Bridgewater United Methodist Church Welcomes Two New Pastors

Bridgewater United Methodist Church is pleased to welcome two new pastors to the staff – Rev. Dr. Jennifer Cho and Pastor Laura Steele. Rev. Cho and Pastor Steele will officially start at the church on Sunday, July 2, 2017 at a combined worship service at 9:30am.

Rev. Cho was appointed to BUMC as the new Senior Pastor and she will oversee all the ministries at Bridgewater UMC. Rev. Cho said, “I am passionate about building up a vital congregation supported by vital disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, sharing God’s amazing love with everyone in the church and in the community, and making and nurturing disciples among young people and young-at-hearts.” Rev. Cho previously served as the senior pastor at First UMC of Newton and prior to that church she served in Mt. Tabor, Westfield, and Englewood. She received her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary where she received the Mary Long Grier-High Davis Preaching Award. She obtained her Doctorate of Ministry from Drew Theological School.

Pastor Laura Steele has been appointed as the new Associate Pastor of Spiritual Development and a large part of her responsibilities will be to work with the middle and high school youth groups. Before being called into ministry, Pastor Steele served as the Director of Spiritual Formation at Del Ray UMC in Alexandria, Va., where she oversaw youth and family programs, drama club, sports ministry, and community events. “I have been moved by the faith of the youth I have worked with in so many ways – it is a strong and passionate faith that deserves nurturing,” said Pastor Steele. “Being a teenager is such a stressful time; I’ve learned how important it is to have good faith role models.” Pastor Steele is currently pursuing her Master of Divinity from Drew Theological Seminary and previously served as the lead pastor at East Millstone UMC and Mt. Zion UMC of Hillsborough.

About Bridgewater United Methodist Church

Bridgewater United Methodist Church invites all people into an accepting and loving community of peace and refuge that makes disciples of Jesus Christ to impact lives through mission and service. They offer two worship services on Sunday morning – a traditional service at 9am and contemporary service at 10:30am. They have youth and family ministries, music ministries, United Methodist Women groups, and a Men’s Group. Bridgewater United Methodist Church is located at 651 Country Club Road in Bridgewater and can be reached at 908-526-1414 or www.bridgewaterumc.org