A warm Neighbors in Religion welcome to the Rev. Dr. T. Glenn Bosley-Mitchell, who is the new pastor at St. John’s United Methodist Church at 4760 Pine Tree Dr. in Miami Beach.

Pastor Glenn, as he likes to be called, is 58 and has been an ordained pastor in the Florida Conference since 1978. He was ordained when he was 24, and is a third-generation Methodist pastor from Florida. He is married to the Rev. Gaye Bosley-Mitchell, an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ (UCC). She is not currently pastoring a church.

Together the two-pastor clergy couple are the parents of a "blended family" of seven children.

Pastor Glenn has served four years on the National Board of the Methodist Federation of Social Action and said he is "extremely excited about finally being able to be in a reconciling congregation which mobilizes United Methodists to create full inclusion of everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity."

According to a press release from St. John’s, Pastor Glenn has a strong Christian witness devoted to spreading God’s love and salvation. His vision for the church is to find the ways to "change the packaging" of the church and worship without changing the content of the Gospel, so that those who have never known Christ will be open to listening and experiencing Christ’s love. If pushed to label himself, Pastor Glenn would identify himself as a "progressive-liberal/evangelical with a strong bent towards social advocacy."

He said his skills lie in "designing worship that is spiritually relevant and culturally significant as well as providing executive and administrative leadership, specifically within new paradigms. He said his teaching style is participatory rather than simply lecturing or being didactic. He believes that one of his strengths is in analyzing and strategizing the necessary ministries for keeping the church moving forward for this culture.

Pastor Glenn said he also believes strongly that laity and clergy must yoke together in providing congregational care and church leadership, with the pastor directing, under-girding, and developing church members in their gifted or chosen area of ministry.

New priests

On Saturday Archbishop Thomas Wenski ordained two men to the priesthood. It was the archbishop’s first ordination class since being installed to the Archdiocese of Miami.

The men who received the Sacrament of Holy Orders from the archbishop are, Deacon Biju Vells and Deacon Cletus Omode.

Vells, 34, is a first-generation American of Indian descent, who was a social worker until he "felt God calling him to something even better," He is a native of Mount Vernon, N.Y. His parents immigrated to this country from Kerala, India, shortly after they were married.

Vells is a graduate of Palmetto High School and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Florida International University. He worked as a medical social worker at Baptist Hospital for two years before entering St. John Vianney College. He spent his pastoral year at St. Andrew Parish in Coral Springs and has served as a deacon at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, also in Coral Springs. He will serve as parochial vicar at his home parish, St. Louis. Vells celebrated his first Mass on Sunday.

Omode, 35, is a native of Nigeria. For most of his life, Omode discarded the faith, but later found a community and a path to Christian growth in the “Neocatechumenal Way.” He is the first Redemptorist Mater seminarian to be ordained for the archdiocese. The seminary, operated according to the principles of the Neocatechumenal Way and aimed at forming missionary priests, opened in South Florida in December 2011, and is an itinerary of Christian formation which began in Spain in the 1960s, and has now spread throughout the world. Omode celebrated his first Mass on Sunday.

‘Suited for Success’

Our hats are off to the men and women at Mt. Hermon AME Church in Miami Gardens, who donated more than 50 suits, some still in suit bags and others near perfect, for men who are seeking employment to look good on their job interviews.

According to Sara J. Carson, a member of the church, the donation was made last Monday to Suited for Success.

"Yes," Carson said, "we are our neighbors’ keepers in times such as these."

I agree.

Bat Yam

Temple Bat Yam, a Reform synagogue in east Fort Lauderdale at 5151 NE 14th Terr., invites the community to its "joyous and musical Friday evening services throughout July." The services will be followed by light refreshments.

Service times are 8 P.m. Fridays and 10:30 a.m. Saturdays.

Honoring the mayor

Congratulations to Miami Gardens Mayor Shirley Gibson, who was honored on Sunday during worship service with a "Mayor Shirley Gibson Day" at New Way Fellowship Baptist Church, where Bishops Billy and Catherine P. Baskin are pastor and co-pastor. The mayor who will complete her final term in August, was honored for her "impeccable leadership and unwavering dedication."

The city of Miami Gardens was incorporated in 2003 and Gibson is the city’s first mayor. "Since the incorporation of the city, we have been blessed to be led by a visionary committed to moving the city forward and building it into one of the most progressive cities in the state," said Leola Adams, a member of the church at 16800 W. 22nd Ave.

‘A joyful noise’

Music lovers will want to attend the third annual concert featuring The Sunshine A Cappella Choir at 3 p.m. Sunday at First Deliverance Fellowship Church, 2688 NW 65th St. The theme is "Make a Joyful Noise."

The concert is being presented by the Tenth Tabernacle Church of God and Saints of Christ, where Elder Samuel J. Eaves II is the local pastor.

Tickets to the concert are $7 each. Send an email to Tangie White Jackson at Miami.fl@cogasoc.org for tickets and for more information.

Chamber music

Music in Miami will present the first of a three-concert Classical Chamber Music series at 6 p.m. on July 8, at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 464 NE 16th St.

The concert will feature performers Modesto Marcano, viola; David Pedraza, viola; Viera Borisova, viola; Tawny Mayo, cello; Gabriel Torres, double bass, and Yueh-Yin Liao on keyboard. They will perform J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 and Beethoven’s Duo in E flat for Viola and Cello.

The concert is free, but donations will be accepted. All donations go to the musicians.

For more information call 954-309-2424.