Zephaniah 3:17… “The Lord your God will quiet you by His love, He will exalt over you with loud singing.”
In May I celebrated a new decade … friends and family were confused by the number that was being discussed on that day, since everyone knows that I am 31 years old.
What a celebration! After the years 2023 and 2024, I was ready to party and ready to rejoice. I could sense God singing over me because I feel so blessed and know how fortunate I am to still be dancing and jumping up onto the Children’s bench at St. Paul’s on Sunday mornings.
But on another May date this year it was confirmed that as Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “I’ll be back!” Yes, I will be back for my TENTH YEAR as the pastor of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. It really wasn’t a surprise, but frankly in the United Methodist system where I have no real control over my appointment, it was an absolute relief to see my name in print next to this church whose church family I love so much and hold so dear.
In the Spring of 2016, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when Bishop Schol called me and asked me to consider accepting a new appointment as a pastor back in New Jersey. I was working in Buffalo New York for an amazing global non-profit organization, Jericho Road Community Health Center. But something in Bishop Schol’s call led me to say yes. I even asked him if it was the church that Pastor Eric Helms had been pastoring, but he said he couldn’t tell me.
And then almost immediately, in July of 2016, I discovered what an incredibly special church St. Paul’s is. I still am trying to figure out if it is in the water or the land the church is built on, because this is truly a special place that has cared for me, accepted me, and allowed me to rejoice in my faith along with the members.
Unfortunately, in the United Methodist system ten years is a long tenure for a pastor. We cannot insist on remaining as the pastor of a church, nor can a church insist that a pastor remain with them. Pastors cannot apply for a job like folks in the “real world,” but we accept that our Bishop and the Bishop’s cabinet will decide where we go and when.
I have reached this incredibly special age, and I consider it an ongoing faith gift from God that I get to serve as your pastor with all my warts, shortcomings, and challenges. The one truth that all of you should know is that I love each of you and will always be thankful that I have been gifted this time as the pastor of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. One decade down … now let’s hope we can get it to a century as your pastor!
Pastor Dave