Rev. E. Taveirne

E. Taveirne, Sr. Pastor at Fenton United Methodist Church, is a graduate of North Central College in Naperville, IL.  His seminary education was at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology. 

An Illinois native, Rev. Taveirne served as Sr. Pastor of Wheaton, Illinois' historic Gary United Methodist church between from June, 1996-June, 2007.  During Taveirne's tenure, Gary's local ministry and wide-ranging global mission grew remarkably.  Gary Church's community, with its unique staff model and its strong lay and professional leadership, bore marks of faithfulness to Jesus' gospel through its variegated worship alternatives, education, music, and community/global outreach opportunities with spiritual growth and development for all.  He led Gary Church through its recent "Cornerstone of Faith" Building Program -- an award-winning $8.3 million dollar addition/renovation to their 1930 gothic structure.

Rev. Taveirne has taken seriously --and literally-- Jesus' admonition to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.  Having studied in Eastern Europe while in seminary, and feeling profoundly indebted for wisdoms acquired there, in 1998, through the UM Russia Initiative Program, he planted UM Christian seeds where few would choose to go -- in Russia's far northern White Seaport  city of Arkhangelsk where he has led numerous mission teams in various humanitarian, orphanage-related projects. 

Taveirne takes pride in the people of his church community.  He has been active on various boards and agencies within the United Methodist Church.  He believes that Christian rootedness is both discovered and lived out in the local church.