them in the halls at Access and say hello. Josh has been serving on Access staff since 2011 as our Facilities Director, and we’re so grateful for they way he takes care of our building and environments!

Josh and Jenni Hough moved to Jacksonville for Josh’s job soon after finishing college in late 2005, and they immediately began looking for a church. Josh had a friend who was involved in a small group that was planning to start a church, and Josh and Jenni started attending the small group. Through their small group, they were introduced to Andy Stanley and learned that the new church was going to be a North Point Ministries strategic partnership.

Josh and Jenni loved the people in their small group and really enjoyed Andy Stanley’s teaching. They decided to join in the effort to start Access Church. “We loved that Access was going to be a church for unchurched people,” Josh said. “This was a different concept for us, and we really got behind the idea.”

Josh and Jenni immediately jumped into serving as UpStreet small-group leaders. As Access began moving in the direction of acquiring its own building, Josh, a civil engineer, felt led to be involved in making the UpStreet hallway environment look like North Point’s UpStreet hallway. “I started out with the goal of being involved in the hallway, but I ended up stepping in as the manager for the design and construction of the whole UpStreet environment,” Josh said. “The project was a good fit for me, and I was excited to be able to use my skills in the new building.”

During the remodeling of the building, it became obvious that the church would need someone on staff to continually be responsible for the building. Josh wholeheartedly agreed to take on the responsibilities of building maintenance, landscaping, cleaning, improvements, and managing contractors and volunteers. Josh feels passionate about caring for the building, as he shares Access’s desire for excellent environments. “The desire for excellent environments hits home with me,” he said. “I desire that for every aspect of my life, and I love seeing it in the church.”

Josh knows that excellent environments support the mission of Access Church, which is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus. “The desire of my heart is that our environments be great for new families coming into the church,” he said. “If the building isn’t cared for, people won’t feel comfortable and will be distracted from our real mission.”

Josh and Jenni have two active daughters, Gabriella, 6, and Elianna, 4. They also have a 1-year-old, 90-pound Labradoodle named Harvey. You can often find their family (including Harvey) at the beach sea shelling, at the park, or in their yard enjoying their trampoline. They also enjoy their family tradition of spending Friday evenings at Chick-Fil-A.

Join us in saying thanks to Josh for all he does to serve at Access!