A Charge Realignment

Tomorrow is the big day! On Sunday July 1, 2007 the Palmyra/Mt. Vernon and Monroe City Charges will be realigned.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the lingo of the United Methodist Church (UMC):
A charge is the ministry setting (e.g., a church, a circuit of churches, a service agency, a mission organizaion) where a pastor is appointed to serve.
Alignment is how that ministry setting is configured/set-up.

In June 2004, Rebecca was appointed to the Palmyra/Mt. Vernon Charge, and I was appointed to the Monroe City Charge. During the past three years, Rebecca has been the pastor of the Palmyra and Mt. Vernon UMC's. I have been the pastor of the Monroe City UMC, and have supervised a lay minister who preaches at Florida UMC.

With the realignment of these charges, Rebecca will become the pastor of Palmyra UMC only. I, on the other hand, will become the pastor of Mt. Vernon UMC, and will continue with my same duties at Monroe City and Florida. In other words, instead of preaching at two churches each Sunday, Rebecca will only be preaching at one. And for me, instead of preaching at only one church, I will now be preaching at two churches every Sunday. Since we are a husband-and-wife clergy couple, you could say that this charge realignment is "all in the family".

Charge realignments like this are made to ensure the best possible pastoral support for each congregation. As communities and congregations change, adjustments and realignments are made accordingly.

Please pray for us as we begin this new chapter in our ministry.