Dear Friends,
Most of you know that clergy in The United Methodist Church are appointed by the bishop of an Episcopal Area to serve in various capacities — as servant leaders within congregations and in administrative positions across the denomination. Changes in appointments usually are announced in the middle of an appointment year and take effect the following July.
Today, I bring news regarding the appointment of one of our clergy leaders. Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling has appointed Rev. Will Ed Green, our Director of Discipleship, to serve as Lead Pastor of Silver Spring UMC, in Silver Spring, MD, effective July 1, 2022. His last Sunday with us at Foundry will be on Sunday, June 12. There will be opportunities to celebrate Pastor Will in community on that day and in other ways over the next 3 ½ months. During this time, he will continue to serve fully in his role and make preparations for a smooth transition.
Pastor Will joined the Foundry staff in 2016 as our Director of Connecting Ministries. He stepped into the role that had been created, caught the vision Foundry leadership was casting to build infrastructure and lay leadership in hospitality, discipleship, and leadership development, and brought the skills needed to make that vision a reality. With growth in Foundry came a shift in Will’s portfolio, more specifically focused on adult faith formation. Will’s ministry has impacted persons in significant ways across the various constituencies that make up the Foundry family. His contributions to the vitality of Foundry’s shared life are many and will continue to bless us even after his departure.
While it is difficult to see Pastor Will go, we celebrate his appointment to a congregation ready to receive all that he brings. Silver Spring UMC is a Reconciling Congregation undergoing a time of some transition. Pastor Will’s collaborative leadership, pastoral care, commitment, and vision are needed there for such a time as this.
The Bishop and Cabinet of the Baltimore-Washington Conference have received clarity from Foundry leadership about our needs in the next season and will begin the process to identify our next Associate Pastor and Director of Discipleship.
I, together with Todd Mullins on behalf of the Foundry Board, join with all of you in giving thanks to God for Pastor Will’s faithful service. Let us surround him with prayer for all that is to come.
Peace,
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