March 2026
My friends, it has been a busy time! With all the activity in the church and my ministry and the chaos in the Twin Cities I feel like we have lived for six months in the past two. I have been so grateful that in the midst of all of this to be a part of a community like Wyoming UMC that embodies care, love, and community. When I do not feel hope, you help bring it out of me.
A couple of brief updates from the pastor’s office that I wanted to share with all of you. Firstly, at the beginning of February I met with the Board of Ordained Ministry for the Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. While I was licensed as a local pastor in 2025, it has always been my intention to pursue ordination as an Elder within the denomination. This was a crucial step in moving towards that goal. It was quite the process, one that involved numerous evaluative and educational meetings, forms to fill out, and papers to write before I actually went before the Board. After a day of interviews before multiple committees, the Board made the decision to approve me as a Provisional Elder in the UMC. I will be commissioned at our Annual Conference meeting in June and will be eligible to apply for ordination in another two years. I am so grateful and humbled for this affirmation of my call and gifts. I am also grateful to all of you, for your patience and charity with a new pastor and helping me learn and grow.
Secondly, I will be taking my first time off since I began my ministry here eight months ago. This will be a much-needed moment of rest for me and I’m grateful to have this time off. I’ve been asked by numerous people if I’m traveling anywhere, but this is not a conventional vacation. I took my time off to coincide with a theater production that I’ve been in rehearsals for since the beginning of January. Theater is an incredibly important part of my life. I first began acting when I was eight years old and it is one of the passions that feeds my soul. Getting to go to rehearsals every Saturday and Sunday afternoon to connect with friends and make art has been such a gift, especially at a time when there was so much darkness. One of the things that makes this extra special is that I get to do this with my daughter, Aurelia. Getting this time with her and seeing her falling in love with something that is so important to both her mother and me is such a treat! I’ve had some people ask for information about the play and performances, so I’ve included that information below.
I will miss you all during this time, but I know that I am leaving you in the hands of two incredibly capable ministerial colleagues (Rev. Marty Raths and Rev. Melenie Homan) and a devoted group of lay leaders within this church.
– Pastor Jeff