When I was first asked to serve as the interim pastor, I never imagined that I would be called to accept the position as the lead pastor long term. I thought my family and I would continue to be involved in the ministries of the church, but not as your pastor. However, through prayer, conversations with my family, and conversations with a professional coach, I concluded that it was time for me to return to pastoral ministry full-time.

My main goal as the interim pastor was to work with you to help you prepare for your future ministry once a new pastor was called. So, over the last month or so, I have had to make a transition in my mindset. Instead of thinking only about short-term plans, I have been thinking about the long-term. 

To that end, it is my hope for the first quarter of 2023 that I will get to have conversations with as many of you as I can. We will be setting up Cottage Meetings for me to meet with you in small group settings. The plan is for me to hear your hopes and dreams; for you to hear my passions; and to begin to lay the groundwork for our ministry together.

One question that several people have asked is around our denominational affiliation. I will try to answer it as straight forward as I can. Yorktown Methodist Church is an independent church with no denominational affiliation. The Leadership Council agrees that for the foreseeable future, we will not be aligning ourselves with a denomination. We believe that we need to live into being Yorktown Methodist Church. We are not saying we will never align with a denomination. However, currently and for the foreseeable future, we have no plans to invest the time and energy in that pursuit. I am looking forward to the possibilities.

In Christ!

Pastor Matthew