Brandon Twp.- Church membership may be down, but Janine Plum is hoping to make some new disciples.
As the new pastor of Seymour Lake United Methodist Church, she is reaching out to the community.
‘The UMC has experienced a decline in membership, but it’s not solely about membership, it’s about discipleship,? said Plum. ‘This generation doesn’t feel the need to go to church, but it doesn’t mean they don’t want to be churched. Historically, church attendance was up in the U.S. through the 1950s. That stopped happening in the 1960s. I’m sure there are a million reasons why. There’s a void, a lack of disciple-making. Even if you’re not going to church, you still need Jesus.?
Plum notes that SLUMC, located at 3050 S. Sashabaw Road, is at a literal and figurative crossroads, potentially serving residents of Brandon, Oxford, and Clarkston. She plans to gain knowledge of the community in order to understand how best to reach out to residents.
‘I want to draw them back into a relationship with Christ whether it’s in this building, or their homes or a sattelite,? said Plum. ‘Church can happen in a lot of different places.?
Ministry is a second career for Plum, who worked for the City of Flint for 15 years, including as a clerk in the 68th District Court, and administrative assistant in the assessment division before feeling the call to ministry. She took a deferred retirement from Flint in 2000 and became more active in her home church, Swartz Creek United Methodist, leading Bible studies and taking layspeaking classes through the district. She also began taking classes at Spring Arbor University, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in family life education, something she felt would be a great foundation for her ministry.
‘The Biblical story is all about family, how we are formed within families and how we relate to God within our families,? said Plum, who is married and the mother of three. ‘To consider God as father, some people have a hard time with because they may not have a father or have a broken relationship with their father. I want to help them understand God in a fuller, healing way.?
For four years, from 2008-2012, Plum served as pastor of Richfield United Methodist Church. She then went to Wilmore, Ky. to attend Asbury Theological Seminary. She returned to Michigan this year and was commissioned by the United Methodist Church as a provisional elder in May. She will complete her seminary studies online and graduate this December.
‘My hope and goal is to learn my congregation, which is already doing the walk Jesus has called them to do,? said Plum. ‘I need to figure out where I fit in God’s ongoing ministry here in this place and season… My hope is that we would be a missional church, not bordered or bound by the walls we are in, but a church in community.?
Plum notes that SLUMC has two different worship services on Sunday? one at 8:45 a.m. that is more traditional, with hymns and liturgy; and an 11 a.m. contemporary service which is more informal with praise and worship music.
‘If you come here, you will experience hospitality and be welcomed just as you are, whereever you are,? she said. ‘This is a safe place to encounter the risen Lord.?