A Year in Review

A Year in Review

Well friends, it has been just over a year since I got the call to move up here to Southwest Wisconsin from our previous home in Missouri. What a year it has been! For those of you not on a council of any kind, let me bring you up to speed on a few things that have happened in the last 365 days.

A New Look For A Unified Church

One of the first things we tackled together was how we show up in the community. Our previous website served us faithfully for a long time, yet it had become dated and hard to use. This year we rolled out a new site that is cleaner, easier to navigate, and more welcoming for first-time visitors who want to know who we are, when we meet, and how they can join us.

Along with that came a new logo. As we began to talk more seriously about our future as one church, it no longer fit to keep images that treated Livingston, Montfort, and Cobb as three separate bodies. The new logo gives us a shared identity. At the center is the familiar UMC Cross and Flame, set within a stained glass circle. Red keeps us grounded in the Holy Spirit’s fire and our United Methodist tradition. Yellow surrounds the cross and points us to our hope in Jesus. Green honors Livingston. Two shades of blue represent Montfort and Cobb, who have always been closely partnered. One image that reflects one story and one body.

Quiet but important work also happened in the way we communicate. We worked with Google to set up official church email addresses such as office@lmcumc.org and pastor@lmcumc.org so people are not left hunting for staffs personal accounts. It seems like a small detail. It has already helped us respond more clearly and present ourselves as one unified church family.

Tools That Shape Our Worship Life

On Sunday mornings you may have noticed some new tools at work. A donated TV that had been sitting unused is now mounted on a travel stand so it can move between our spaces. It has helped create a more modern worship atmosphere and given us another way to share scripture, songs, and announcements.

We have also overhauled how we livestream our services to make them more friendly for our online viewers. A new three-camera system and new broadcast software now let us switch angles, share lyrics and images more clearly, and interact more easily with those worshiping from home. It has become another way to remind people that even when they cannot be in the building, they are still part of the service and part of this church family.

We also introduced a new offering podium. Instead of passing plates up and down the pews, we now invite people to bring their gifts forward as a visible act of worship. That simple shift has helped us see the offering as a response to God’s grace.

Behind the scenes, we have been more intentional online. Our social media presence has been “fired up” again so that friends and neighbors see regular reminders that Jesus loves them every day. For some people, a post or a notification is the first nudge that draws them back toward church and back toward Christ.

One Board, One Table, One Future

On the leadership side, we made a significant structural change. In the past, we had a joint board and three separate Administrative Boards. After much listening and conversation, each of the three Ad Boards voted this fall to form a single Unified Administrative Board. That new board is made up of twelve representatives, four from each congregation. It gives us one table where we can pray, plan, and make decisions together.

With that unified structure in place, we were able to lean into deeper conversations about our future. Last year, the idea of a three-way merger was mostly a hope. This year, it became a real set of discussions. We considered our buildings. We reviewed financial records. We began to talk through possible names and what a truly unified church might look like. None of those conversations are finished, yet they are an important sign that we care about a faithful and sustainable future for this ministry.

We also rolled out a new church app. It has already given our members a place to communicate in groups, sign up for events more easily, and give from their phones. In time it will include a church directory. That part is still in the early stages of rollout, yet the foundation is there.

Traditions We Cherish And Traditions We Are Growing

Our life together this year showed up around tables and in kitchens and at long-standing events. We saw our churches stand shoulder to shoulder at fundraisers like Cobb’s Chicken Supper and Livingston’s Swiss Steak Supper. There were many pies, many dishes to wash, and a shared sense that we were all in it together. I am grateful for every bit of that work, including the leftover pie that I was blessed to enjoy.

We also held on to some important traditions and began a few new ones. Our boards voted to keep the Community Benefit Auction as a large shared fundraiser for our communities and churches. We offered Vacation Bible School again for local children and families. We returned to our roots with the annual Rock Church service. We gathered for joint worship in the park during Good Earth Days with our sibling church, Livingston Free Methodist.

We added “Jersey Sunday” to the mix as well, celebrating the start of the NFL season. Some of us began the season with a win, others with a loss, yet we all shared the joy of worshiping together in our team colors.

In the midst of all this, we rejoiced as we welcomed three new members into the church with our New Member Sunday celebration. Moments like that remind us that God is still drawing people into this family and that our shared work is bearing fruit in real lives and real commitments.

Serving Our Communities And God’s Creation

Another very tangible sign of our shared effort came through something as simple as plastic. Together, we recycled well over 2,000 pounds of material in 2025. That work provided a bench for both the Livingston and Montfort communities. Cobb is well on its way to having one by early 2026. It is a quiet but powerful witness that our faith includes care for God’s creation and for the places where our neighbors live and gather.

Looking Back With Gratitude, Looking Ahead With Hope

When I look back over this past year, I see more than a list of projects. I see faces and names. I see people who stayed late to stack chairs. I see folks who learned new technology so the app and the TV could be used well. I see pie bakers and dish washers. I see leaders who sat through long meetings because they love these churches and the communities we serve.

My hope as we step into a new year is simple. That we would keep moving toward one another. That we would keep asking what it looks like to live as one unified church for Livingston, Montfort, and Cobb. That we would keep trusting that the same God who has guided us through this year will guide us through whatever comes next.

Thank you for the ways you have prayed, served, given, and shown up. It has been quite a first year together. I am grateful to walk into the next one with you.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Joel