2024 Retirements

endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing.” (James 1:2-4, The Voice)

If one word could capture my 29 years of ordained ministry, it would be “JOY.”  I have loved doing what I believe God created me to do.  It has been a joy to love and serve; joy to learn and grow; joy to share the faith and invite others to respond in trust and obedience.  It has been a joy to witness as long-time Christians finally “get it” and first-time Christians “receive it” – the amazing grace of God.    

Thank you to five congregations who graciously welcomed me; forgave my mistakes, trusted my vision, risked change and innovation, and strived towards fruitfulness and growth.  I have loved them all; each uniquely contributed to my development as a Christian leader.  Thank you to the Detroit/Michigan Annual Conference, who called forth my gifts, harnessed my passions and offered numerous opportunities to lead and serve in the wider church.  Thank you to my family for their patience and space to follow God’s call.    

Tonya M. Arnesen [(FE) P 1995; F 1997]
Plymouth: First (assoc) 1995; New Baltimore: Grace 6/1/2000; Detroit: Metropolitan 2006; Dixboro 2011; Jackson: First 2019

 

that allowed us to learn and grow. They helped me in the process of becoming what God was helping me to become. It is my hope that we were able to help them as well. I am so grateful for the many wonderful friendships that were made and are still treasured today.

I am thankful that God called me to ministry in the United Methodist Church. The denomination and the Michigan Area (including the former Detroit Conference) were very good to me.

I am also grateful to my wife Celina and our children for the sacrifices that they made as we served. Sometimes plans were delayed in order to address the needs within a congregation. My family grew to understand this call and grew in faith through these experiences.

Finally, I want to thank my Lord Jesus Christ for His grace and kindness. I thank YOU that I have rarely felt alone in ministry. Even in those days I knew YOU were present and that I needed to adjust the antenna, pray with a friend, and wait upon the Lord. John 1:5 (RSV) has always sustained me.

Daniel J. Bowman [(FE) PL 1991; P 1993; F 1995]
LaSalle: Zion 5/16/1991; Lapeer: Trinity (assoc) 1/1/1995; Marlette: First 9/1/1998; Gaylord: First 2014; Swartz Creek 2020; Retired 12/31/2023

 

Fife Lake, East Boardman, South Boardman formed Unified Parish); Charlotte: Lawrence Avenue 2020; Retired 2024.

were a lot of children from poor

homes in the area. We loved having the new church there.  We would ride our bikes and our roller skates in their parking lot and play with our dolls on their thick lush grass.  One hot summer day, some of the ladies of the church came out and invited us in for free cookies and kool-aid. She called it ‘VBS’.  We had no idea what VBS was, but the free cookies and kool-aid sounded great!  We all went in.  They told us stories and let us do crafts too!  The next day, the other kids all wanted to go back…..they wanted more crafts, more kool-aid and cookies.  I went back for the stories!  They fascinated me!  That summer was a particularly hot one (this was before air-conditioning).  The church used to open their front doors to let a breeze in.  On Sundays, I would sneak up next to those opened doors and lean on the outside wall and just…..listen.  I’d listen to the stories, I’d listen to the music.  By the end of the summer I could sing along with most of the hymns.  I knew the words to Amazing grace well before I had a clue what grace even was.  When I look back, I wonder if that church ever knew there was a little girl outside their door, singing away along with them!  I believe God was calling me even then.

In 2010, following several careers including those as a Church Administrative Assistant and as a 911 Dispatcher, I finally said ‘yes’ to the persistent call I had been hearing to go into ministry.  This decision turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.  I finally know what it feels like to be EXCITED to go to work!  

Even with my early exposure to that church, I never really found my way back to a church until much much later.  I actually found my faith a little late in life. I was in my mid 30s when my children started asking questions about God that I couldn’t answer.  So I began to ‘take’ them to Sunday school, but I didn’t go in with them.   My home church, Crestwood UMC, had Sunday school after their service so I would get them there and when I saw folks coming out after the service, I would send my children in.  They usually would get there in time for kool-aid and cookies (we churches love our kool-aid and cookies) and then Sunday school was after.  I would take my Sunday newspaper and a cup of coffee and go down the street to a park and sit in my car and read my paper and enjoy some quiet time for an hour and then go back and pick my children up. 

One Sunday, the folks didn’t come out on time….the minutes ticked by and finally I got out of my car and peeked in to the window to see what was going on.  And SOMEONE SAW ME!  She saw me and insisted that I come in!  She said that church was just starting and we hadn’t missed much!  WHAT?!  Just starting!?  Seems, that I had forgotten about the time change! OOPS.  I couldn’t figure out an easy way to keep from going in with that dear woman staring so expectantly at me so I went in with my children to service.  I have always been exceedingly grateful that I had gotten completely dressed that day (sometimes I dropped my kids off while still in my pjs) !

