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"Bill Bennett -- United Methodist Deacon"
Effective July 1, 2004, Bill Bennett has been appointed by Bishop Felton Edwin May of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference to serve at Middletown United Methodist Church as a commissioned United Methodist Deacon.
Bill’s appointment to MUMC is the culmination of a life-long response to God’s call to service which began in his teen-age years.
Bill’s response to this call took a critical step forward in the year 2000 when he retired from a 32-year career in the nation’s nuclear power industry to pursue the M.A. degree from Wesley Theological Seminary, which he received in May of this year. In parallel, he began participating in the United Methodist Church’s process of discernment to determine the particular form of service which would be most responsive to God’s call, which he completed when he was commissioned as a Deacon at the Annual Conference, also in May of this year.
Since established by the General conference in 1996, Deacons have stood alongside Elders (such as Joe and me) to make up the two types of ordained clergy in the United Methodist Church. In contrast to Elders, who typically serve as Senior and Associate pastors at a local church, Deacons can either elect to serve in a setting outside the local church or in support role within a local church. While in a local church setting, deacons concentrate their efforts on leading the congregation in discipleship by embodying the interrelationship between worship in the gathered community and service in the world.
Bill’s duties as a commissioned Deacon at MUMC will be as follows:
- Providing clergy liaison and oversight to:
- Christian Education activities
- Missions/Outreach efforts in order to assist in connecting the church and the community
- Finance/facilities management efforts in order to discern and implement consistent plans for most faithful use of building and funds to better connect Christian faith and action
- Assisting, as needed, in:
- Planning and conduct of worship,
- Planning and conduct of weddings and funerals
- Visits to Hospitals, Shut-ins, Nursing homes, and Members
Although the work described is clearly full-time, the church has decided it must begin as a half-time position for the calendar year 2004. With the congregation in the first year of a major building and renovation project, money is restricted for funding new staff positions. We hope to expand the position as soon as possible.
I am particularly pleased that Bill is assuming these responsibilities at this time in our history. We have done well at gathering a congregation for worship and fellowship and have grown in size, programs and staff. I believe we have not done as well at bridging the church and the world, linking faith and action in the world. The emerging understanding of the deacon’s role fits our need well. Bill’s position will help us better more faithfully use our resources (people, building, and budget) in pursuit of more holy living in the world. Bill brings significant gifts as a teacher, administrator and motivator and we look forward to this new journey.
Grace and peace to each one of you,
Susan
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Questions
about Middletown United Methodist Church should be sent to the Church Office. |
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7108 Fern Circle · Middletown, MD 21769
voice: (301) 371-5550 · fax: (301) 473-8090
TTY: (301) 473-9892 |
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