Meet Pastor Ann
As I type this, July 1 is less than a week away and I am so excited to be the pastor for St. Matthew UMC. When I asked to be considered for this appointment, I did so because I can see a great future here—confirmed by St. Matthew winning the One Matters Award. In a very real sense, St. Matthew
feels like it can be home. I live in south Scottsdale with my husband, a native of South Scottsdale, and our two small dogs, and the community served by St. Matthew is closer to me, and more my “neighborhood,” than most of Scottsdale. We likely eat at some of the same restaurants and shop at the same stores (Christmas shopping at Tempe Marketplace, anyone?).
I am sure many of you are curious about me so here are some things you probably want to know and maybe a few you even need to know.
• I’ve been a United Methodist all my life (except as an infant before the merger, when I was baptized EUB—Evangelical United Brethren, where the “United” comes from in United Methodist), and I’ve always been active in church, especially in music, singing in choirs most of my life.
• I was a Girl Scout—and I still love camping and hiking and crafts and cooking, and who doesn’t love an award or badge?
• I grew up in Pennsylvania. My mom and brother still live near there, but I have lived in the Desert Southwest since 1993, the first 24+ years in Las Vegas and in Arizona since 2017. I’ve been a pastor since 2011, and before that I was a lawyer (and before that a high school English teacher).
• I have 3 daughters, all out of the house now, the youngest attending NAU and living in Flagstaff year around now that she has a job—so my husband and I are empty-nesters now.
• I believe the church can be a great force for good when we focus on doing what Jesus told us to do: love God, love our neighbor as ourselves, and love each other. I also believe the world needs the love of God and the good news of Jesus more than ever.
• I believe church structures are useful, help us get things done, can help us be more effective, more accountable, and more focused, but only when those structures help us to love God, our neighbors, and each other. When we love the structures more than we love God or more than we love our neighbors—well, the church has done terrible things when we put structure over loving people (and when we forget that Jesus told us not to judge).
• I’m not perfect. I know John Wesley believed that we should all be striving for perfection and that we should “expect to be made perfect in love in this life,” but I’m not there yet. So, I ask for two things. First, let me know when I’ve made a mistake, so I have a chance to fix it, and second, please grant me some grace. Also, on the issue of imperfection, please know that names can be challenging for me so it will help if you wear your nametags and remind me of your names.
• Finally, know that I really want to get to know you. For the people of St. Matthew, I want to know what your vision for St. Matthew is? Why are you part of this faith community? What do you hope and believe that St. Matthew can offer to the community, to its members, and even to the world? For those who are not yet part of St. Matthew, what do you need? What are you looking for? What could St. Matthew offer to you?
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Ann
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