Owensboro District of the United Methodist Church

06/25/2024

Praying today for my sister and brother pastors and their families of the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church—it’s officially Moving Day—nothing more exhausting, nothing more exhilarating.

What a holy and sacred thought—you are being sent to serve for the most part complete strangers, trusting that this is exactly where God needs you most to help build God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. God bless you and your dear families. Glory to God!

05/16/2024

In case you needed something glorious to end your day and help you sleep well. Pastor Janet Carden had a Baptism Service earlier tonight at Henderson First United Methodist Church. 15 professions of faith—glory to God!

02/14/2024

Greetings, United Methodists of Kentucky!

The Kentucky Conference and Central Appalachian Missionary Conference Delegations and District Superintendents warmly invite you to join them for a Pre-General Conference gathering. We look forward to sharing with you the Delegations’ work, basic information about General Conference, highlights on the major pieces of legislation, and the excitement from the District Superintendents on Kentucky’s continued commitment to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World. We also invite you to bring your questions, thoughts, and prayers.

Join us at one of the following gatherings:

Sunday, March 10
4:00-5:30 pm ET

Middletown UMC
11902 Old Shelbyville Rd.
Louisville, KY 40243

Monday, March 11
6:30-8:00 pm ET

Richmond First UMC
401 West Main St.
Richmond, KY 40475

Sunday, April 7
4:00-5:30 pm CT

Settle Memorial UMC
202 E. Fourth St.
Owensboro, KY 42303

Saturday, April 13*
10:00-11:30 am CT

Broadway UMC
1323 Melrose Dr
Bowling Green, KY 42104

Sunday, April 14
4:00-5:30 pm ET

Maysville Trinity UMC
26 West Third St
Maysville, KY 41056

*The gathering on Saturday, April 13 will be livestreamed on the Kentucky Conference’s page.

Before these gatherings get underway, we’d like to equip you with a few helpful resources:

About General Conference

General Conference will be April 23-May 3, 2024 in Charlotte, NC
A 4-minute video to get a quick overview of what General Conference is and how it serves the United Methodist Church.
An article called A Beginner’s Guide to General Conference from UM News.
Additional Information on the Kentucky Conference’s website

If you cannot attend one of the gatherings, please remember you can always reach the delegation members at [email protected]. This is a great way to reach us with your questions, thoughts, and prayers.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

01/12/2024

Just a reminder that our Regional Leadership Training with the Pennyrile District will be on Sunday, January 21 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. The training will take place at the Greenville United Methodist Church. This training is for Finance, Trustees and the PPR Committees. It is for all members of each of these committees, just not the chairpersons.

What: Regional Training

When: Sunday, January 21, 2024

Where: Greenville UMC

For: Finance, Trustees & PRR Committees

Register: Everyone needs to register by replying back to this email. Please let me know the number attending and which class they will be attending. We need to know the numbers that will be attending each class so that we will know how many copies to make so that we will have enough for everyone.

Deadline: Please make sure that you register by January 18.

Pastors: Please make sure that your people know about this training. I have included the Treasurers and PPR Chairs on this email, but I do not have an email addresses for all of them. Also, I do not have Trustees and Finance Committee

Chairs email groups as well. Please take the time to talk to your people personally and encourage them to attend this training.

12/10/2023

Enjoyed worshipping this morning with Pastor Bobby Tackett-Evans and the wonderful folks at St. James United Methodist Church in Bowling Green. Pastor Bobby challenged us to think of ways to bring about God’s peace, God’s Shalom or wholeness in the world. These two ladies are taking that challenge seriously by coordinating the delivery of Angel Tree gifts for children who have a parent incarcerated and would not receive Christmas gifts any other way—glory to God and God’s desire for Shalom in our world!

12/04/2023

A joy and privilege to worship with and participate in a service of installation today for DeMarcus Curry (he is playing the organ—so gifted) our new lay supply pastoral leader at Asbury United Methodist Church in Owensboro. DeMarcus grew up at Asbury and is now answering God’s call to be their pastoral leader—glory to God!

12/02/2023

By the grace of God, for 39 years and counting, one of my most favorite nights of the year as a United Methodist pastor has been the district Christmas dinner. Settle Memorial UMC could not have been a better host last night for the Owensboro District. Check out some of the most faithful, gracious, Jesus-loving, fruit of the Spirit filled people that I am blessed to serve with in this district. Glory to God!

11/14/2023

Count them—14 faithful United Methodist pastoral leaders gathered yesterday at Rockfield United Methodist Church for our South Central District West Regional Charge Conference—celebrating how God is at work in their churches and communities. Count them—14 reasons why I love our United Methodist covenant connection—glory to God!

11/10/2023

So very proud and grateful for Pastor Jim Robinson and the generous folks at Glasgow First United Methodist Church for opening their doors to the Boys & Girls Clubs! “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors” is not just a slogan to Glasgow First UMC—glory to God!

As fate would have it, the plans were thwarted by a sprinkler system maintenance project, forcing club leaders to scramble to find a temporary brick-and-mortar location.

11/07/2023

I know Pastor Appreciation Month was officially in October, but I am so grateful every month to serve with these faithful pastoral leaders who gathered this past Sunday for regional charge conferences at Bennett Memorial United Methodist Church in Henderson and St. John UMC in Owensboro. My youngest new friend’s name is “Jay” too—the grandson of our St. John music director. We “Jays” just have to stick together in this world!

10/25/2023

My life in Christ is so much more rich because I get to serve with faithful United Methodist pastors like these from Breckinridge, Butler and Grayson Counties—the east region of the Owensboro District. Our charge conference host church, Leitchfield UMC, surprised us Sunday afternoon with what they called “finger foods.” We call a spread like they had “supper” where I come from and it would have been, in my opinion, rude of me not to have partaken.

08/23/2023

A blessing for pastors

Blessed are the wounded healers,
Those who serve others in the midst of their own confusion and isolation, doubt and loss.

God, may they know beyond doubt that you are there,
and that they are not alone in this world.

May they feel your love poured out for them so profusely, so personally,
that love overflows to vou in return.

Grant them the specific encouragement they need that will set them on a joyful path of service again.

Provide for them rest for their bodies,
nourishment for their souls,
and a trusted friend for life's most perplexing questions.

Guide them in practical ways as they seek to find ways to lead in uncertainty, comfort people in their sickness, console them in their grief, and celebrate with them
life's greatest joys.

Grant them grace to know somehow, that in your economy Your love has a math that compounds according to the
mystical science of the cross.
—Kate Bowler