Announcement: Union Clergy Team’s Expanded Appointment effective July 1, 2025

June 20, 2025 — Danvers, MA

“To whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48)

Dear Members and Friends of the Union Combined Parish —

Greetings from the New England Annual Conference in Danvers, Massachusetts.

Later this afternoon, it will be announced at the annual conference that Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton is appointing the pastoral team of the Union Combined Parish (Pastors Jay, Sara, Kyle, and Solomon) also to additional congregations in Boston, namely Bethany First United Methodist Church (Roslindale) and St. Stephen’s UMC (West Roxbury). This expanded appointment will begin July 1, 2025.

The Staff-Parish Relations Committee and the Executive Team of the Union Council have blessed this new season of Union’s pastoral and prophetic witness. As you know, we’re doing extraordinary things at Union as documented in The Union Update (April 2025) and the recent Church Conference Booklet (November 2024). Out of this strength, we are being invited to lead the transformational renewal of the United Methodist movement in Boston through the further development of:

Please note that this clergy appointment is not a congregational merger. And at the same time, the top-level mandate of this season is: To discern and chart a path forward for the three distinct congregations (Bethany First, St. Stephen’s, and Union) of this pastoral appointment.

We realize that this announcement may come as a surprise to some. The SPRC and Executive Team of the Union Council has expressed concern: for the wellness of the clergy and for the impact on Union’s health. Together, we will be able to attend to these concerns and others that emerge. Undoubtedly this expanded appointment will bring some changes. And we earnestly believe that appointment will actually strengthen Union’s ministry and mission.

As they develop, we will share more details, but here’s a quick overview of what we anticipate in the coming season:

Beloved Union, your pastors covet your prayers in the coming months as we embark on the next phase of the journey.

In love, liberation, and light,

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During this Year of Belonging, Christ calls us to sow seeds in good soil (Matthew 13:1-23) and to bear fruit in our ministry (John 15:8).

Let’s imagine what’s possible with faith in God.