{"id":32915,"date":"2024-01-29T19:27:59","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T00:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=32915"},"modified":"2024-07-11T14:30:17","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T18:30:17","slug":"rev-mike-chapman-to-become-pumcs-new-pastor-1-26-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=32915","title":{"rendered":"Rev. Mike Chapman to Become PUMC’s New Pastor (1\/26\/24)"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Sunday, January 27, it was announced that Rev. Mike Chapman has been appointed to serve as our Senior Pastor effective July 1, 2024.\u00a0 The Conference has decided to not reappoint Pastor Jim to our church, and he will take on new ministries.\u00a0 Pastors in the United Methodist Church are not members of local churches; they are members of the Annual Conference.\u00a0 Following the Wesleyan tradition of Iterant Pastors, clergy are appointed to local churches on a year to year basis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Occasionally, that means we must undergo the bittersweet process of saying goodbye to our pastor and welcoming a new pastor to our community of faith.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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The Sad Part…<\/span><\/h3>\n

Back in April of 2014, we learned that Rev. Jim Bolton was going to be appointed to our church, replacing Rev. Larry Potts.\u00a0 It was difficult to say goodbye to Rev. Potts, but it was good to welcome the Boltons to Pitman. Click Here<\/a> to view that announcement.\u00a0 Ten years ago, the District Superintendent (Rev. Richard Nichols) called a meeting of our Staff Parish Committee to meet our new pastor.\u00a0 Jim and his wife Judy entered the conference room, and the pain of saying goodbye to the Pottses began to soften as we said hello to the Boltons.<\/p>\n

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Judy & Pastor Jim Bolton<\/p><\/div>\n

But now, the time has come to say goodbye to the Boltons and to say hello to our new pastor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the past ten years we’ve come to love Pastor Jim’s spin on worship:\u00a0 Superbowl Sundays<\/a>, January Carol Sings, informal and spontaneous interactions with the congregation during the sermon.\u00a0 In the 500 or so sermons that Pastor Jim has delivered over the years, he’s covered passages from nearly every book in the Bible.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Health issues of the Parsonage Family have made it difficult.\u00a0 But Pastor Jim was always able to support us in our own times of need and to lift us up with his faith and positive outlook.<\/p>\n

In the time that remains before July 1, we will have opportunities to reflect on how Pastor Jim has inspired us, and then to look back and celebrate his ministry with us.\u00a0 Here are a few glimpses of the past ten years:<\/p>\n

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