Leadership Board
Servant Leaders in Action.A New Partnership for Welcome and Compassion
May 27, 2026
Dear Chelsea First Family and Friends,
Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Leadership Board has affirmed our commitment to the dignity and humanity of immigrants in our community and across the nation. As part of this commitment, we have approved the recommendation of our Social Justice Action Team that Chelsea First United Methodist Church become a member of the Washtenaw Congregational Sanctuary (WCS).
The Washtenaw Congregational Sanctuary organization grew out of local interfaith efforts in January 2017 in response to intensified immigration enforcement activities affecting vulnerable families in our community.
WCS unites diverse faith communities in supporting immigrants and their families through learning, advocacy, and tangible assistance. Congregations are encouraged to participate in ways that align with their own calling, discernment, and capacity.
By joining WCS, we are putting our faith into action — living out Christ’s call to welcome the stranger and stand alongside vulnerable neighbors. In doing so, we affirm our identity as a vibrant, intentionally inclusive, justice-seeking faith community.
Our commitment is also grounded in the Social Principles and witness of The United Methodist Church, which affirms the dignity and rights of all individuals, including migrants, immigrants, and refugees.
In making this decision, we are guided by Bishop Bard’s strong affirmation in a recent letter:
“We affirm the dignity, worth and rights of migrants, immigrants and refugees… recognize that displaced people are particularly vulnerable…[and] oppose all laws and policies that attempt to criminalize, dehumanize or punish displaced individuals and families based on their status as migrants, immigrants or refugees. Additionally, we decry attempts to detain displaced people and hold them in inhumane and unsanitary conditions. We challenge policies that call for the separation of families, especially parents and minor children, and we oppose the existence of for-profit detention centers for such purposes.”
Becoming a member of the WCS is an opportunity to take a stand that is aligned with our values, grounded in Christ’s commandment to love our neighbors and in the example of Jesus, who himself experienced displacement and migration. We do so prayerfully, humbly, and with hope for a community where every person is treated with dignity, compassion, and love.
Our Social Justice Action Team has been deeply engaged and has been a driving force behind CFUMC taking this step. The team will lead our engagement with WCS, represent CFUMC at monthly meetings, and keep the congregation informed about current needs and opportunities to support vulnerable people in our communities.
In God’s love for all,
Mike Vanderspool
Chair, CFUMC Leadership Board
Meet The Leadership Board
We are grateful for the dedicated individuals who serve on our Leadership Board, guiding our church with wisdom, faith, and a commitment to our mission. Each member brings unique gifts and perspectives as we seek to fulfill God’s call in our community.
Our board operates on a rotating schedule, with members serving in designated “classes.” This structure ensures continuity while allowing new voices to join in leadership. Click the link below to learn more about our current board members:
Guiding Principles
The Leadership Board for Chelsea First has unanimously approved the “guiding principles” that will broadly guide how the church will operate as it moves closer to full implementation of the simplified accountable structure adopted in in 2024.
The guiding principles say, in part that Chelsea First is a “vibrant, intentionally inclusive, justice-seeking faith congregation.”
The guiding principles are the permission-giving policies, procedures and practices that protect and allow the ministry of the church to function on a day-to-day basis within healthy boundaries. They outline areas of responsibility for the Leadership Board as well as key areas of local church operations.
Adopting the guiding principles by May was one of the initial, first year goals established by the Leadership Board under the streamlined simplified accountable structure for church operations.
The document, approved at the board’s May 13 meeting, can be read in full by clicking the link below.
If you are interested in serving, have a question or comment, we’d love to hear from you!
If you are unsure of how or where you would like to serve, you are invited to fill out the “Gifts Inventory”. The Gifts Inventory can reveal skills and talents you’d like to share or explore with the church family. It will also let leaders know the ways that you want to engage and volunteer.
Leadership Board Information
The Leadership Board meets on the second Tuesday of each month, typically 6:30-8 p.m. in Room 207, and meetings are open to the public.
The next meeting is July 14, 2026.
The Chelsea First congregation is encouraged to attend the June 24 town hall meeting that will provide an opportunity to offer input to church leaders on key topics for the coming year.
The focus of the session, scheduled for 6:30-8 p.m. in the church social hall, will be on this overriding question: “How is God calling our church to grow and serve in the year ahead?”
Three trends are essential in this discernment, said Leadership Board Chair Mike Vanderspool: leadership that is community-focused, team-based and transformation driven. “As you prepare for the town hall, we invite you to prayerfully consider these questions,” Vanderspool said.
- Why do we exist as a church?
- What is God calling us to focus on in the year 2027 and beyond?
- Where do I fit into all of this and what do I need in order to be more engaged in our church and in service to the wider communities where we live and work?
“We hope you’ll join us as we listen, learn and discern God’s vision for our church together.”
The town hall feedback will help the 11-member Leadership board prepare for its annual planning session on Aug. 4 to articulate high-level goals for the coming year, Vanderspool said.
Also at the June 9 meeting, Leadership Board members Andrea Alford, Todd Hubbard and David Shaw shared information about a monthly question that will be posed to the congregation as part of a plan to deepen engagement with Chelsea First members.
The intent of the effort is to pose one question each month to the congregation designed to better understand who we are as a faith community and how we want to engage with each other and the broader community. The group continues to fine-tune details for this important engagement effort.
Among other items discussed at the June 9 meeting were these:
- Andrea Alford, Jeff Melvin and Nolan Peterson shared a shared a summary of takeaways from the UMC annual conference in May. Each person shared different aspects of the annual gathering of United Methodist clergy and lay leaders from across the state.
Nolan Perterson shared details on some of the legislative action that came before the annual conference, including the decision to reduce the number of district in Michigan from seven to four. Chelsea First now will be in the Greater Detroit District under the leadership of District Superintendent Darryl Totty.
Jeff Melvin shared how impressed he was with the engagement generated by Chelsea First Deacon Rodney Gasaway, who represented a group of allies supporting military veterans. Jeff said there was a constant stream of people talking with Rodney about this important work.
Andrea Alford talked about the powerful keynote speaker, Dr. Ashley Boggan, who is a UMC historian. She shared insights regarding the history of John Wesley’s opposition to slavery and how he was an early supporter of gay men.
You can read a more detailed account of the annual conference here: https://chelseaumc.org/2026-annual-conference-report/
- Pastor Joy Barrett shared a brief update on goals for the current year. She said the hospitality team is developing recommendations for the church based on recent focus-group feedback. The faith formation team is ready to move ahead with a part-time position that would support Susan Adam-Rita’s in this work. And she reported that the church demographics team is continuing its data gathering and analysis.
- Monthly consent agenda items were approved unanimously. These items include the minutes of the May meeting and the April consolidated financial report. According to Finance Manager Bill Ruddock, income for the month was greater than projected and expenses were less than expected. He reported that all ministries are working within their budgets.
- The next meeting of the Leadership Board is July14. Meetings are scheduled the second Tuesday of each month, typically 6:30-8 p.m. in Room 207. Meetings are open to the public.
2026 Approved Board Meeting Minutes
Chelsea First
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Chelsea First United Methodist Church (Chelsea First) is a Christ-centered congregation with a positive, open, and engaging spirit. We are a church for everyone, at all seasons of life, and bring a grounded, engaged, and supportive approach to Christian worship while working passionately toward making a positive impact in our community.
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