Soaking Up the Son...

Do I have news for you!  God will be blessing the community of Concord and the surrounding area come July 1^st with the appointment of Rev. David Elmore to Concord United Methodist Church, the Open Door Free Store, and the surrounding area!  As you read his bio below, take in the breath and width and depth of God’s love for our communities… God is very present in our midst and hears our cries.  I can see everything from a Recovery Life program, to a deeply needed food pantry as new births in our community under Pastor David’s guidance.  Did I mention his work with children, youth and seniors??  My my… just read on and soak up the blessings of the Son…

David Elmore was born on August 19, 1968 in Houma, Louisiana.  He was the oldest of 3 and attended both Saint Matthew’s Episcopal School and Vandebilt Catholic High School.  David then attended Texas A&M University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.  After graduation, David worked as a Water Resources Planner and Engineer for various consulting engineering firms and eventually for the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

One of the highlights of David’s career with the Corps of Engineers was spending approximately 6 months as a Water and Sewer Reconstruction Manager for the U.S. Agency for International Development helping restore water and sewer services to the people of Iraq after the U.S. invasion of 2003.  This experience gave David new insight into social justice issues regarding how humans treat one another and how one group’s privilege may come at the expense of others.   It also helped him understand the Islamic faith and its complexities as well as learn what radical hospitality truly means.

After returning to the U.S., David finally pursued the call to Ordained Ministry in the United Methodist Church.  He left New Orleans weeks before Hurricane Katrina struck to attend Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri.  It was here that he met his wife, Julie (…who is being appointed as pastor of Quincy and Litchfield UMCs!).  As a student, David also pastored a two-point charge in Pleasanton and Prescott, Kansas starting in August 2005.  Upon graduation, he and Julie accepted an appointment to the Alaska United Methodist Conference in July 2008, where he they went to serve Community United Methodist Church (CUMC-N) in Nome as Co-Pastors.  He was ordained an Elder in the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church in June 2012.

As co-pastor of CUMC-N, David endeavored to lead the church in ministering the love of God to the hurting people of Nome, Alaska.  There are many issues there related to abuse of alcohol, loss of the Alaskan Native Culture, sexual abuse as well as the high cost of living.   CUMC-N sought to convey God’s love through innovative programs such as Tuesday School (Sunday School and Vacation Bible School all rolled into one!), worship that is sensitive to the needs of all people, and through programs including a Celebrate Recovery® ministry and a Faith and Culture Camp where youth can learn one can be both Christian and Alaskan Native.

Since March of 2011, David has served as Executive Director of the Nome Community Center (NCC), a National Mission Institution of the United Methodist Church affiliated with United Methodist Women, Inc.  In the spirit of its Mission to “enhance the quality of life of the people of the Bering Straits Region,” NCC provides a wide range of programs, services, and activities for the youth of Nome and their parents, putting major emphasis upon prevention and early intervention.  Services for youth and parents have included communications training, family support/preservation services, juvenile offender intervention, diversion activities, delinquency prevention activities, tutoring, socialization, and recreational and cultural activities for youth.   Currently, programs work with families needing help providing safe, nurturing homes for their children; the Nome Youth Court; Summer Lunch Program; XYZ Senior Center and Adult Day Services; Community and K-12 Tobacco Prevention; the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws program; the Juvenile Alcohol Safety Action Plan; and the Nome Children’s Home.  The Community Center also operates the Nome Food Bank and is the general partner in the Munaqsri (Inupiaq for “A Caring Place”) Senior Apartments partnership. 

Hold onto your seats people… God is up to something… again!