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ARLINGTON STREET
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE
The New England Conference
Granite District News
Bishop Peggy Johnson is pleased to announce the appointment of the Rev. Dr. Jackie Brannen as the interim District Superintendent of the Granite District. Her appointment will be from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.
With the transition in episcopal leadership happening in September 2024, Bishop Johnson is making this an interim appointment to give the new bishop an opportunity to assess the needs of the districts and choose a new superintendent. This will also allow the Cabinet and Conference greater flexibility in 2025.
“I am so grateful to Jackie for her willingness to return to the Cabinet at this critical time in the life of our Church,” said Bishop Johnson. “This interim appointment will offer the Granite District a leader with experience and a pastoral heart while allowing the next bishop to make important decisions about the Conference’s future leadership.”
Dr. Brannen will follow Rev. Taesung Kang, who will be completing seven years of ministry as the District Superintendent in the Granite District. He will begin serving as the pastor of the South UMC in the Seacoast District beginning July 1, 2024.
An elder in the New England Conference, Dr. Brannen served for 19 years before retiring in 2023. She served local churches throughout New Hampshire and Maine in addition to serving as Katahdin District Superintendent. She is currently serving the First United Methodist Church of Portsmouth, NH.
She is a spiritual director with a passion for helping folks connect with God. Dr. Brannen, her grandson Matthew and her two beloved Yorkies live at Wesley by the Sea, the Preachers’ Aid Society community for retired clergy in Wells, ME. She loves to travel, read, and write.
Dr. Brannen said, “While my retirement plan had not originally included serving once again as a District Superintendent, I am thrilled to be able to serve God and the churches and people of New Hampshire, where I grew up and began my ministry.”
Please join us in praying for Dr. Brannen and her family, the congregation of First UMC and the entire Granite District during this time of transition.
Bishop Announces a Cabinet Change
On Sunday, January 14, 2024, Bishop Peggy A. Johnson announced the appointment of the Rev. Taesung Kang to the South United Methodist Church in Manchester, CT, effective July 1, 2024.
Rev. Kang, who serves as the Granite District Superintendent, has been a member of the Cabinet since 2017.
Rev. John Marshall, Jr., who has served as pastor of South UMC since 2011, will be seeking retirement in July.
“These are challenging times for our Church and our Conference, but they also offer us opportunities for new beginnings,” Bishop Johnson said. “I want to thank both of these servant leaders for their faithfulness and dedication.”
Bishop Johnson is working with the Committee on Superintendency to discern the next superintendent for the Granite District. Please join us in praying for Rev. Kang and his family, Rev. Marshall and his family, the people of the Granite District and of South UMC during this time of transition.
A Timely Message from the Magi
Over 70 years ago, a one-act opera was commissioned by NBC as a special Christmas broadcast to premiere on Dec. 24, 1951. Amahl and the Night Visitors, composed by Gian Carlo Menotti, is a fantasy based on the Gospel of Matthew’s account of the wise men. The plot includes a poor widow and her young son (with a disability) who get a surprise visit from these exotic travelers.
As a child, I was smitten by this wondrous tale, and later in high school, I was part of a chorus that served as shepherds in a local performance. Still later I taught this opera to my elementary vocal music students. And much, much later, I served as a sign language interpreter for this timeless opera for my Deaf congregation.
These musical Menotti magi continue to follow the star of my heart every year during the season of Epiphany. As I mature and consider people of other faith communities and the diverse cultures from which they come, my understanding continues to evolve.
As I write this, the Middle East is in the throes of a devastating war between Israel and Hamas. Jews, Muslims, and Christians have experienced and are experiencing tragic losses — bombings, kidnappings, and embargoes.
Across the globe people are drawing up sides. Anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic hate crimes are on the rise. Social media is full of slanderous mischaracterizations of Jews and Muslims. University campuses are staging protests, and in Vermont, three young Muslim men were shot.
What is our response to these atrocities? As people of God, we regret the loss of life and the anti-Semitic and Islamophobic violence and hate speech. But what else can we do?
According to our Book of Resolutions, we as United Methodists “corporately are called to be neighbors with other faith communities, and to work with them to create a human community, a set of relationships between people at once interdependent and free, in which there is love, mutual respect and justice” (Paragraph 3291).
