Transition Update

   Preparations continue for the transition to the ministry of Tim Woodard, who will assume pastoral responsibilites for Union UMC on July 1. The recent rainstorm complicated matters by flooding the parsonage basement. The damage has been repaired (thanks to ServPro) and the Trustees have plans for several renovations.

   If their plans are approved, new rain gutters will be installed, the upstairs will get all new carpeting, the master bathroom will be completely renovated, the kitchen counter will be changed, three rooms will be repainted, and damage to the living room ceiling from recently repaired leakage damage.

   The Morwells have expressed willingness to have crews come in and do most of this work while they are still here, so that it will be completed by the time the Woodards arrive. The new carpeting would be installed after the leave, and before the Woodards arrive.

   Bob's final Sunday preaching at Union will be onn June 23. His message will be entitled, "Shalom." It will mark an eventful week, which includes not just his "swan song" at Union, but his sixtieth birthday (June 22), and the conclusion of his 35th year in full-time ministry.

   Over one-third of that ministry will have been spent at Union.

   The Morwells now plan to move out of the parsonage on Tuesday, June 25. They will spend the night at a hotel in Quincy, and after a last lunch here in town, Bob and Nina will depart on June 26, to go on a brief vacation. That same day, work will begin to install the new carpeting. Once it has been installed, the house will be professionally cleaned, as a final step in making it ready for the new pastoral family.

   On Sunday, June 30, the youth will lead the worship service. 

   The next day, the Woodard pastorate officially begins.

   We pray for a smooth transition, and a successful ministry!

The Rev. Tim Woodard has been appointed as the new Pastor of Union UMC.  He will assume his duties here on July 1.  Pastor Morwell will assume his new duties as Pastor of First UMC in Carterville on that day.  Tim has provided the following introductory letter...

My name is Tim Woodard. My wife, Gayle and I have been married for nearly 27 years. We have two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Joe is graduating from Southern Illinois University this spring with a degree in business. He and his fiancé, Alysha, will be married on May 17. Joe has been singing throughout the Midwest with an accupella quartet called “Blend” since 2009. Upon graduation, he will begin the management training program with Menard’s home improvement stores. Ben will graduate from Marion High school in May and will attend Millikin University in Decatur, IL this fall majoring in commercial music. He loves playing his saxophone, especially jazz.

     I also have two older children, Daniel, age 34 and Christina, age 32. Dan is an Army veteran, having served in Iraq. He has a degree in History from the University of Memphis and has been putting it to use as a site interpreter at a Civil War historical site in Franklin Tn., but will soon start his dream job, working for the National Park Service at Lincoln’s Home in Springfield. Christie and her husband Jeff live in Olive Branch Ms., where she teaches second grade. She is also the mother of our four delightful grandchildren. Christie received her Master in Education degree from Arkansas State last spring while working full time and caring for her family. Gayle and I feel very blessed and are proud of our children’s accomplishments and of their strong Christian faith.

     Prior to entering the ministry, my work history is mostly blue collar, having worked in factories and in the building maintenance profession. As a member and Sunday School teacher at First United Methodist Church in Springfield IL, I had rededicated my life to Jesus Christ and finally recognized and answered the call to ministry as a vocation in 1996. I attended License to Preach School in 1997 and completed the five year Course of Study for U.M. pastors at Saint Paul’s School of Theology in Kansas City in 2002. In my first appointment, I served the Coffeen / Fillmore charge for six years from 1998 to 2004.

     I currently serve the United Methodist churches in Goreville and Creal Springs in Southern Illinois. Gayle is the Administrative Assistant at First United Methodist in Marion. We have been here for almost nine years and it has been a great place to be in ministry and to raise a family. In addition to my service to the local church, I serve on the Committee on District Superintendency in the Cache River District, am on the governing board for Goreville Ministerial Alliance and serve on the Board of Directors for Eagle House Ministries (a Conference Advance ministry). I went on my first international mission trip to Nicaragua in 2012. My family and I are also active in the Little Egypt Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis Communities.

    Gayle and I have always trusted God to send us to the right place and He has never disappointed us in these 15 years of full time ministry. I thank the Lord for guiding me into His service. Now Gayle and I look forward to getting to know all of you at Quincy Union U.M.C. and engaging in ministry with you. God bless.

A Fellow Servant in Christ,

Tim Woodard