Dr. Jim Standiford to Retire

March 11, 2013

Dear Friends and Fellow Members of First Church,

May the grace of Jesus Christ be with you. I write to you as the Chairperson of the Staff Parish Relations Committee. Jim Standiford has asked our Bishop for permission to retire as an active, appointed pastor effective June 30, 2013. At Annual Conference time he will be sixty-six years old and will have served forty-three years under appointment, the last thirteen here with us.

As the first step in the appointment process, our committee met with the Bishop and District Superintendent and shared with them the qualities we deem most important for a new Senior Pastor. In the United Methodist Church the Bishop appoints all pastors, and we will inform you as soon as the appointment process has been completed. As we move closer to Jim's time of leaving, we will schedule an appropriate time of saying good-bye.

Please keep our Bishop, the Cabinet, and our congregation in your prayers as we look to the future and our faithful discipleship to Jesus Christ.

Please see the reverse side of this page for a letter from the District Superintendent.

Very sincerely,

Carl Meuser

March 11, 2013

Carl Meuser, SPRC Chair

First United Methodist Church

2111 Camino Del Rio South

San Diego, CA 92108-3039

 

Dear Carl and the Congregation of First UMC San Diego:

 

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I am writing to let you know that your beloved Pastor Jim Standiford, after many years of service, will retire June 30, 2013.

 

Jim, who has been a long-time friend of mine, has served with great distinction during his tenure throughout the Desert Southwest and California-Pacific Conferences. He has served superbly San Diego First Church and community for thirteen years by bringing energy, creativity and spirituality to every aspect of the church's and his ministry. In addition to his service at First Church, he has offered himself in leadership in several capacities. He has served on conference boards, taught at the seminary and served as a district superintendent. And Mary Lou has been not only a supportive spouse but a spiritual leader in her own right.

 

In the coming weeks, you will want to keep Jim and Mary Lou in your prayers during this time of transition. You are also encouraged to celebrate the ministry you have shared together and look forward with great expectation of what God will do in the next season through our collaborative and prayerful efforts. The Spirit of God shall guide us along the way.

 

As the District Superintendent, I will be in consultation with your SPRC and the Cabinet in order to share in what is best for this ministry and community. Such consultation and prayerful discernment will be essential as the Bishop determines who she will appoint as your next pastor.

 

Warmly yours, in the ministry of Christ,

Willard Buzz Stevens

South District Superintendent

 California-Pacific Annual Conference

  United Methodist Church