Welcome to the Franklin District website. We hope the
information here is useful for you and your ministry. Please e-mail the
Franklin District office with any updates or news you want to share.
The Franklin District is north and south of I80 from the
Ohio border to the Allegheny National Forest. The people, called United
Methodist, of the district are welcoming and enthusiastic about the
opportunities for ministry in our area and beyond. If you are seeking
the fellowship of a church, please consider a United Methodist church in
your community. You will most probably find a new home that will
welcome you with “Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors.”
I began this ministry in the Franklin District on July 1.
So – the tasks ahead of me are the very basic ones of initial
organization and getting to know as many people of the Franklin District
as possible.
A little about my family: My wife is Kathleen. We have
been married for almost thirty-five years; have three children and four
grandchildren. Our children are all married and live in Pittsburgh,
Tampa, and Las Vegas.
The churches and ministries to which I have been appointed
to serve include rural, town, urban city, small church, large church,
and campus and community ministry. Now, my appointment is as the
superintendent of the Franklin District of the Western Pennsylvania
Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
While ministry in and through the community of the local
church continues to be my focus and passion, mission beyond the local
church continues to be part of my life and ministry. Places of mission,
for me, have included the communities in which I live and various places
around the state of Pennsylvania. I have traveled to participate in
United Methodist mission and ministry in distant places that include New
Orleans, Russia, Africa and more.
A hope I have, as I begin this ministry, is that we can all
be open to “rethink church” as we move forward together in the name of
Jesus Christ. There are a lot of people who need to know and live the
love of Jesus. Let’s all be open to the many ways (old, new and
innovative) we can spread the Gospel. Let’s be radically hospitable to
those we encounter. Let’s be the visible presence of Jesus.
May God bless you.
In Christ,
George