Good Morning First UMC,
This past Sunday was announcement day across the North Georgia Conference. Each year, pastors are reappointed to their current church or appointed to a new faith community by the Bishop and Cabinet based on the ministry needs of the hundreds of churches in the conference.
Although a pastoral change was not requested, based on the needs of the church-at-large, I am being appointed to Clayton United Methodist Church this summer. I look forward to this new chapter in ministry, while I also look forward to how God will be working here at First UMC. We all know the past four years have been difficult for many reasons. However, by God’s good grace we have weathered the storms. As I noted on Sunday, great things are happening at First UMC of Union County. There is a bright future here and you can all be part of it. To quote the prophet again, “Thus says the Lord…I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth.”
One new thing is the appointment of your new pastor. Starting in July, your new Senior Pastor will be the Rev. Jimmy Hood. Rev. Hood has served Wesley Chapel UMC in Marietta for the past twelve years and has served local churches for twenty-eight. His wife Debbie is an accountant. They have three grown children who all live in Georgia. The SPR and I will be working to make Rev. Hood’s transition as smooth as possible, and I know you will offer him and Debbie a wonderful welcome to First UMC.
In the days ahead, please do keep Jimmy and his family and mine as well in your prayers.
Grace and Peace.
Don |