UMVIM, SEJ Announces New Executive Director

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, Southeastern Jurisdiction (UMVIM, SEJ) is pleased to announce that Rev. Matt Lacey has been named Executive Director. As a member of the UMVIM, SEJ Board of Directors and previous employee, Matt comes with a comprehensive knowledge of the ministry. He also has vast experience training and leading UMVIM teams.

An ordained elder in the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, Matt is currently serving as the Senior Pastor at Church of the Reconciler UMC in Birmingham, AL and as North Alabama Conference Director of Missions and Advocacy. He also served as the Senior Pastor at Woodlawn UMC in Birmingham, AL from 2009 until 2012.

Matt was the Minister in Residence at UMVIM, SEJ from 2005-2009. During that time, he was responsible for team leader/missioner training, revising the Team Leader Handbook, working with supporting churches, developing UMVIM social media presence and updating project lists. He has been a member of the UMVIM, SEJ Board of Directors since 2009 and currently serves as the Communication Team Chair.

Other connectional involvement includes serving as the elected Representative of the Southeast Jurisdiction Conference Secretary of Global Ministries as a member of Global Ministries Advance Committee and as a delegate to the 2011 World Methodist Council, in Durbin, South Africa.

A graduate of Birmingham Southern College with a Bachelor in Religion, Matt’s call to ministry led him to pursue a Master of Divinity at Candler School of Theology at Emory University where he met his wife, Rev. Katie Gilbert. Katie, an ordained Cooperative Baptist Fellowship clergy, is on staff at Birmingham FUMC. Matt and Katie have one daughter, Harper.

The UMVIM, SEJ staff and Board of Directors is excited to welcome Matt to the position of Executive Director which he will begin early June 2017 following North Alabama’s Annual Conference Meetings, June 4-6.