I am very excited about being appointed as your new pastor beginning July 1. I am looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday, July 3. Since that will be the first time I meet most of you, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself.

I am currently serving as pastor of the United Methodist Church in Hamilton, MA, and prior to that, I served the Pepperell-Townsend charge, also in Massachusetts from 2002 to 2006. Before that time I spent 15 years serving United Methodist churches in the South Carolina Annual Conference.

I was educated at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. (I grew up and was first ordained in the Southern Baptist Church.)]

My father lives in my hometown, Spartanburg, South Carolina, and I have one brother, who lives with his wife and three of his six girls in southern California. I don’t get to see them as often as I wish, but we are a close family. I also have three dogs: Bud, a 17-year-old beagle; Holly, a 12-year-old lab mix; and Chip, an 11-year-old lab mix.

I love my work as a pastor, getting to know people and hearing their stories, spending time with children and youth and adults, planning worship and preaching, leading Bible study groups, presiding at weddings, working with committees, helping with fundraisers, participating in missions projects and visiting people in their homes.

I know that my first priority when I get there will be getting to know you and letting you get to know me. I will be scheduling times to visit, and looking forward to committee meetings when I can get to know you in small group settings. Also, if you have children or young people in your house, I would love to attend their special events, such as ball games, recitals, concerts, performances, etc. Just let me know where and when, and I’ll be there. I find it challenging to cook for one, so I am always glad to be invited over for a meal!

I hope that this gives you a little idea about who I am. I am eager to learn more about who you are! I’ll see you on July 3rd and we’ll begin this process together.

God bless you!
Rev. Elisabeth Smith