Meet the DLTs: Rev. Paul Winkelman

July 9, 2019 / By Rev. Paul Winkelman / 3 Comments

I am originally from Northern Illinois, and I remember attending a United Methodist Church there before moving to New York at the age of 10. After accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior, I began to see the world differently. My desire to love, to help, and to serve was amplified. Through living the gospel of Jesus Christ, through seeing people being brought to Christ, and through watching the church transform the community and the world, I continue to have great hope through Jesus Christ.

I have been blessed to serve as a pastor for seven years in our Upper New York Annual Conference, and I have had the pleasure and the honor of serving five churches. In serving each of these churches, I have seen spiritual growth, transformation, attendance and membership growth, growth in ministries, and I have seen the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed with power and love.

I'm now serving the Sidney United Methodist Church in the Oneonta District. I see the hurt, the brokenness, and the suffering experienced by many in the community in which I serve. Within this, I am seeing people come to Christ, I am seeing lives changed, I am seeing a strengthened church, and I am seeing the positive benefits that this has had on many people, the church, the community, and the world.

My goals are to continue to serve, to preach, to teach, to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, to be a good husband, to be a loving person, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, to watch the Sidney UMC grow in grace, love, and in its all-around impact on Sidney and the world. I believe that strong and growing churches help to renew communities, and it is my hope and my goal, with God’s help, to see not only the Sidney UMC transform Sidney, but it is my hope and goal that a transformed Sidney will then transform the world. The love and the hospitality of the people of the Sidney UMC, the way that we care for, love, and become invested in each other’s lives, along with spirit filled worship, great ministries, and great outreach, has helped the Sidney UMC to make many new disciples and church members.