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Planned appointments announced for Cabinet, Centers

Written: 4/16/2007

Bishop Robert Schnase and the Cabinet have begun announcing planned clergy appointments for the coming year. In addition, new members of the Cabinet and the directors for the Centers of Congregational Excellence and Pastoral Excellence have been announced.

To see the list of 2007 appointments, click here.

Bart Hildreth
It was announced April 27 that Bart Hildreth will be superintendent of the Ozarks North District.
Hildreth grew up in Fenton, and graduated from Lindbergh High School in Crestwood. From high school he was off to William Jewell college, where he majored in religion. Then he went to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, where he earned his master�s degree and his PhD. He earned each degree in just three and a half years.

The first church he served was a Baptist church in Weaverville, North Carolina. But he realized that being a Baptist was not for him.

�I wanted my daughter to know that if she was called into ministry, there would be a place for her, and I wanted my son to know that about the women in his life,� Hildreth said. �I wanted a place where I could feel at home.�

He called a friend in St. Louis, who encouraged him to talk to his pastor at Kirkwood UMC, who put him in touch with Gateway Central District Superintendent Nancye Dunlap. Soon Hildreth had a three-point charge: Bowling Green/Eolia/Oak Grove. From there, he served Grace UMC in Sullivan, and Red Bridge UMC.

Hildreth engaged in the United Methodist ordained ministry process, serving as a pastor from another denomination, then as a probationary elder, and then had his orders of elder recognized. He is very pleased with where his road has taken him.

�The United Methodist Church has in many ways been freeing for me,� Hildreth said. �I�ve felt like I was home from the get-go.�

Bishop Robert Schnase thinks the diversity of Hildreth�s experience will serve the Cabinet well.

�Bart has served with excellence in a variety of pastoral settings. His love for The United Methodist Church and his commitment to our mission has been evident in fruitful and effective ministry, and I think he will bring excellent insight and passion to the role of superintendency.�

Ann Rathert
It was announced April 27 that Ann Rathert will be superintendent of the Gateway Regional District.
Rathert grew up in the small town of Darboy, Wis., near Appleton. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in nutrition and chemistry.
Working at Kimberly Clark, she conducted research for an adult incontinent care pad.

�I was a designer of the original Depends,� she said. �That�s my claim to fame.�

She later also worked on designing new diapers, which became Huggies.
Her corporate work went beyond the lab. She also worked in sales, and in human resources.
�As a human resource information specialist, I worked with corporate organizational charts,� she said. �We were focused on quality management, and I worked with information on personnel statistics and process control.�

But that was before she experienced her call to ministry. While in seminary, she spent a year doing a town and country internship, in which she served rural churches, including one without running water. She found the experience very rewarding.

�I call myself a country girl who loves the city,� Rathert said.

Rathert moved to Missouri shortly after being ordained elder in Wisconsin. Her first appointment in Missouri was to First UMC in St. Charles, followed by Shiloh UMC. She comes to the Cabinet from Zion UMC in St. Louis, where she has been pastor for eight years. Bishop Robert Schnase is impressed by Rathert�s accomplishments as pastor.

�Ann has shown tremendous creativity and fruitfulness in her local church leadership, has demonstrated her ability to lead others to reach out beyond the doors of the church, and I look forward to the gifts and perspectives she brings to the Cabinet,� he said.

Yolanda Villa
It was announced April 27 that Yolanda Villa will be superintendent of the Heartland Central District. Villa grew up in Oakland, Calif., and by the time she got out of high school, she was looking for something very different. That�s what she found at Salina, Kan., where she attended Kansas Wesleyan University.

�I was warned when I moved from Oakland to Kansas, that I would find people had an,
�I�m OK, you�re not OK,� attitude toward me because of race,�� she said. �I found that to be true.�

But she didn�t get scared off from the Midwest, and continued to live in Kansas. It was at the Full Faith Church of Love in Kansas City that she experienced her call to ministry.

Villa finished her degree in social psychology at Park College. She then attended seminary at Saint Paul School of Theology.

Her appointments include serving as an associate pastor at Saint James UMC, chaplain at the state hospital in Topeka, Kan., pastor of Centennial UMC, and associate pastor at Platte Woods UMC.

