In a pre-Covid world, Rev. Mary Ellen Finegan would have been honored in person in front of the “whole annual conference,” said Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball. But because of the pandemic, the honor was bestowed at Finegan’s home in Buckhannon and shown on livestream during the Aug. 1 session of celebration at this year’s Special Annual Conference.
In thanking Mary Ellen for her eight years as superintendent of the Wesleyan District and her eight years of service on the Cabinet, the Bishop commended her for modeling “for all God’s people what it means to be a servant” in her “ministry centered in prayer.”
The Bishop said Mary Ellen has “served and touched the lives of congregations, mission projects, pastors and laity with the light, hope and empowerment of Christ.”
The Bishop also affirmed Mary Ellen’s time on, and dedication to, the Cabinet. “You blessed your cabinet colleagues with wisdom, intelligence, and grace,” the Bishop said. “You are super smart, and we appreciate your Biblical knowledge and ability to instantly enter into deep theological dialog.”
The Bishop proclaimed Mary Ellen a “healer among us” as a prayer servant and in her knowledge of home and natural remedies, which Finegan acknowledged she learned from her dad.
“It is with a grateful heart that we honor you in your retirement,” the Bishop said.
Mary Ellen praised the pastors that served in the Wesleyan District during her tenure and thanked the whole district for their gifts and affirmations upon her and Jim’s leaving. “I still lay awake at night sometimes, wondering if I made the right decisions” for the good of the churches and pastors she served, but “I strove to do the best I could,” she proclaimed.
She thanked the Bishop and cabinet for their leadership, highlighting the open dialog and mutual respect of its members as something from which she has learned and will always remember. “We could disagree, agreeably,” she said.
Mary Ellen and the Bishop also thanked and praised God for the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (VIM) in our conference for their gift of a wheelchair ramp at Mary Ellen and Jim’s home in Buckhannon. Mary Ellen also thanked every individual, group and church in the Wesleyan District for the gifts she received upon her retirement as superintendent. With these gifts, she and Jim were able to purchase a refrigerator, stove and dishwasher for their home.
Mary Ellen was presented her citation and gift by the Bishop and Rev. Joe Kenaston, dean of the Bishop’s Cabinet, who also prayed for Mary Ellen & Jim, giving thanks for their ministry and her leadership over the past eight years.