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The church mails a newsletter once a month to the congregation. If you would like to receive a newsletter, please contact the church office by telephone (269.673.4236), fax (269.673.8856), email (alleganumc@verizon.net) or stop by the church.

News

The Alegan UMC welcomed Pastor Bob Stover and wife Kathy on July 1, 2007. The article below appeared in The Allegan County News on July 12, 2007.

Methodist church welcomes new minister

BY SARA RAMAKER, STAFF WRITER

Change can be hard, but, in the case of Allegan United Methodist Church, it can also be loud and lively. When the congregation welcomed a new minister July 1, the change was seen as well as heard.

"I do participatory worship," said the Rev. Robert Stover. "Which means sometimes you don't know what I am going to do."

That fact was evident when Stover stopped the first hymn midway through. "You are dragging," he said. "Kick it up."

Stover replaces previous minister the Rev. Joseph Spackman, who was reappointed to Paw Paw United Methodist Church. Spackman served as pastor in Allegan for eight years.

Although Stover and his wife Kathy are new to Allegan, they are not new to ministry. Stover has been a pastor since 1974. Allegan is his eighth appointed church. He was the pastor at a Methodist church in Napoleon prior to being transferred to Allegan.

Stover is originally from Berrien Springs. He admits that ministry was not his original career choice.

"I had no intention of being a minister," Stover said. "My intention was to go into the family business of farming."

Plans changed once Stover became a Christian during his senior year of college. Plans also changed when Stover and his wife Kathy, a Grand Rapids native, married seven years ago.

Though Stover said "I have no children of my own to speak of," he is a father figure. In addition to Kathy Stover's three children from a previous marriage, the Stovers also cared for five foster children from Africa.

The Stovers said it is exciting to join an established church with a strong foundation and sense of community outreach. During the sermon, Stover specifically applauded the congregation's commitment to Kids Hope, a mentoring program at North Ward Elementary School in Allegan.

"I'm excited to be able to get back into Kids Hope," Kathy Stover said. "I'm also impressed with the warm welcome we've received. It's hard to fill someone else's shoes, but people here have been absolutely wonderful."

"Now we have to figure out how to grow, develop and reach more people," the Rev. Stover said.

To celebrate the couple's arrival, the congregation organized a "cookie fest" after the service.

The Allegan United Methodist church, at 409 Trowbridge St., meets every Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

For more information, call the church office at (269) 673-4236 or visit www.alleganumc.org.

 

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