Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
On behalf of the Cabinet I am pleased to share with you our new district structure. As of July 1, 2020, we will have seven districts rather than the current nine.
1-Katahdin District – Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Brannen – Maine is divided into two districts; these are the churches in the northern/Downeast half.
2-Many Waters District – Rev. Dr. Karen Munson – Maine is divided into two districts; these are the churches in the southern/western half.
3-Green Mountain District – Rev. Jill Colley Robinson – The churches in Vermont.
4-Granite District – Rev. Taesung Kang – The churches in New Hampshire.
5-Commonwealth District – Rev.
6-Freedom Trail District – Rev. We Hyun Chang – The churches in Massachusetts east of Interstate 495.
7-Seacoast District – Rev. Dr. David Calhoun – Churches in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Southeastern
This realignment has been the work of many months and has been done with much prayerful consideration. I believe this new structure right-sizes our districts and aligns them more cohesively in terms of geography. It will also represent a significant cost savings.
Based on feedback I heard during my district visits, we made the decision to give our new districts new names. Everyone in the Conference will be part of a “new” district, and, of course, some of you will have a new superintendent.
There will be changes in district leadership as well. This is an opportunity for new leaders to emerge and current leaders to move into new roles or step away for a time. This will be an important time of making new connections and strengthening those we already have.
I believe this is a tremendous step for our Conference, but I also understand the array of emotions that come with change. As you may have seen this past weekend, Rev. Dr. Andrew L. Foster, III is returning to the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference where he will serve as Superintendent of the East District.
At the same time, I am happy to announce the continuance of the Rev. Dr. David Calhoun for one more year. This decision was made through prayerful discernment and after completing the proper consultations in accordance with The Book of Discipline.
David has been a valued member of the Cabinet for the past six years. I appreciate his pastoral and spiritual leadership of the current Connecticut-Western Mass District as well as his faithfulness to the Cabinet, especially as the Cabinet Secretary.
An excellent structure is in place, now the detailed task of implementing it will begin. I have created and will lead a Transition Team to facilitate this work. This page on our website offers the most up-to-date information about the new structure; it will be updated regularly as we move through the transition process.
I am certain that you have many questions, and more will arise as we move forward with this process. We have created an FAQ to address some initial questions as well as a feedback form where you can submit questions and concerns that you have; both of these can be found on the transition webpage.
This is an exciting moment in the life of our Conference. But times of change are also times of challenge for us as human beings.
As in all things, our faith guides us in times of transition: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” – Jeremiah 29:11
In Christ’s love,
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar