If congregation members at Glen Moore United Methodist Church (GUMC) were asked to describe pastor Daniel Hepner after seeing him play the drums in the church praise band or hearing his messages some of them may have chosen words like "enthusiastic" or "energetic."

"I am so happy to be here," said Hepner, who was appointed GUMC pastor in the summer of 2021. "My energy comes from the Holy Spirit. I love serving this church. I cannot believe that God would ... bless me with an appointment like this. I owe it to the Lord and to these people to serve them as best I can."

This is Hepner's second appointment to GUMC; he served as pastor from 2006 to 2008. Most recently, Hepner was the pastor of discipleship at Hopewell United Methodist Church (UMC) in Downingtown. "I was what they call a bi-vocational pastor. I had a secular job in the insurance industry," he explained, noting that he retired from the business in 2021.

Hepner continues to work part-time at Hopewell UMC. "It's called a two-point charge. I run a men's Bible study on Saturday mornings (at Hopewell), and I am liaison to men's ministries," he explained. "I preach only at (GUMC) on Sundays. My last sermon at Hopewell was in June of 2021."

Since his appointment, Hepner has taken on several projects, including raising funds to purchase new paraments for the church, which include altar cloths. He is also helping the church raise money for a new roof through a stewardship campaign. "This church has been here almost 150 years," he noted.

GUMC offers an in-person Sunday worship service at 10 a.m. Services can also be viewed online at http://www.glenmooreumc.org/weeklyservice and at http://www.facebook.com/glenmooreumc.

"The worship style is a combination of contemporary praise music at the beginning of worship with sing-alongs and fellowship, and then it moves into the more traditional style with hymn singing and the message," Hepner pointed out.

Outside of worship, the church supports the Honey Brook Food Pantry and the Coatesville Salvation Army and is the chartering organization for Boy Scout Troop 79. The church sponsors an annual Cookie Walk in December and a Fisherman's Breakfast on the first day of trout season, which falls this year on Saturday, April 2. Plans are for a car show to be held this summer.

Hepner's goals include bringing younger families into the church and reinstituting the church's nursery program. "We have one chance to influence our children - when they see their mom and dad taking Communion and singing in worship and praying on their knees," he said. "That's what I want to bring back - the tradition where we are building a legacy for our children and our grandchildren."

As the pandemic winds down, Hepner hopes that people return to worship in person. "Although we have a brand-new website and (people) can listen to the service on YouTube, Jesus calls us to be in fellowship and to be together," he said.

GUMC is located at 1920 Creek Road, Glenmoore. For more information, call 610-942-2324 or visit http://www.glenmooreumc.org or the previously mentioned Facebook page.