Skip to main content

Sorrow, blessing, faith

Pastor Steve appointed to new congregation

By Nancy Meisel Youngman, SPRC Chair

On March 14, Pastor Steve Reiser announced that Bishop David Bard has appointed him to a different congregation in the Twin Cities. 


After five years of serving at Epworth, Pastor Steve and his family will begin a ministry at, ‘Silver Lake UMC Fresh Expression.” The Resiers will begin this new ministry as of July 1, 2021. 


Twin Cities District Superintendent Dan Johnson is working with Epworth’s Staff Pastor Parish Relations Committee to appoint a new pastor for our church. 


As Pastor Steve Reiser said in his letter to the congregation, “Our church’s profile, past consultations, our current ministries and God’s direction will inform the new appointment.” 


As a congregation, we have journeyed together through the Year of Love and the Year of Action. Now our focus is on a Year of Justice.


We extend our gratitude to Pastor Steve and Berri Reiser for guiding and accompanying us on this journey. We were also blessed to have had their gifted three children -- Lillian, Aaron, and William -- among us and watch them grow.


We have faith that God will continue to lead us as we move forward in 2021 and in years to come. 


Thanks be to God for Epworth United Methodist Church and our extended Epworth family!





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Epworth Devotional 2021

Responses to Hope in the Wilderness   This year’s devotional,  Hope in the Wilderness,  was put together with input from members of the congregation. Some submitted photos, pictures they drew, coloring pages, essays and poetry they or someone else wrote, and quotes. Then everyone was invited to join in conversations with friends and family or on Facebook.  Below are some of the responses received on Epworth Facebook pages. Responses were sparse and far apart timewise. Clearly we missed the fellowship of in-person Lenten Study.   February 19 I decided to color today’s Lenten Devotion. I was praying for people I’ve had the privilege to teach, coach, and train. I recognized the things I learned from those same folks. Who are you nourishing? Or what are you nourishing that will grow and bloom?   March 5 Today’s entry has me meditating on change, constancy, time, and perspective. What does this devotion raise in you? My earliest childhood memories include our garden roses and the song of th

Pastor’s Column

  God’s timing, God’s plans Fellow Epworthians - As I sit here in my dad’s hospice room on the cusp of Holy Week, many things are rolling around in my head and in my heart. Obviously, I have a basic overlay of grief and sorrow. Infused into that are unsurprisingly disappointment, frustration, and perhaps some anger. Additionally, there are some warm feelings brought about by precious memories. Perhaps finally, for me, there is a both intellectual and spiritual curiosity – the desire to understand, especially to understand why. I’m sure you’ve all felt these very same feelings, perhaps recently. Over the last couple of weeks, my mother has regularly said an oft spoken idea, “God’s timing is perfect.” I’ve heard this same brought into conversation in challenging moments, especially when patience is required. Let’s think about God’s timing together. First, there is no Scripture that states unequivocally this understanding of God’s timing. Ecclesiastes 3:1 does say, “For everything there i