Hello Friends,

 

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  My name is Dan Baer, and I am the new associate pastor at St. James.  I am looking forward to meeting you, serving with you, and doing ministry with you.

 

This month, I am beginning my 16th year in ministry.  Previously, I have served at City Road UMC in Henderson, Newland UMC in Elizabeth City, St. Luke UMC in Goldsboro, St. James UMC in Raleigh, and now I am excited to bring my gifts to Greenville, NC.

I grew up in Western Pennsylvania in a town called Apollo, which is located approximately 30 miles east of Pittsburgh.  I am the oldest of three children, and have two younger sisters.  My three nephews and niece hold a special place in my heart.

 

My interests/activities include bowling, walking, mini-golf, singing, and theatre.  I love building relationships with people and I especially have a heart for making sure all people, whether they are children, youth, or adults are welcomed and loved.

 

While I grew up in the church, I gave my life to Christ during a youth retreat at 17.  We were at Camp Jumonville in PA.  This camp has a white cross that lights up at night and you can see it from miles away.  On the last day of camp, we were having a worship service and the leaders of the retreat offered the youth to go to the front, to be prayed for, and to take one’s relationship with Jesus to the next step.

 

As I was sitting there, I could feel my heart pounding.  My youth director looked at me and said, “This is your chance. I’ll go with you if you’d like.”  It was like he knew what I was experiencing.  I told him, “No, I have to do this on my own.”  And with that, I went forward with tears running down my cheeks, ready to truly follow Jesus.

 

That was a time I will never forget. The hugs, the support, the feeling of accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior was incredible.  I finally felt loved and accepted. See, in high school, I was bullied.  All I ever wanted was for someone, one of my friends, to stand by me, to be there for me, but it never happened until the bully graduated.  A happy and joyous day for me! So, to truly be loved and accepted by people other than my family was life changing.  From that time on, I have always wanted to help ALL people feel welcomed and loved, and I hope we can do that together at St. James, because it truly does change a person’s life.

 

Please feel free to reach out to me, stop by my office, or let’s join together in fellowship.  I look forward to getting to know you and to share in ministry with you as we love God and love our neighbors together.

 

 

Peace and Blessings,

Pastor Dan