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| Our Pastor,
Rev.Richard
Mitchell was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and lived in Montana, Wyoming,
Texas,
and Ohio (again) before meeting Sharon Weddington after his family
moved
to the suburbs of Chicago. Sharon was born in Mooresville, North
Carolina and lived in Texas and Germany courtesy of the US Army before
her family moved to Indiana; and then, to the suburbs of Chicago.
Rich and Sharon were married on June 8, 1974 while Rich was in college studying for ministry. After graduating from Venard College in Oskaloosa, Iowa Rich served churches in the Washington D. C. area under The Wesleyan Church from 1976 to 19878. Rich and Sharon have three daughters. Carolyn, Noelle, and Julie were all born while they lived in Virginia. In 1991 Rich earned his Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary near Lexington, KY and retuned to the D. C. area. Two years later, in 1993, he transfered to the Little Rock Conference of the United Methodist Church and was elected an Elder in Full Connection in 1995 while serving as Associate Paster at First United Methodist in El Dorado, Arkansas. Since then he has served the Fairview-Ogden UMC Charge in Texarkana and St. Luke UMC in Little Rock. His appointment to First United Methodist Church in England follows a one year sabbatical, a year which has been "spiritually invigorating and personally Challenging." Rev. Mitchell has also been involved in community wide ministry. In El Dorado, he was part of a group of pastors who contributed spiritual life articles to the local newspaper. In Texarkana, he hosted a "tape live" 30 minute religious affairs program for the Sherveport/Texarkana NBC affiliate. At St. Luke, he worked with 6 other United Methodist pastors to provide leadership for a cooperative youth minitry. The Mitchells have 3 grandchildren, all by their yougest daughter, Julie Bivans. The newest addition, Mallory Abigail, was born on June 10, 2004 and is loved by big brothers Tommy and Brandon. The other daughters live on the east coast. Carolyn's husband, David, anticipates graduation in 2005 from architecture school in Philadelphia. She is working as a buyer for a discont store chain, Five Below. Noelle is working on her PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology at George Washington University in Washington D. C. while her husband John does advertising sales for radio station WAVA. Oh, and Mrs Mithcell? She is a Medical Secretary in Ophthalmolgy at Arkansas Children's Hospital. For recreation Rich and Sharon enjoy spending time with their Granchildren. They also enjoy walks all around the Natural State, especially in the Ozarks and Ouachitas. Rich also enjoys motorcycle touring and is threatening to take up golf again. He hopes he won't be fined too heavily for dotting courses with too many divots. Pastor Richard Mitchell can be contacted at the church at 501-842-3734 or by e-mail at EnglandUMC@centurytel.net. |