Alumni Updates – May 2013
The Rev. James Williams, (1999, M.Div), pastor of Winchester First United Methodist Church has been appointed District Superintendent of the Lexington District of the Kentucky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, it was announced today by Bishop Lindsey Davis. Rev. Williams has pastored First UMC since 2004, a historic, downtown congregation in Clark County. Under his leadership, the church has grown exponentially adding a second satellite campus, First Fire, in Winchester Plaza as well as becoming a key church in mission and outreach to the community. In his time as pastor, he became an integral part of the city by serving in many capacities outside the local church including the BCTC Advisory Board, Clark County ASAP and the Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. “This is a bittersweet time for my family.,” he said in a recent interview. “God will now allow me to lead the leaders of our local churches and though I’m honored and excited about being a pastor to other pastors, Winchester has become our home. We’ll take Clark County with us as we go. I vowed as a United Methodist minister to go where I’m sent, but it’s not an easy vow to live out. I have the best staff in the state of Kentucky. I will deeply miss them, the congregation and community.” In addition to pastoring in Garrard, Jessamine and Clark counties, Rev. Williams has also served in many leadership capacities in the denomination including the state’s Board of Ordained Ministry for 12 years, as chairperson of the Lexington District Board of Trustees and chairperson of the Kentucky Conference Evangelism Team. In this new role, he will supervise almost 70 pastors and churches in 8 counties throughout Central Kentucky. The United Methodist Church is the second largest denomination in the United States. A District Superintendent is a clergy-person who is an extension of the Bishop and serves in a supervisory position over a geographic area providing spiritual and administrative leadership to those churches, their pastors and their families. It is further understood that the person in this position is a “missional strategist” in support of making disciples for the transformation of the world. The new appointment is effective June 2013.
Bob Wickens, (1969, M.Div) – After being in Christian printing and publishing in Cincinnati for 20 years, I have returned to Northern Ohio where I grew up, and I am now serving as the Pastor of Adult Ministries at Church of the Open Door in Elyria, Ohio. (Our Senior Pastor here is Jim Mindling, who earned a Doctorate in Ministry from ATS). My wife passed away in 2010, and December 29, 2012, I was remarried to Jacque Schwartz from Kettering, Ohio. Our home is on Lake Erie in Lorain, Ohio.
Elissa (Haywood) Dodge, (2011, M.A.) – Elissa Haywood was joined in marriage to Ben Dodge on March 24, 2012. They met at the church she serves in as Pastor of Worship and Discipleship in Independence, IA. Ben is a farmer in the area. In October they purchased their first home and just this past March celebrated one year of marriage. They are excited for what the future holds for them personally and ministry wise.
David Cosby, (1982, M.Div. and 1983, MAR), now serves as field director of the One Mission Society team in Mexico. The ministries in Mexico City include the Biblical Seminary of Mexico, which has three satellite campuses that provide training to lay leaders and future pastors; a drop-in center for street children, which shows the love of Jesus by providing food, baths, instruction of a marketable craft, Bible study and discipleship; 12 established churches and more than 100 house churches; multiple evangelism teams; an extensive English language program that uses instruction in English as a tool to introduce people to Jesus; and Marriage Encounter retreats and small groups for couples, which provide tools to strengthen and rescue marriages. David teaches in the seminary and mentors both pastors and missionaries.
The Cosbys joined OMS in 1975 and were assigned to youth evangelism and discipleship in Medellín, Colombia. Following David’s studies at ATS the Cosbys returned to Colombia in 1985, where David taught Greek, Bible and theology courses at the Biblical Seminary of Colombia in Medellín. He has translated three books into Spanish and written books in Spanish on the study of Hebrew poetry and the Holy Spirit. The Cosbys were assigned to OMS headquarters in Greenwood, Indiana, in 1989 where David served as director of Homeland Ministries. In 1991, he saw the potential for OMS outreach in Hungary and he and Carol served in Budapest from 1992-1997. David was field leader and taught at the Central European Bible Institute and the John Wesley College. In 1997, the Cosbys began service in Mexico, where David was professor and academic dean of the Biblical Seminary of Mexico.
David and Carol Cosby moved to Barquisimeto, Venezuela, in 2006 to work in cooperation with Venezuela NOW to found the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela and to establish the United Methodist Church of Venezuela. David taught the first seminary course in 2002 and continued to teach four times a year prior to their full-time assignment. David served as academic dean of the seminary, which has 75 students, and mentored pastors. In 2010 the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela awarded David an Honorary Doctorate of Theology and Sacred Letters for his lifetime of service in the training of pastors and evangelists in Latin America and Europe. Though no longer based in Venezuela, David continues to travel there to teach in the seminary. David would enjoy hearing from ATS classmates, caroldavid75@aol.com.