Recently, Villa has been at Church of the Resurrection, where she is the executive pastor of congregational care. There she oversees a staff of 16 people, seven pastors and nine lay employees.

Bishop Schnase appreciates the experience she has had in large churches.

�Yolanda brings a passion for excellence to the role of superintendency, holds the respect of her colleagues and offers fresh perspectives from her experience in large congregations,� he said �I�m delighted to welcome her to service on the Cabinet.�

Center of Congregational Excellence
Bob Farr has been named director of the Center for Congregational Excellence.

The Center for Congregational Excellence is responsible for new church starts, congregational development and collaborative learning among congregations. The director will serve as a catalyst for churches and pastors to think afresh about creative possibilities for starting and growing faith communities, including restarts, second sites and mergers.

�Bob Farr has given excellent leadership to congregations throughout his ministry, and brings a passion and expertise to congregrational planning and growth that is unmatched,� said Bishop Robert Schnase. �I look forward to his work in our Conference and his work together with the Director for Pastoral Excellence.�

Farr will not be leaving his position as lead pastor at Church of the Shepherd in St. Charles.

�We�re taking a new and creative approach with Bob�s appointment by working together with Church of the Shepherd,� Schnase said. �Bob will serve the Conference three-quarter time while remaining senior pastor at Church of the Shepherd. I appreciate Bob�s and Church of the Shepherd�s creative and positive willingness to try a new model of appointment.�

Farr grew up in Creighton, and first found himself in the pulpit at age 18 when he was a sophomore in college. He had already been to Annual Conference twice as a youth delegate.
�I experienced my call to ministry in Fayette, at Annual Conference, right after ordination, and was surrounded by a circle of four or five other clergy,�

Farr was a student at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, where he majored in organized communications and fire safety.

Farr attended seminary at Perkins. While in Texas he was youth pastor at Greenville, and served on a three-point charge.

When he came back to Missouri, Farr first served at Randolph Memorial in Kansas City. He then started a new church in Lee's Summit called Grace UMC. His next appointment was at Church of the Shepherd in St. Charles.

Farr served on the Congregational Development Team from 1996-2000. Since 2000, he has been serving on the Board of Ordained Ministry.

Farr has been working within his district on a Pastor Leadership Development program.

Farr estimates he has done consulting for about 100 churches. He has consulted with several church relocations, mergers and new starts.

�I�ve spent a lot of time in the past 15-20 years working on congregational turnarounds,� Farr said. �I believe any church can be successful.�

Center for Pastoral Excellence
Betty Sue Watson has been named director for the Center for Pastoral Excellence.

Watson will be responsible for enhancing pastoral effectiveness through recruitment, continuing education, peer learning and mutual accountability. She will work in collaboration with the Cabinet and Board of Ordained Ministry. The job begins July 1.

�I�m happy to announce the appointment of the Rev. Sue Watson to the newly created position of Director of the Center for Pastoral Excellence,� Bishop Robert Schnase said. �Sue has offered excellent leadership to local churches, served as a superintendent with great effectiveness and will bring energy, vision and passion to the task.�

This is a new Conference staff position, created in a realignment of Conference staff with the mission and vision of the Conference, and to work within the reorganized Conference structure.

�I�m excited to be in a position to create learning events that will raise skill sets and enthusiasm for ministry for all of our pastors,� Watson said. �I�m excited to be working with the Board of Ordained Ministry and the Cabinet to help increase the effectiveness and passion for learning for our pastors, whether they are new or have many years of service.�

Watson would like to see pastors develop a renewed enthusiasm for going beyond their walls and meeting people where they are, doing the work of evangelism.

�I hope we can bring about a new joy to the office of being a pastor,� she said.
Watson believes our churches can grow stronger internally, be more involved in the world, and bring more people to Jesus Christ.

�I have always loved ministry,� she said. �I consider it such a privilege to serve, and I welcome this new ministry opportunity.

Watson has been Ozarks North District superintendent for the past five years. Her previous appointments include New Hope UMC in Arnold, Centralia UMC, Immanuel UMC in Canton, LaPlata and Novinger UMCs, Camden UMC and the Owensville charge.
Watson graduated cum laude from Central Methodist College (now University) in Fayette with a BA in religion and philosophy. She graduated with honors from Saint Paul School of Theology.