Who are your neighbors? Where are the opportunities for you to forge interreligious relationships? Seek them out.
Here are some more specific approaches from our Book of Resolutions:
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Identify the various faith communities and familiarize your congregation with them.
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Initiate dialogues with different faith communities, remaining sensitive to areas of historic tension. Be open to the possibility for deepened understanding and new insight.
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Work with persons of other faith communities to resolve economic, social, cultural, and political problems in the community.
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Plan community celebrations with an interreligious perspective together with persons of other faith traditions.
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Develop new models of community building that strengthen relationships and allow people to dwell together in harmony while honoring the integrity of their differences. (Paragraph 3291)
All of this takes some intentionality. Like the magi seeking an encounter with the newborn king of the Jews, let us diligently seek ways of understanding those of other religious communities. It is part of our Christian witness to respect, dialog, and fellowship with fellow pilgrims on this earth.
Don’t be quick to put your wisemen figurines back in the box after Christmas Day. Keep them and their message on your mantle through Epiphany. Play a recording of Amahl and the Night Visitors for a bit of musical inspiration.
May this season of Epiphany be a time of deeper relationship building and mutual admiration for the many faiths of our communities.
Resource: Wikipedia “Amahl and the Night Visitors”
Celebration of Life for Bishop Devadhar
Watch a recording of the July 27, 2023, funeral service for Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar at this link:
Service of Death and Resurrection for Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar (boxcast.tv)
July 19, 2023
The passing of Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar
Photo by Alison Burdett, BWC
“Friends, as we celebrate these saints who changed, molded, and influenced us, do you notice a similar quality in their legacies? All of them served with humility and grace and in the interest of others …”
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, preaching during the Memorial Service at Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference, Nov. 2, 2022
New England Conference,
I know we are still in shock and so deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar. Bishop Devadhar died unexpectedly on July 18, 2023.
Bishop Devadhar was a faithful light to our conference; his dedication extending his service into what would have been his retirement. He has left us an indelible legacy that lives on among us even now.
Our hearts and prayers are with Prema and their family. The family has requested no phone calls at this time, but prayers and letters of condolence can be sent to them at:
7128 Thorndale Lane
Cincinnati, OH 45244
We will share details about the arrangements when those are known.
Our New Bishop as of January 1, 2023
Peggy A. Johnson
Bishop Peggy A. Johnson to serve NEAC
The Northeastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops and Committee on the Episcopacy released the following announcement today:
The Council of Bishops has approved the recommendation from the Northeastern Jurisdictional College of Bishops (COB) and The Committee on the Episcopacy (COE) that Retired Bishop Peggy A. Johnson serve as Interim Bishop for the New England Annual Conference (NEAC) beginning January 1, 2023, through August 31, 2024.
The New England Annual Conference did not receive an assignment or coverage at the conclusion of the 21st Session of the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference. Pursuant to Para. 407 of the 2016 Book of Discipline (BOD), the College of Bishops fills vacancies in such circumstances. After consultation with the appropriate stakeholders, the COB and COE agreed that Bishop Johnson possessed the gifts and graces to lead the NEAC during this interim period.
In discussing this scenario with Bishop Johnson, she articulated that she feels called by God to this particular need and is willing to relocate to New England to provide residential leadership, holistic pastoral care and collaborative oversight.
After reviewing the Conference Profile and Cover Page, as well as The New England Declaration (their detailed strategic vision for inclusive mission and ministry), we met with the NEAC Committee on the Episcopacy and the cabinet. We spent considerable time listening to and discussing their needs, priorities and hopes for their next servant leader.
These conference leadership teams agreed upon NEAC’s top priorities for their interim servant leader:
a) pastoral care and healing.
b) a willingness to embrace the vision already cast,
while empowering those within the conference
to champion its implementation.
and c) relationship building.
Upon hearing this news, we became more confident that our discernment was divinely inspired. Bishop Johnson excels in each of these areas. Therefore, we shared our recommendation and Bishop Johnson's name was received with enthusiasm and thanksgiving. These leaders also provided insights that will help position this coverage arrangement for success.
Please pray for Bishop Johnson and Rev. Mary Johnson as they live into this new opportunity. They are excited to serve and look forward to visiting New England soon. We give God thanks for their willingness to offer themselves so quickly after retirement. We thank you in advance for your support.