The way the people treated my children, and the way my children walked around in the church with confidence and belonging, impressed me.  I began to go inside with them on a regular basis and we began to go in time for worship.  God caused a lot of things to happen for me in the next couple of years, and one day, as I sat in the sanctuary, I realized that I was a believer.  I can still feel the awe of that realization as I sat there, silently weeping, and understanding that I was His!  It was life-changing!

My call started soon after but I kept ignoring it until after my children were grown.  I was a single parent and needed to focus on raising them.  Plus I was sure that I was not ‘fit’ to be a pastor.  I didn’t know enough, I hadn’t been raised in the church.  But God calls who He calls and when I finally decided to say ‘yes’, He filled me so completely that I went on to lead with confidence, even if I had to ‘look things up’ once in a while. 

I think it is because of my late-blooming faith, that I carry such a deep passion for sharing my faith with folks who don’t know Him.  You see, I can still remember what it feels like to not know Him.  I remember how I said I was a Christian without realizing what that really was.  I can still remember, that emptiness in my life when I thought I knew….but had no idea.  And I can still remember the moment when I realized that my heart had opened and was now full of love and grace and mercy and blessings and Jesus!  I had no clue!  And I realize even now, that there are many many many lost souls who don’t realize they are lost, who don’t realize the awesome wholeness of being in relationship with Christ.

It is my mission in life to share Christ and His Good News with EVERYONE!  Everyone must at least have the opportunity to Know Him!  No matter who you are, what you’ve done, or what you know.  Everyone is a much loved child of God and needs to hear about their Father and the Salvation purchased for them by Christ!  

I have been blessed to have served for 14 years!  My first appointment was at Shelby UMC.  Later Shelby UMC became a 2-point charge and we welcomed Claybanks UMC.  Then, 1n 2016 I was appointed to Heritage UMC.  The people of these churches taught me a lot about myself and my call.  They loved me and let me love them.  We did some really great ministry together.  I was blessed to be able to offer them communion, to baptize their children, to bring couples together in holy marriage and to lead them as they celebrated the lives of their deceased.  We studied together and learned new truths!  We listened to God’s message to us, we wrestled with doubts and we searched for answers and meaning.  We welcomed seekers and we prayed for those who didn’t know that they didn’t know.  We had some good times, some uncomfortable times and some times of great renewal and joy.  My only regret is that I did not answer the call sooner.  I still love my job and would continue on indefinitely if my body allowed.  I have given God my whole heart, and I have every confidence that He will use my future as He needs me.  I cannot wait to find out what He has planned for my next chapter! 

Terri L. Cummins [(FL) FL 2010]
Shelby 2010; Shelby, Claybanks 2014; Pierson: Heritage 2016.

   

  

absence 2017; Psychiatrist, VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, Topeka, KS 2020.

Congregational Vibrancy 2018; Director of Congregational Vibrancy and Leadership Development 2021; Retired 1/1/2024

   

St. Clair: First 2018-12/31/2023; Retired 1/1/2024.

   

blessings of working alongside many loving congregations and colleagues. Thank you.

James E. Hodge [(FE) D 1984; FE 1986]
Somerset Center, Moscow Plains 1984; Bangor: Simpson 1989; Bangor: Simpson, Breedsville 1990; Shelby 1994; Grandville (Assoc) 2001; Caledonia 2005; Voluntary Leave Of Absence 2012; Grand Rapids: Aldersgate 2013

   

serve in exciting places of ministry in the Lansing area including:

• Campus Life in the 70’s and 80’s
• Trinity United Methodist Church in the 80’s and 90’s
• Riverview Church in the 00’s and 10’s
• Mount Hope United Methodist in the 10’s
• Bath and Gunnisonville Churches from 2015 - 2024

Thank you, family, mentors, and friends.  I’m so honored to have been raised in a “big tent” church that has cultivated my spiritual development through my entire life.  From a child, to youth, to today, you have surrounded me with an atmosphere of love and forgiveness.  As Christ to me, you have always encouraged and challenged me to remain centered on the good news of Christ’s message, “The Kingdom of God has come.” 

I look forward to adventures of service in retirement!

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Kreh, Matthew D. [(FL) FL 2015]
Bath, Gunnisonville 12/1/2015

   

ministry initially required sorting through what it meant for me to understand my vocational path. I started my 38 years of ordained ministry as a pastor at the Westlake UMC (East Ohio conference). Two years later, I transferred my membership to the Detroit Conference and answered the call to serve as the Chaplain at Adrian College. In my 5 years as the chaplain, my work with rape survivors motivated me to pursue advanced training, so off I went to the Claremont School of Theology (California) where I completed a Ph.D. in pastoral counseling. While completing my clinical training at The Clinebell Institute, I served on the staff of a rape crisis center.

