Terry Bridges, lay-supply pastor of Midtown Parish UMC in Philadelphia, will become the Eastern PA Conference’s new part-time Coordinator of Urban Ministries Sept. 1. 

Having served as a minister in Philadelphia Baptist churches for nearly 20 years, Bridges began assisting the Rev. Victor Gimenez at Union Memorial UMC in Darby in 2017. He is completing studies at Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary & Graduate School and is a candidate for Licensed Local Pastor. The pastor of Midtown Parish since August 2020, he followed the Rev. William Brawner there and now follows him as Urban Ministries coordinator.

“I have both a genuine respect and curiosity for the vast diversity of our churches and the communities in which they are planted,” said Bridges. “Understanding the strengths and deficits of these two entities is my passion. I love to help people discover and develop their God-given talents.” 

His broad ministry career has specialized in: Christian education; youth, young adult and family ministries; cross-cultural/cross-racial ministry with Black and Latino groups; leadership training and program facilitation; motivational speaking, counseling and conflict resolution.

“The UMC’s commitment to helping churches connect more with their communities aligns with my strong desire to see them collaborate for the health of the city and the growth of the Body of Christ,” said the new pastor, who describes himself as a true people person, a good listener and talker. He has worked with school officials, local politicians and other community stakeholders, in addition to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Philadelphia Chapter. His background also includes commercial construction coordination and owning and managing the Hair Culture Barber Shop in Philadelphia. 

“We give thanks for the faithful ministry of Rev. Will Brawner who led our conference in forming urban alliances, developed our conference’s’ Fight for Floyd Movement and increased grant opportunities for urban churches and urban partnerships,” said the Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm, Director of Connectional Ministries.

“We welcome Pastor Terry Bridges who brings decades of experience in urban ministry, in both the Baptist and United Methodist Church. His role as Urban Ministries Coordinator will focus on the urban centers in our conference, along with nearby suburbs, as we seek the revitalization and growth of our urban churches and communities.”