By LOIS KINDLE
The Rev. Cynthia Weems returned to her original calling this week when she became senior pastor of one of South Shore’s most active community churches.
Newly appointed to her role as shepherd of the United Methodist Church of Sun City Center, she officially started July 1 and will give her first Sunday sermon July 8. She has filled the opening left by The Rev. Charles Rentz who recently retired.
“I knew I wanted to be a pastor when I was 8 years old,” Weems said. “Returning to local church ministry now and in Sun City Center is like returning to a childhood dream. I’m excited to serve among the people here.”
Weems, 52, moved to the community after 15 years in Miami, where she served six years as pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Miami, followed by eight years in the term-limited role of supervising 60 United Methodist churches in a district that stretched from Delray Beach to Key West.
Most recently, Weems served remotely for a year as assistant to Bishop Tom Berlin of the Lakeland-based Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church, while it went through a realignment. In that capacity, she worked with a cabinet of eight district supervisors.
“I was ready to return to my true calling to serve a local church,” she said, noting last February the cabinet discerned with Rentz leaving that she would be a good fit to replace him in Sun City Center. Since then, she’s had several meetings on campus.
“Pastor Charlie helped make the transition very smooth,” Weems said. “He was a wonderful resource.”
The pastor feels her appointment here is “such a good fit for my gifts and for what the Sun City Center United Methodist Church congregation is hoping for its next chapter. Her goals include “continuing to provide meaningful worship and preaching to the church and outreach to the larger community to benefit and uplift its residents.”
Weems’ first pastoral act here was to pray with 16 teens as they got in the van to head off to summer camp.
“She has a joyful presence and is going to be a great addition to our church and community,” said Victoria Sorensen, director of ministry at SCC UMC. “She’s an active listener, very genuine, poised, energetic and uplifting. We’re very happy she’s here.”
More about the minister
After graduating with a bachelor degree in religion and history from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., in 1994, Weems earned a master’s degree in divinity three years later from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Conn.
After Yale, she served two years as a United Methodist Church volunteer missionary in Cocha Bamba, Bolivia. In addition to English, Weems speaks Spanish and Portuguese.
Her decision to go to the South American country was “going out on a limb,” she said. “A lot of my formation as a pastor and person happened in Bolivia.”
Weems was born in McComb, Miss., where her roots lie. In 1985, when she was 10, her family moved to Kansas City, Kansas, so her father, a Methodist minister, could go into seminary administration.
As an adult, Weems served her first two churches there. She relocated to Florida in 2007.
LOIS KINDLE PHOTOS
The Rev. Cynthia Weems is the United Methodist Church of Sun City Center’s new lead pastor. The 52-year-old native of McComb, Miss., most recently served 15 years in Miami, during which she held pastoral, supervisory and administrative roles in the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church.
She is currently engaged to be married in Kansas City Aug. 3 to The Rev. Mark Holland, whom she met 25 years ago. The couple will reside in Sun City Center after the wedding.
Later that month, the pastor’s 18-year-old daughter, Mariana, will head to Salem, Oreg., to study international relations at Willamette University.
Sun City Center United Methodist Church is at 1971 Haverford Ave. Traditional Sunday services are at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the sanctuary. A contemporary service is held at 9:45 a.m. in the Life Enrichment Center.
All are available live for viewing online at www.sccumc.com/. Pastor Cynthia can be reached at cynthia@scc.umc.com/.
For more information, call 813-634-2539.