San Francisco -- July 6, 2006

The Golden Gate District welcomed 14 new pastors to new appointments or assignments in its district churches on July 1, 2006.

Don Guest became co-pastor, with Doug Fitch, of Glide Memorial UMC in San Francisco. Rev. Guest came from having served as a district superintendent in the Northern Illinois Conference.

Hyo-Won Park, from the Wisconsin Conference, is the new pastor of Korean UMC in San Francisco.

Greg Bergquist became senior pastor of First UMC in Santa Rosa. He had been an associate pastor at Los Altos UMC since 1996.

Shirley Macemon became pastor of New Vision UMC in Millbrae. She had been pastor since 2002 at Sunnyhills UMC in Milpitas. Chris Warner-Carey began a full-year appointment at Potter Valley Community UMC. He has served there since February.

Atsuko Fujinami traveled from Japan in mid-June to attend the Annual Conference Session, and at the beginning of this month became associate pastor for Japanese-Language Ministries at Pine UMC in San Francisco. Brenda Vaca is officially associate pastor for Hispanic Ministries at Temple UMC in San Francisco, having served for the past year as a seminary intern.

Ron Stever was assigned by to Anderson Valley UMC in Boonville and to Philo UMC. Jae Haeng Choi became a half-time associate at Epworth UMC in Berkeley. She had been pastor for one year at Calvary UMC in San Francisco.

Candace Cessna is pastor of Woodside Road UMC in Redwood City. She had been pastor for three years at Boonville and Philo. Lauren Chaffee is now pastor of Bethany UMC in San Francisco. She has served Albany UMC in the past year.

Donna Wood is of Park Presidio UMC in San Francisco. She most recently served First UMC of Tracy for three years. Anthony Jenkins will be pastor of Calvary UMC in San Francisco. He is a PSR student.

Saia Fa'asisila moves from half-time at Hillsdale and half-time at Shoreview, both in San Mateo, to full-time at Shoreview. Round Valley UMC will be served by a variety of clergy and lay people associated with the Mendocino Cooperative Parish.
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Seven pastors ended their service for now to the Golden Gate District:

Jeff Kunkel, who had served as interim pastor at New Vision UMC in Millbrae for two years, will be an interim pastor at a Presbyterian church in Livermore. Sun Hee Kim, who had been an associate for children, youth and their families at New Vision UMC in Millbrae for four years, is taking family leave.

Audrey Ward, who had been pastor of Woodside Road UMC in Redwood City for two years, is now pastor of Central UMC in Sacramento. Chansoo Lee, who had been pastor of Park Presidio UMC in San Francisco for six years, became pastor of Sunnyhills UMC in Milpitas.

Nobu Hanaoka, who has been pastor of Bethany UMC in San Francisco the past year, is taking a sabbatical leave. Taeck Kyu Kim, who had been pastor of Korean UMC in San Francisco for three years, is retiring. James Current, who had been interim pastor at First UMC in Santa Rosa the past year, returns to retirement.

In addition, Atsushi Nishimura, who had been associate pastor for Japanese-Language Ministries at Pine UMC in San Francisco since 1999, returned to Japan in February.