My first teaching post was as the professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Yale University Divinity School. While at Yale, I served as a consultant to the U.S. Air Force Academy as they became embroiled in a sexual assault scandal. My last 14 years in ministry have been as the Professor of Pastoral Theology and Care at Eden Theological Seminary (St. Louis), while also continuing to train Navy and Marine chaplains to care for survivors of military sexual trauma. While at Eden, I have also been involved with finding emergency shelters for the unhoused in St. Louis and directing the Eden Gleaning and Garden Project.

Kristen J. Leslie [(FE) PE OH, 1986; FE OH, 1988]
Westlake (assoc), (E OH Conf) 1988; Chaplain: Adrian College 1989; Trans. to Detroit Conf, Chaplain: Adrian College 1990; school (School of Theology of Claremont) 7/1/1993; Professor of Pastoral Theology, Yale Divinity School 1/1/1998; Professor of Pastoral Theology and Care, Eden Theological Seminary 2010

 

Lawton: St Paul's 2016. Mecosta: New Hope 2022. Retired 1/1/2024

serve as the pastor for the Marion and Cadillac South Community UMCs. As I started in ministry with the people there, I was filled with enthusiasm along with ideas for how these churches could be changed.

Forgive me for my hubris! The reality is that the people of these churches helped me to grow in the knowledge and love of God as I tried to do the same for them. Together we did the ‘usual’ things that are a part of the life of the church: worshipping together, Vacation Bible School, Advent & Lenten studies, meals together, celebrating Holy Communion, baptisms, and weddings; and grieving at funerals. We also did some things together I never would have anticipated: remote worship during our COVID lockdowns, figuring out how to social distance in worship, trying to understand/explain how we came to be voting on churches disaffiliating from the UMC as part of annual conference.

Through these years of ministry, 2007 – 2024, I strived to be a blessing and I was inordinately blessed. I give our God all the praise and glory for any “successes” that happened during this time of ministry, and trust in God’s grace for any of the “failures”.   May the Lord bless and keep you….

James J. Mort [(FE) PE 2007; FE 2010]
Marion, Cadillac: South Community 2007; Retired 2024

 

Community 2015; Detroit: St. Timothy, Westland: St. James 2017; Detroit: Peoples, Westland: St. James 2018

I learned early on my spiritual gifts were strongest in pastoral care, and ministry with the dying. I also learned early administrative ministry would be a challenge! Without exposure to Family Systems Theory, I would have burned out early. I thank all who both directed me to it and participated in it with me.

Words cannot express how my home church, Plainwell UMC prepared me during my first 42 years of life before they sent me into Pastoral ministry. The Lord spoke through the Plainwell congregation and molded me for what was to come. I thank all the saints from my appointments to Almena, Burnips & Monterey Center, Trowbridge, Snow, Parmelee and the last 12 years at Middleville UMC. It is through both the joy and challenges of these congregations that Pastoral ministry allowed me to mature in my faith and leadership.

I thank the Lord for the UMC! I am so proud of our denomination which offers love, mercy, grace and forgiveness to ALL people. To my many clergy colleagues, thank you for walking alongside me. To my family, I owe you everything for the support, understanding, and grace you have given me in the last 22 years. “Loving God, Loving Each Other” is a Gather song which defines it for me.

Anthony C. Shumaker [(FL) PL 2003; FL 2004; PL 2009; FL 2012]
Almena 12/1/2002; w/o Appointment 2003; Burnips, Monterey Center 2004; Otsego: Trowbridge (¾) 2008; Middleville, Snow 2012; Middleville 2017; Middleville, Parmelee 11/2021

 

Grace 2013; Houghton: Grace, Painesdale: Albert Paine Memorial 2019; Hartland 2020; Hartland (¾) 1/1/2023

All the joy of working with MI Conference Leadership, District Youth, Children’s ministry, and the Emmaus Community.

My first appointment was in the Detroit Conference which became the MI Conference.  I have been part of the Flint District, which became the Crossroads District, which became the East Winds District; my final appointment was serving Ludington St Paul in the Western Waters District. In every setting I served, I found a wonderful sense of family, friends, and fun, as we worked side by side, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I loved every moment and am so thankful for every person that crossed my path these past 21 years. One statement that I have often made goes something like this: “I am so glad to meet you, for now I know Jesus even more, because I have met Jesus in You”.

People often ask, what bible verse is yours? (all of them really) I would claim Matthew 7:7. When I first began to ask about God, I was given this challenge…

“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” Mt 7:7

Karen B. Williams [(FL) PL 2003; FL 2005]
Mt. Bethel 2003; Flint: Lincoln Park 2005; Waterford: Central (assoc) 2009; Caring Covenant Group Ministry: Genesee, Thetford Center 2010; Ludington: St Paul 2023.