Greetings, Salutations, and Blessings, Peace be with You.

As many of you know, I have recently been appointed to your church as its new Pastor! I am very excited to begin this journey with you all and see where God takes us! May our Church increase; may our worship of and love for God increase; may our faith increase; may our service to the world increase; may our love and evangelism for the world increase; and may our unity increase.

My name is Michael G. Whitcomb-Tavey. I am 43 years old. I grew up in Southern California, within Riverside County, until I was 17 years old. I then moved to Florida and lived in the Daytona area until I was 23. At 23, I joined the US Navy (active Duty) and was stationed in San Diego, CA. I served in the Navy until I was 27, when I was honorably discharged from service. Upon my discharge, I moved to Easley, SC, where I attended undergraduate school at Southern Wesleyan University (SWU). From 2008-2018, I lived in the Easley area, and during my time there, I received a BA in Christian ministry and a BA in Psychology from SWU, an MDIV from Asbury Theological Seminary (with a specialization in Biblical studies and Biblical languages), and married my wonderful wife, Karissa. I have been married with Karissa for 12 years, being married to her on Jan. 14 2012. In 2018, we moved to the Upstate to be closer to family and so that I could serve in the UMC. We have three children (Noah [11], John [8], and Alithea [6]). We also have three dogs (MiZuki, Freckles, and Patches), 1 cat (Snickers), 2 bunnies (Caramel and Smore), 1 horse (Missy), three sheep (Guiness, Dandelion, and Quince), and some chickens!

From 2010-2018, I served the Wesleyan Denomination as an assistant Pastor, a Pastor of college/student ministries, and as an adjunct professor at Southern Wesleyan University (teaching Old Testament, theology, and Church doctrine). I also served as a Pastor to an independent congregation. This was a formative time for me. However, God was mysteriously guiding me into the UMC during this time. Through much prayer and reflection, and by the guidance of a close Pastoral friend, I joined the UMC in the Upper NY Conference (UNYC) in 2020.

Since then, I served the Genesee Valley District as Senior Pastor to Scottsburg UMC and Conesus UMC (2020-2022), and Dansville UMC and Trinity Federated Church of Naples (2022- 2024). Currently, I am a Commissioned Reverend in the UMC, on track for Ordination in early 2025. I am also a member of the UNYC Safe Sanctuary committee.

I like studies in Theology, Bible, Philosophy, and the Arts. My hobbies include reading comics, reading in general, playing video games, playing chess, building desktop computers, and cooking. I also enjoy writing and do so regularly as a book reviewist for Asbury Theological Seminary and as a writer for the Upper Room. I am a fan of Marvel, Lord of the Rings, and Star Trek. I also take great joy in spending time with my family and riding Missy when I get the opportunity. My favorite book (other than the Bible) and movie is the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, my favorite video game is the Witcher 3, and my favorite hymn is “Come thou fount” in its original score. I have also been informed that my favorite football team is the Buffalo Bills! Which is fine with me since I was never really a football “fan,” so becoming one will not be that difficult, and is actually quite exciting!

Saints that have influenced me include St Athanasius, St. Augustine, John and Charles Wesley, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Terrassa, Bishop Robert Barron, Rachel Held Evans, and NT Wright.

I pray and hope that this short bio grants you some insight into my history, journey, qualifications, and personality. May it be that, as we journey together, we grow together and come to know each other in the fullness and depth of Divine Love and Christian Unity and Fellowship. As your new Shephard, I join and echo the words of John the Baptist in John 3:30: “May I decrease so that Christ increases.” In all that I do as your Pastor, this shall be my mantra and focus. That all I do might lead us deeper into the Person, Love, Being, and Presence of Jesus Christ.

Bonnie Boudreault is our part time office administrator at Asbury UMC.  She started working at Asbury back in 2009 with 9 hours a week when they were still at Millersport Hwy.  She has grown with the church when we moved to the current location on Dodge Road and her wide range of duties have grown also. She prides herself with a helpful nature.

Karen Kirwan runs our children's program We follow the one room school house model and usually have between 3-6 children in class. Bringing Bible stories to life for the kids is our main passion. Mrs Kirwan is a retired elementary school teacher with over 30 years experience. We have about 6 teachers who rotate teaching throughout the year.

Nancy puts together our Bible Study programs. She leads 3 different bible studies as well as preaching when needed.  All we can say is that Nancy is dedicated to teaching us about God.

Antonella is a pianist, a music theorist and a pedagogue. In addition to her doctoral studies in Music Theory and Musicology at the University at Buffalo, Antonella holds a Master Degree in piano performance from the same University, post -diploma certifications in piano performance, a diploma in piano from the Conservatory Santa Cecilia in Rome (Italy). As a researcher, her interests are in music cognition, theory of images in music, music as a language, harmonic language in contemporary music, Italian composers in the 20th century, set theory and Mathematics. She presented her research in several national and international Conferences. Antonella has been acclaimed for her exciting pianism and for her attention to the quality of sound. Antonella also gives private lessons at our church.