Pastor's Page
Pastor Fredric L. Utz
"I was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1941. We moved around a lot and I attended school in three different states: Missouri, Michigan, and Minnesota. I received a B.A. degree in 1964 from the University of Minnesota. That same summer, Paula and I were married. In 1965, I received a B.S. degree also from the U. of M. Then I served three years of active duty at the Naval Air Station in Grand Prairie, Texas. Our son, John, was born in 1968. After release from active duty, we moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where I worked for MetLife and then Shell Oil. Our daughter, Laura Lee, was born in 1970. In 1974, I entered seminary at Southern Methodist University. I graduated in 1977 from the Perkins School of Theology and was ordained Elder in 1979.
My first appointment was as Minister to Children at Lovers Lane UMC in Dallas. I was appointed as Minister of Christian Education at Plymouth Park UMC in Irving in 1979 where I served for ten years. After twelve years as an Associate Pastor, I decided to become a Senior Pastor and was appointed to a dual pastorate at Nocona and Montague where I served for four years. Then it was three years at Trinity at Denison, and seven years at St. Marks in Wichita Falls. In 2003, I retired with twenty-eight years of service. However, in 2004, I was asked to serve a part-time appointment at Oak Grove in Decatur. After four years, I retired again due to health problems in 2008.
After seven years, the Pastor at Rhome UMC announced his retirement. Rhome was a church without a Pastor. I was a Pastor without a church. So when the District Superintendent, Marvin Guier, called to ask me if I would accept the appointment at Rhome, I gladly accepted.
We have four grandchildren. Elizabeth is 8 and Luke is 6 and they live in Ft. Worth. We also have two granddaughters, Rachel, who is 15, and Emily, who is 9, and they live in Durham, North Carolina. We also have a West Highland Terrier (a "Westie") named McDuff. I am an avid sports fan. Hard to believe that last year, we hosted the Super Bowl, played in the World Series, and won the NBA Finals Championship.
I, along with my wife Paula, look forward to serving the Rhome church as your Pastor and spouse, getting to know you, and sharing our faith journey with you."
