In Sympathy: Donna Atkinson
Rev. Donna Atkinson, a retired member of the Northern Illinois Conference, passed away on January 24, 2026.
Posted: June 7 2023 at 02:00 PM
Author: Victoria Rebeck
Lay and clergy who have completed steps toward confirmation of their ministry are celebrated at Annual Conference sessions.
This includes lay people in the order of deaconesses and home missioners, and clergy and lay as missionaries.
It includes clergy who are being licensed as local pastors, commissioned as provisional member deacons or elders, and ordained as deacons or elders; and those who are retiring.
The following were celebrated at 2023 Annual Conference:
Recognition of a Consecrated Deaconess
Joann Cultura Melad
Sending Forth of a Missionary
Rev. Jane Eesley
Recognition of Local Pastors
Lino Aragon
Xiomara Aragon-Castro
Joshua D. Brown
Ron DeBaun
Nicholas Joyner
Shalamar Molina-Perez
Jenny Moller
D. Josiah Montgomery
Jacqueline Salgado
Ivan Sarabia
John Marc Sianghio Jr.
Transfers from Other Methodist Denominations
Rev. Satya Sudhaker
Rev. Solomon Sudhakar
Commissioned for the Ministry of an Elder
Jaeeon Cho
Clayton Scott Edwards
G. Morris K. Jarkloh Jr.
Ordination to the Order of Deacons
William Cody Johnson
Ordination to the Order of Elders
Beverly Doreen Dukes
James Fu
Sung-Eun Kim
Elsa Noemi Meza
Elizabeth M. Rutherford
Jieun Mori Siegel
Tyler Swihart-Ward
Retiring Clergy
Cynthia Anderson
Julie Bunt
Susan Flinn-Portee
Brian LeBaron
Claire Marich
Miguel Nieves
NoahPanlilio
Gary Peluso-Verdend
Jim Rough
Jonathan Singleton
Brett Todd
Brad Wilson
Mary Zajac
What Do United Methodist Missionaries Do?