Once again, our church is receiving a gift of extra staff from the North Alabama Annual Conference.  For the next year, we will share an associate pastor with East Lake UMC.  The Rev. Melissa Self Patrick joins us beginning this month.  At Woodlawn, Melissa will have responsibilities in worship leadership, small group development, congregational care and community engagement.

Melissa is second-career clergy, with a background in social-justice and non-profit work in Birmingham.  For the past three years, she was the pastor at Lester’s Chapel UMC.  Melissa is originally from Decatur and grew up at Central UMC.  She and her husband Bentley have two grown daughters, Mary Rose and Sarah Lib.  Sarah Lib recently graduated from high school and will attend the University of Alabama in the fall.

Sunday, July 1, we will welcome Melissa.  She will preach on July 15^th and join us for our covered-dish lunch after worship.  Please make an effort to get to know her.  We will have name tags out during July to help Melissa learn our names.  She will work out of an office at ELUMC, but there will be many times she is leading our worship and ministry activities at and around the church and neighborhood.

Thanks be to God for the gift of an associate pastor and the gifts Melissa will share in our community!

Peace,