Announcement of Incoming Pastor
- 22 hours ago
- 2 min read
A Letter from Kathy Easterday, Chair of the Staff Parish Relations Committee
Dear Church Family,
I am pleased to inform you that we have a new Senior Pastor. Rev. Tezenlo Thong will be joining us as of July 1st. The SPRC team recently met with Tezenlo, his wife, Han, and our District Superintendent, Jessica Rooks, to connect and get acquainted.
After sharing his resume with the team, Tezenlo clarified that his first name is pronounced “Deh-ZEN-low” where the “T” sounds like a “D”. His last name, Thong, is pronounced “Tong” where “h” in “Th” is silent. When asked if he preferred “Reverend” or “Pastor”, he smiled and said, “Just call me Tezenlo.”
We had a great meeting. Tezenlo and Han were friendly, warm, and engaging. Tezenlo shared a meaningful devotion and then we exchanged information about ourselves and FUMC. (Note: We even mentioned the 5-minute greeting time where we gather in the center aisle.)
Tezenlo received his Master of Theology degree from the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul, South Korea in August 1995. Tezenlo and Han moved to Kansas City, KS with their two children in 2001, one month before 9-11. He received a Master of Arts degree from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2003. Tezenlo, Han, and now three children moved to Denver where he completed his studies and received a PH.D. in Religious and Theological Studies from Iliff School of Theology in June 2009.
Tezenlo has served as pastor in Vineland UMC in Pueblo, CO (4 years) and Simpson UMC in Arvada, CO (5 years).
In 2017, he served a full term (6 years) on the Bishop’s Cabinet as District Superintendent for the Mile High District. Tezenlo served as Senior Pastor at Littleton UMC (2 years) and then took a leave of absence for personal development and spiritual renewal. Tezenlo and Han live in Aurora and they're planning to commute to Castle Rock to join us.
We are excited to welcome Tezenlo and Han to our church family. We will officially “pass the baton” during our worship services on Sunday, July 5. In the meantime (while we are in that “change over zone”), please refrain from reaching out to him. Instead, contact me or any member of the SPRC team if you have questions or suggestions for a smooth transition.
Kathy Easterday, Chair of SPRC
SPRC Team – Gail Hammond (Lay Leader), Pat Jones, Marianne Reigel, Joyce Morales-Caramella, Larry Pratt
