Wednesday Word from Pastor Darren

by Dr. Darren McClellan on June 09, 2021

What an exciting week here at Fairhope UMC!

First, the train that is Vacation Bible School has left the station! By all accounts, the children have had a wonderful experience in worship, fellowship and learning of God’s love for them through the witness and work of our 130+ volunteers. I am so impressed with the talents and dedication of this incredible team, led by Michelle Graham and Kristin Capstraw.

Second, our 2021 Annual Conference will conclude today. Special thanks to our Lay Delegates—Steve Pearson, Diana Justis, and Gene Lammers—for their participation via Zoom this week. An update of the proceedings will be presented by Dr. Lammers at our next Board of Stewards meeting on July 1 at 6pm. All are welcome to attend. Please contact the church office to receive your Zoom link for the meeting.

Third, Kristi, Joshua, John, Max and I will be heading out tomorrow to Montana and Washington for our summer vacation. We’re looking forward to hiking, biking, and fishing our way through 4 different National Parks in the area and enjoying some sights in Seattle as well. Go Mariners! With any luck, I plan to return to you on June 25 with fresh perspective and new tales to tell (and depending on the fishing trip, some of the stories might even be true).

Lastly, I announced this past Sunday that we will be celebrating an old fashioned “Homecoming” here at Fairhope UMC on Sunday, June 27. Our regular worship schedule will remain the same, but with a special dinner on the grounds to commemorate 110 years of Methodism here at the intersection of Fels Avenue and Section Street. As we continue to reclaim the good habits of life together in this season, I encourage you to target that Sunday as a great opportunity to invite one another back to church!

More details on how you can support this event are forthcoming. I look forward to sharing the experience with old friends and new, and listening for God’s Word to us for the next 110 years.

As a part of our summer series, Words to Live By, Jesus tells us a parable in which a sower went out to sow. The good news is that he had enough seed to share generously with all four corners of our human story. This is especially important when we consider the history of Fairhope UMC. The gleaning of lessons from our relationship between the seed and the soil has been rich! We are eager to share more on that particular theme on Sunday, June 27.

I hope to see you then!

Grace to You,

Darren

About the Author

Dr. Darren McClellan

A native of Fort Walton Beach, FL, Darren first experienced the love of God through the youth and choir ministries of Shalimar United Methodist Church. At the age of 15, while at Blue Lake Camp, Darren answered the call of Christ to ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church.

Soon thereafter, the vision came into focus: My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:2-3).

Darren received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida (1998), an M.Div from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University (2001)and a D.Min from Princeton Theological Seminary (2010). He was ordained as an elder in The Alabama-West Florida Conference in 2004.

His previous appointments include Society Hill/Williams Chapel (1999), Beulah UMC (2000), Associate at Ashland Place UMC (Mobile, 2001), St. Mark UMC (Pensacola, 2006), Perdido Bay UMC (Pensacola, 2008), District Superintendent of the Mobile District (July 2016) and District Superintendent of the Baypines District (Sept. 2016).

Dr. McClellan now has the tremendous joy of serving as the Senior Pastor here at Fairhope UMC (2019).

He and his wife, Kristi, have three sons--Joshua, John, and Max. He is the author of Out of This World: An Assessment of Christian Community. His vocational interests remain in the areas of community creation, biblical interpretation, engaged discipleship, the lost art of civil discourse, and the continuing conversion of the Church.

Darren also enjoys hiking, fishing, drumming, singing in large groups, road trips, pick up games of all kinds, embarrassing his kids in public (forgive him, Lord) and being towed during an occasional jog by his Brittany Spaniel, Thor.

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