Year Six Begins

Hollywood UMC,

In the United Methodist Church, July 1 is a big day for pastors and congregations. When there are times of pastoral transitions, July 1 is when these new appointments take effect. Congregations and pastors are beginning new relationships starting today, not knowing what the future holds for them, but trusting in the God that formed them to guide them every step of the way. It can be a time full of uncertainty and hope and grief and all the number of emotions that come along with any change in our lives.

For me, today begins the sixth year of me being appointed as pastor of Hollywood United Methodist Church. As with so many anniversaries in our lives, today calls for a moment of contemplation and celebration. The world was so different on that first day. What we might have called the middle (or, optimistically, the end) of the COVID-19 pandemic turned out to still be the beginning. As I preached my first sermon that Sunday, the sanctuary was largely empty. It would remain that way for a couple of months before we began slowly inviting people back into the sanctuary. Other than that, it was all about YouTube, Zoom, and parking lot Communion.

To say things have changed since then would be an understatement. While we do continue to stream our service on YouTube, we now see the sanctuary filled with people every Sunday. Some of these faces are ones that have been ones who have been a foundational part of the congregation for decades; some have come to join us for the first time. So far in 2025, we are averaging 92 people in the sanctuary every Sunday, with 171 people celebrating Easter with us!! We have bid farewell to some of our staff over the years, but also welcomed new ones to our team. I want to list off some of my favorite things of my first five years:

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  This past December, our Director of Music, Mary Jane Seanor, led our incredible choir in the first cantata since before the pandemic. It was a true joy to hear the story told through their songs and see so many join in to help the choir. Mary Jane continues to lead the strong music ministry that has been so foundational at Hollywood UMC over the years, incorporating the choir, quartet, soloists, and instrumentalists as we worship.
• Ryan Quinn, our Youth Director, led 18 Youth on a retreat to West River earlier this year that helped them dive deep into their personal relationship with Christ and grow deeper in their faith. Even better than that, they returned to us and led a worship service to witness to us grown folks how we can follow their footsteps of faith.
• Janet McGovern, following a wonderful term as Council Chair, has really thrown herself into getting our ministry to children up and running. What has come from this is an incredible Sunday School program running in what was the Children’s Church segment of worship with a wonderful group of volunteers ready to love and teach any and all children, from nursery through elementary school, that the Holy Spirit brings into our sanctuary.
• Brian and Gail have undertaken the incredible task of ensuring that we continue to remember and celebrate our history, most notably through the beautiful stained glass windows our ancestors in the faith have given us. Not only are they a reminder of the saints that came before us, but they continue to tell the Gospel story. Through their steadfast work and the contributions of many, we have already seen ⅔ of our windows restored to their original beauty, with fundraising ongoing as the final windows are being worked on.

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg of what God has been doing in the life of Hollywood UMC over the last few years. There are countless others that have been alongside on this journey so far, supporting our ministries with their prayers, presence, gifts, service and their witness. That includes you! It is because of God’s steadfast presence and power through this congregation over the last five years that I have so much hope for what the future holds.

As I write this letter, our Unified Board is hard at work discerning the long term vision of Hollywood UMC. We have been having incredible conversations into where we believe the Holy Spirit is leading us. What are the gifts we’ve been given? What are the needs of the community? What changes might we need to make to be the people God called us to be back in 1868? How can we use our wonderful building to best be Hollywood UMC. This is the work of the Church, and I firmly believe God is moving through us to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. And I hope you will continue to walk with us on this journey!

Back on that first Sunday, the text was Philippians 3:1-11. Here, Paul reminds the Philippians that every reason he might have to boast is nothing when compared to knowing Jesus Christ. That’s the new paradigm in which we live. Yes, our pews are filling more and more. Yes, we have the best staff around. Yes, we have so much fun together through potlucks and talent shows and trivia nights. Yes, we have incredibly beautiful stained glass windows. All of that is NOTHING if we do not know Jesus. And so it is that that moves us forward. It is about how full pews and incredible staff and loving fellowship and beautiful windows help us know Jesus all the better so that we may walk into an unknown future to make Jesus known. And it is because of that that I have hope for year six.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Matthew