“Willistown United Methodist Church is a family of believers who welcomes all people, shares God's Love and serves as Jesus' disciples in the world.”
—
Chartered on November 1, 1964, “The Church on the Hill” has been serving Willistown Township and the surrounding areas of West Chester and Newtown Square through worship, outreach programs, providing a community space for families and organizations, and listening to needs of our community.
Who We Are
Rev. Jeff Richards
Pastor
Meet the Team
Rev. Jeff Richards, MDiv, MAPSC arrived at Willistown UMC and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the UMC in July 2021. He is pleased to serve the Willistown area after two prior appointments in the Mountain Sky Conference of the UMC, including appointments in Littleton, CO and Cheyenne, WY. Rev. Jeff graduated from the Iliff School of Theology with his Masters of Divinity (MDiv.) degree and Masters of Arts in Pastoral and Spiritual Care (MAPSC) degree. He has a passion for walking with folks going through the toughest times in their lives. Rev. Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife, Kit, and their beautiful black labrador retriever, Madge. He also enjoys cinema, sports of all kinds, and science fiction.
-
Bill Snyder
Director of Music
Bill Snyder was born and raised in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania where he and his family were members of Swarthmore UMC. He attended East Stroudsburg University, earning a BA in Theatre Arts. In the late 1970’s he began performing as a professional musician throughout the Pocono Mountains.
From 1979-84 he acted as Host and Producer of the weekly regional television program Pocono Outreach. His time within the local church Pocono Fellowship began his 40-plus years of leading and developing Contemporary Worship and Music in churches of many styles, sizes and affiliations. During the years 1984-1998 Bill served as Pastor in several United Methodist Churches in southeastern Pennsylvania.
He was awarded the Master of Divinity degree in 1999 from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now, Palmer School of Theology). Since that time, he has ministered in churches predominantly as a developer and leader of musical worship. Bill has been joyfully serving on the staff of Willistown United Methodist Church since 2010.
-
Clelia Fiore
Office Manager
Clelia Fiore became office manager for Willistown UMC in the Fall of 2021. She was expecting an ordinary part time job, but what she found was a community of caring people, dedicated to their church. Working at Willistown UMC has added new and different dimensions to her life; she is grateful that she can use her creative, organizational and computer skills to her work at Willistown UMC.
Clelia lives in Newtown Square with her partner, Jay, and their cat, Buddy. In her spare time she enjoys photography and baking, and has won numerous ribbons at the Goshen County Fair for her cakes and cookies.
Q & A
Our worship, our values, our family.
How many members does Willistown UMC have?
Willistown UMC is a small but determined congregation. While we have less than a hundred members, we seek to be a well-connected and inviting group.
Who is the founder of Methodism?
Methodism began because of John Wesley, his brother Charles, and others’ desire to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. Together they pursued “holiness of heart and life,” which Wesley described as “universal love filling the heart, and governing the life.” Wesley taught that God’s grace is with each of us throughout our lives. By grace God prepares us, justifies us, and then continues to nurture us as followers of Jesus Christ.
What do United Methodists believe?
UMC’s mission is to witness to Jesus Christ in the world, and to follow his teachings through service. Our service is not for our benefit but for all people. We seek to serve, driven by compassion, justice, worship, and devotion, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We do these things as individual Christians, as congregations, and as a globally-connected denomination, not to earn something from God, but to participate in God’s ongoing work in the world, in our lives, and in the lives of others.
What is the relationship of Methodists with other Christians?
United Methodists consider themselves a “big tent” that invites all to share in our fellowship. We have working relationships with other Christian denominations that help build up the greater “Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12-31).
Bottom line: All are welcome in our doors. You have a place here.
Can I become a Methodist if I was baptized in another denomination?
The short answer is: Yes!
Membership in the Methodist Church is a commitment to both the work of the local church and a personal renewal of one’s promises with God. Baptism is an important part of our Christian lives, no matter when or how that happened. We would love to chat with you more about what membership in the United Methodist Church means, no matter your church history!
Who can take communion at Willistown UMC?
Each Tradition has particular beliefs about what it means to partake of the Lord’s Supper, a remembrance of the Last Supper of Jesus before his betrayal and death. United Methodists believe that the communion table is an open table; Christ invites all who wish to join in the feast. Anyone who wishes to receive the elements of communion are more than welcome at Willistown UMC. We typically observe communion on the first Sunday of every month.
What are services at Willistown UMC like?
The first guideline: come as you are. You are welcome to wear your “Sunday best” or something casual.
Our prelude begins roughly 5 minutes before service starts. This is your opportunity to enter into a spirit of worship or connect with the other folks attending worship.
Do you welcome members of the LGBTQIA+ community?
Willistown UMC considers itself a welcoming community. We invite all into God’s presence and to share in worship.
We recognize that the greater United Methodist Church is divided on the subjects of sexuality and gender identity; individuals at Willistown UMC are also working through their understanding as well. Nevertheless, we as a community honor that each person is created in the image of God. We strive to welcome all, no matter our difference.
What ministries does Willistown UMC have?
Our ministries begin with worship. We worship every Sunday morning at 10:30 am with a musical mix of traditional hymns and contemporary favorites. We believe there is a place for all worship preferences here. Holy Scripture is preached every week, recognizing what the context and meaning of scripture means to our past and our present.
But worship is just the start of church. We are also people of study, prayer, and service.
We invite both personal and group scripture study including a weekly Bible Study in conjunction with nearby Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA). We study the Gospel of Mark every Thursday morning, either in-person or via Zoom. All are welcome to join. There is also a Disciple Bible Study, an in-depth survey of the whole bible, which meets every Wednesday evening via Zoom. This is taught in conjunction with other local area United Methodist Churches, including both pastors and membership.
As a people both focused on our local community and internationally aware, we lift up our joys and struggles in prayer. We share a weekly prayer list and go in-depth with prayer every Tuesday afternoon on Zoom to address our community and wider world. All are welcome to join in meaningful discussion and growing in prayer.
Service is a passion of our community, and there are many ways to join in. From church administration to addressing our community’s needs, there is a place for you. We are grateful to have among us a certified lay Christ Servant Minister who assists with not only regular church functions and assists the pastor but lovingly challenges us in mission. We also regularly contribute to Methodist Disaster Response through UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief. See a more detailed description of our service efforts below.
As always, we try to be aware of our local community and see how we can better serve those around us. It is important for us to be good neighbors.
In what ways do you reach out to the greater community?
We are always adapting our ministry efforts to the needs we hear as well as the gifts we can offer. Among our service to the Willistown area include:
Bi-Monthly Blood Drives
Food Donations to West Chester Food Cupboard
Our “Non-Profit of the Quarter,” which focuses on a local non-profit, such as Home of the Sparrow and Safe Harbor. While the WUMC community takes the quarter to better learn their mission, we support the non-profit with monetary and item donations.
Boy Scouts of America Troop 66 Host
Host for Westtown Area AA Regular Friday Night Meetings
We host community space for families and community organizations
We host Faith Hope Love Chinese Church and share many ministry opportunities