PASTOR WILL MEACHUM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As many of you already know, our current pastor - Tom Goodell, will be retiring on June 30th 2026.  It was recently announced that his replacement would be Pastor Will Meachum, taking over as lead pastor of The Bridge on July 1st 2026.  You can find the announcement and learn more about Pastor Will below...  

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Dear Bridge UMC Family,

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It is with great pleasure the Staff Parish Relations Committee announces the appointment of Pastor Will Meachum to The Bridge UMC with a start date of July 1, 2026. The departure of Pastor Tom Goodell to retirement from active ministry brings great sadness and disappointment to all of us, but we wish him and Sherry all the best as they journey into their new life chapter. Pastor Tom will continue to serve as our lead pastor until June 30, 2026. He will then focus his full-time work as the Faith and Community Engagement Officer for The Baby Fold.

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SPRC was introduced to Pastor Will and his family for the first time this past week. We found him and his family to be engaging and passionate about the ministry, and very happy to be a future part of The Bridge UMC family. Pastor Will expressed his excitement about getting to know our congregation better and looks forward to working alongside our staff and leadership teams. After our round table discussion, it was evident to SPRC that our bishop and cabinet have appointed an excellent fit for our church and community.

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Pastor Will brings a wealth of experience since his first UMC pastoral appointment with Green Valley, IL in 2017. Following Green Valley, he was appointed lead pastor for the Henry and Washburn UMC where he has served for the last eight years. In 2021, he worked with Pastor Cathy Duffy to form a six-church parish including Henry, Washburn, Lacon, Minonk, Wenona St. Johns, and Varna UMC. Presently, he serves as a pastor for all six parish churches. In his time as a lead pastor, he has worked with multiple ecumenical clergy associations. Four years ago, he started an ecumenical youth ministry that over 50 different youth have attended. He has passionately been involved with the non-partisan Christian group known as “Bread for the World” which focuses on influencing governmental policies to end hunger and food insecurity. His advocacy work with this group includes multiple visits to Washington DC, meeting with members of the United States Congress and Senate to advocate for fair food policies both here and abroad.

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Pastor Will was ordained as an elder in the UMC in 2025. His fruitfulness project for elder ordination centered around purchasing a new worship space for the Varna UMC. This enabled the Varna congregation to move from an older building requiring significant repair and renovation into an alternative community-centered space providing a better environment for worship and ministry.

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After graduating from Mahomet-Seymour High School, he furthered his education at Parkland College. In 2002, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois with a degree in Choral Music Education. Starting in 2007, he served five years as the Director of Music at Crossroads UMC, working alongside Pastor Tom Goodell during that time. Following his time at Crossroads, he served for three years as the Director of Faith Development with the Pontiac First UMC. His work with the congregation involved equipping members with leadership tools, leading adult ministries, and coordinating Christian education for people of all ages. In Pontiac, he also gained an extensive amount of experience working with ministry teams to help the poor and marginalized youth of the community. Lastly, he earned his Master of Divinity, graduating with honors, from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in 2017.

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In addition to his pastoral and advocacy duties, Will has coached in the Henry public school system and participated in multiple community events. Over the past 8 years he has coached 5th and 6th grade boys’ and girls’ basketball, freshmen and junior varsity basketball, high school baseball, and high school golf. He has also performed in and directed multiple musicals with the River Valley Players. He plays guitar and piano and enjoys singing.

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The Bridge UMC gives a warm welcome to Pastor Will, Joy, Hayden, and Ben. We pray for God’s wisdom and guidance during this time of transition. We also pray for His peace and calming presence with our congregation and all of Pastor Will’s congregations during this time of change.

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All questions regarding the transition process may be directed to Chris Hughes, SPRC Chair, at chughesmd70@gmail.com.

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Sincerely,

Chris Hughes, SPRC Chair