Pastor's Page
Introducing Pastor Sam and fiance Abby
Greetings to you all in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord!
It has truly been a blessing and a humbling experience to finally begin my time in ministry at Chesapeake City UMC. I have looked forward to this day ever since Bishop Johnson told me that this would be my upcoming pastoral appointment.
While I hope to get to know all of our church family and community in Chesapeake City over the coming years, I'll take this time to give you a few basics. I was raised in the town of Seaford Delaware, and attended Union United Methodist Church in Bridgeville, DE for most of my life. Additionally, I have recently gotten engaged to Abby Phillips, who I'm sure you will get the pleasure to meet soon enough. We celebrated our two-year anniversary in May, and have begun planning our wedding which will be next June.
This spring I completed my master of divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary in DC. Before this I went to the University of Delaware studying Human Development, in their Social Work program. During my education I was blessed to work at Asbury UMC in Smyrna Delaware, and Epworth UMC in Gaithersburg Maryland. My time of study and service over the past several years has been both enjoyable and fruitful.
As someone who has lived in a dorm room for the past seven years I know I will deeply enjoy living in the church's parsonage. I am deeply grateful not just for the ability to stay in the parsonage but for the close connection I hope to have to the community of Chesapeake City.
Although the world is still half in quarantine, I look forward to spending as much time as I can in our church community and with the people of Chesapeake City. While we are still in quarantine, I will have office hours by appointment, but I'm more than happy to meet with anyone in or out of the office. Being in a pandemic complicates things, so I imagine I'll be having many conversations on the phone or over ZOOM, but I'd still love to get to know everyone over a meal or cup of coffee once folks feel comfortable getting together. Feel free to call or text my cell (302-448- 0367) for any reason during business hours, but I'd ask you to only call at night or during my days off (Friday-Saturday) in the case of emergencies.
We know then these times are marked by significant troubles, that of pandemic and unrest and all sorts of uncertainties. But I want to remind us that we also know that Jesus Christ is Lord. This phrase 'Jesus Christ is Lord', is one of the oldest creeds in all of Christianity, because it reminds us of the most central enduring truth of our faith. The Lordship of Christ is not just some quaint little saying, but instead the knowledge of the glory of God that abides with us in both good times and bad.
In this time of many changes, this phrase is our blessed assurance, our peace that surpasses all understanding, and our great commission all at the same time. This is a centering truth that we ought to consider in the coming weeks of transition and change. So I ask us to contemplate how God is calling us to greater love, even in the midst of these uncertain times.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Sam Mitchell