I am 41(2008) years old and grew up in rural east Tennessee. From 1985-1989 I attended the University of Memphis where I received a BBA in Management. After college I lived and worked in Chattanooga, TN in the metal service center industry. In 1992 my work brought me to the Greenville, SC area. In 1995, I began full-time church work as Director of Youth & Evangelism at Memorial UMC in Greer, SC. In 1998, I was appointed as pastor of Harmony UMC in Ware Shoals. The Lord (and the Bishop) brought us to Columbia and Wesley Memorial in 2002. Our shared ministry, as pastor and parish, is going very well. The Lord is richly blessing us. I love being here. My hobbies include reading, camping, hiking, movies, computers, homemade barbecue (and sauces/rub), Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and all things firefighting.

I am a Chaplain with the Columbia Fire & Rescue Services. This is a volunteer position that is a wonderful outreach ministry. It is also very re-creational for me. God has enabled me to serve both my community and those who put their lives on the line for the community. I enjoy the camaraderie with the fire department personnel and trying to help my neighbors in the midst of tragedy and loss. I occasionally run fire or rescue calls and if I am “in the house” when the call goes out I grab a ride on that big red truck (isn’t that every boy’s dream?). The men and women of the fire department are very committed—the embodiment of courage, sacrifice, duty, and honor. It is a privilege to be associated with them. For the fire department personnel a chaplain represents both God’s presence and the community’s appreciation. For persons in the community a chaplain can provide an ear to listen with empathy, a shoulder on which to cry, an arm for a loving embrace, a voice of care and compassion, a hand to reach out in friendship, and a knee for faithful prayer.

Theologically I am a Methodist in the tradition of John Wesley. I am steeped in the heritage of pietism, and I have been strongly influenced—as Wesley was—by the breadth and depth of the Christian Tradition. I am not a pastor who is blown to-and-fro by the winds of fad—the latest trend in modern theology. Due to educational background and personal interest, my personal systematic theology is well developed. This influences every aspect of my daily living, teaching, preaching, and ministry. I believe that evangelism—reaching the lost, making disciples—is the central mission of the Church. There are two primary themes or images that direct me in ministry—pastor and pastor-teacher. The former reminds us of the example of our Savior and Lord. It shows that ministry is about the life we live and share with those in our parish. The latter directs us toward methodology, serving as a guide for carrying out ministry.

 Thank you for taking the time to find out more about our church (and me). Please join us for worship or another activity. I hope that you will share in the Life with us soon.- Michael.

A Message from Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We had an awesome meeting this past Saturday called Rethink Church. This is a program, or movement, to put hands and feet on the phrase Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors: The People of the United Methodist Church. It is exciting in and of itself, and it allows us--at Wesley Memorial Church--to tap into this campaign as we seek to put hands and feet on our God-given vision of being A Neighborhood Church Serving God and Neighbor--Making Disciples of Jesus Christ. We shared our dreams, hopes, and thoughts about ways to do church and be the church that God calls us to be--Active, Outbound, and Unbound. What if we rethink church, not in terms of what it is, but in terms of what it could be? Think about The FUTURE; it's where we want to be. There were a lot of REALLY GREAT ideas, and a lot of excitement and energy. We were all very moved and pumped up. While there were a lot of folks there, many people were unable to attend for various reasons. We want to encourage everyone who could not attend this past Saturday to come to Sunday School on two Sundays, May 31 and June 7, in the Fellowship Hall. We will present the information from Saturday's meeting during this time. This will allow more voices, including yours, to join the conversation and more people, including you, to hear our exciting message. Our primary conclusion from Saturday's Rethink Church Meeting was a plan, or process, for moving forward. We understand better how critical worship is to who we are, Whose we are, where we are going, and fulfilling our vision. Let me say it this way: Worship is the most important hour of each week in the life of our congregation. And, perhaps most importantly, while the focus of worship is always the Person of God, how we worship our Lord is determined by those who are not yet a part of our congregation: the outsiders. Is this truth reflected in what we do and say, and in how we spend our money and set our priorities? Help us decide. Join the conversation. Be a part of the solution. We have another meeting scheduled for Saturday June 20 at 9:00 am in the Fellowship Hall. We hope you will join us at this important meeting. Find out about the Seven Ships of Ministry. Learn what we hope to do. Join us in a process as we seek to fulfill the vision, live the dream, and glorify our Savior.
Enjoying the Journey,
Michael Bingham, Pastor 5/18/09