A Note From Pastor Bruce, August 11, 2023

I have now been privileged to meet with over 20 of you who have introduced yourselves and shared with me your passion for ministry in the service of Christ and his church at Pender. It has been a joy to get to know those who have taken the time to meet and to catch a glimpse of the willing and faithful spirit that is so prevalent in our congregation.

by Pastor Bruce Johnson on August 11, 2023

Dear Church Family:

I have now been privileged to meet with over 20 of you who have introduced yourselves and shared with me your passion for ministry in the service of Christ and his church at Pender.  It has been a joy to get to know those who have taken the time to meet and to catch a glimpse of the willing and faithful spirit that is so prevalent in our congregation.  If there are others who would like to meet with me, please contact JaiVon at the church office or me directly and I will be happy to schedule some time with you in the next couple weeks.

As you may know, our Director of Music Ministries, Brian Stevenson, will soon step away from that role to begin serving as our Handbell and Ensemble Director.  Also, our Common Ground music and worship leader, Uriah Moore, has resigned from his position effective August 27.  Our great thanks to Brian and Uriah for their three years of faithful service to Christ and Pender UMC.  The process of finding a new Director of Music Ministries and musical leadership for the Common Ground service is underway.  Please keep the Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee (SPPRC) in prayer as they discern our leadership needs and God’s will for our music ministry in this time.

The needs of Christ’s church are always great, but God’s grace is ever reliable and overflowing.  Beginning this Sunday (August 13) I invite you to stay after the Traditional service or arrive early for the Common Ground service to join with other church members and friends for half an hour (10:15-10:45) of prayer in the youth room.  Our primary focus will be to call on the Lord together for the present needs and future ministry of PUMC.  As one body, we will seek the leading of the Holy Spirit for our every need.  I hope you will plan to join us as we live out our identity together as a ‘praying people’ in this faithful and timely way.

Lastly, at this writing, we have collected $9420 for our Love Offering for Sergio Saez, our Facilities Manager that will help provide for two expensive upcoming surgeries.  I am delighted and grateful for the faithfulness of the saints at Pender that is blessing our brother and faithful servant of Christ in such a tangible way.  If you have not had a chance to contribute to the gift, you can make out your check to Pender UMC and designate it for “Love Offering,” or contribute online in the normal manner and designate your gift also in the Love Offering slot

It is good to be serving our Lord Jesus Christ with you,

Pastor Bruce

Tags: brian stevenson, brian stevenson, uriah moore, pastor notes, sergio saez, pastor bruce johnson

About the Author
Pastor Bruce Johnson

On behalf of Bishop Sue Hapert-Johnson and the Virginia Conference Cabinet, Reverend Robert Bruce Johnson has been appointed to Pender United Methodist Church as its new lead pastor effective June 28, 2023.

Reverend Robert Bruce Johnson (he likes to be called Pastor Bruce) was born in Spokane, Washington and was raised in the the Seattle, Washington area. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from Northwest Nazarene University (NNU), Nampa, Idaho. He attended Princeton Theological Seminary and later transferred to Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri where he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in Historical Theology. It was at Nazarene Theological Seminary that he met and married his wife, Reverend Nancy C. Johnson. After graduation, they moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he pursued a doctorate degree in Theology with a concentration in Wesleyan studies at Emory University. During this period, he joined the United Methodist Church and became convinced that the parish is an appropriate and needed place to practice theology in the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition. When the opportunity was presented to them, Pastor Bruce and Pastor Nancy moved to Virginia (her home state) to accept an appointment within the Virginia Conference. Within a few years, Pastor Bruce was ordained as an Elder. He has now served as a pastor for the last 27 years in four different appointments in the Virginia Conference.

Fun Facts about Pastor Bruce

He is a lifelong fan of Seattle, Washington sports (don’t be surprised if you see him wearing a Mariners or Seahawks t-shirt or cap). Other hobbies include reading, music, singing, walking, and especially spending time with his family. He and Pastor Nancy have two adult daughters, Lydia John, a video photographer with Channel 3 in Norfolk, Virginia and Anna Johnson, a figure skating coach and clinical nutritionist in Lynchburg, Virginia. As a “city-boy,” Pastor Bruce is looing forward to urban/suburban life again after spending many years livig i and learning to appreciate rural and small-town Virginia.

For many years, Pastor Bruce walked two to three miles a day with their dog Riley, his “four-legged evangelist.” Because Riley is an unusual mix (Corgi and Samoyed), Riley draws a lot of attention from neighbors and strangers. Those long walks have taught Pastor Bruce to welcome the opportunity to make contact with new friends who sometimes became disciples of Jesus Christ.

Passion in Ministry

The most important thing to know about Pastor Bruce is that he is a disciple of Jesus Christ who serves our Lord by helping congregations to become more intentional and effective in disciple-making (Galatians 2:20 and Ephesians 4:12). When Christ s at the center of our shared life, there is no problem that discipleship cannot fix.

Pender United Methodist Church has a rich history and he has been praying daily for the disciples at Pender and for our shared appointment in ministry. Pastor Bruce is excited about hearing from and getting to know the congregation and discerning how together we can fulfill Christ’s great mission in our time and place.

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