Pastor’s Page

My name is Pastor Jim Droste and I began my role as pastor at Yorkville UMC on March 1st, 2024. Christina, Harvey (our five-year old toy schnauzer), and I are excited to be here!

If you are here to learn more about our church and what we are about, I would encourage you to come to a church service. If you’re not ready to walk through the doors of our church quite yet… no worries! Feel free to watch us on Google Meet. There is a link on our website for how to do that.

I think the most important thing that we can do as a church community is help to make new disciples of Jesus Christ so that we might be able to transform the world. I want folks to learn more about God, the good news of Jesus Christ, and make a choice to begin a relationship with God and grow in that relationship with God. At Yorkville UMC, this is something that we are learning about together, and we’d love to have you join us on that journey, or at least learn more about what it might look like.

A little bit about me:

I have had an interesting career and educational history. My path to pastoral ministry had its twists and turns… it involved times in which I did not consider myself a Christian and did not believe in God. Nobody said being a Christian would always be easy. I’m proof! I have learned about the love and grace of God, and even though I wandered away, God welcomed me back when I was ready. You might find yourself in a similar position. God will welcome you back at any time…when you are ready.

I attended the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh from 1995-2000 earning a degree in general and choral music education. While I had a passion for education and a passion for music, the classroom was not where I wanted to be. I embraced my experience in student government and residence hall living and went to school at Western Illinois University for a master’s degree in College Student Personnel. I was a residence hall director back at UW Oshkosh for six years and in my fourth year there, I heard God’s call to enter the ministry.

I completed my seminary education classes, called Course of Study, in five consecutive summer sessions at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary. I have served at Oakfield UMC and Tabor (Eden) UMC for six years, Dodgeville and Grace (Ridgeway) UMC for eight years, and Wesley (Sheboygan) UMC and the Plymouth New Church Start for 9 months (cut short by Christina’s new job). We are excited to be here living in Yorkville and look forward to being in ministry with you and the community.

Being a pastor is my career and calling, but there are things I do to unwind. I am a runner (I’ve run two marathons!) so you might see me out running in the greater-Yorkville area. Our toy schnauzer Harvey likes to go for walks, so you’ll see us around in the mornings. I also like to play video games. I own an Xbox Series X and my gamer tag is SetecAstronomy4. Christina and I like to watch TV shows and movies together, go for walks when our calendars align, and work on jigsaw puzzles.

That’s a little bit about me. If you ever want to chat, don’t hesitate to email me: jbdroste@gmail.com.

We’d love to have you join us some time for church… 9am, in-person or online.

Take care and God bless,

~ Pastor Jim