UMC WEBSTER
Pastoral Staff
Rick LaDue
Lead Pastor
Pastor Rick was appointed to the United Methodist Church of Webster on July 1, 2015. It was a homecoming of sorts because he grew up in Rochester and graduated from John Marshall High School. At 15, Rick accepted Jesus as His Lord and Savior after attending a Young Life camp in the Adirondacks.
After graduating from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, Rick returned to Rochester to serve as a youth pastor with Young Life and later with Aldersgate UMC. Youth ministry didn’t always pay the bills, so Rick often worked additional jobs teaching, coaching and at WWWG Radio.
In 1995, he moved to Wilmore, Kentucky to attend Asbury Theological Seminary. He was then hired by Rev. Jim Buskirk to be the youth pastor at First UMC in Tulsa, Oklahoma – the fifth largest United Methodist church in the country. Rick was invited back to Kentucky to be the Festival Director of Ichthus – the original Christian music festival. After leading the 2000-2002 festivals, he answered the call to ordained ministry and returned to New York State.
Rick served in Jamestown, NY for the ten years prior to coming to Webster. He loves playing tennis, cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers and vacationing on beaches. He was an extra in the movie “Seabiscuit,” co-wrote a book for youth leaders called Creative Events for Youth Ministry or How to Swallow a Live Goldfish, and has traveled to all 50 states. At UMC Webster, he enjoys participating in the drama ministry, but is primarily focused on preaching the gospel, setting the vision and guiding the church in the mission “Love God, Love Others, Serve Jesus.”
Feel free to contact Pastor Rick at [email protected]
Wendy McVeigh
DIRECTOR OF Family Ministries
Wendy has lived most of her life in Webster and feels a strong commitment to the community. She and her husband Dan have been active members of UMC Webster for many years.
Wendy had a powerful encounter with Christ as a young child. She always believed that He had placed a call on her life, but struggled with how to answer it. When she began serving as a youth volunteer she knew she had finally found her passion and the answer she was looking for.
Wendy serves as Director of Family Ministries. She teaches our SALT Sunday School for teens in 6th-12 grade, leads our Switch Youth Group, oversees Christian Ed for Children Pre-K-5th grade and leads Confirmation Class.
She loves teaching and working with students, and is focused on helping them to lead Christ-centered lives. She loves that she is able to serve alongside her husband Dan. Wendy is able to provide students in youth ministry with unique opportunities to develop into Christian leaders through music, drama, teaching, small group discussion and serving.
“I understand many of the difficulties parents and kids face today, because I’m not just the youth leader, I’m also raising my own children. I know how tough it can be to stand against cultural influences for both parents and kids. I also see how wonderful this current generation of youth is, and how much hope they bring to this world.” Wendy and Dan are raising their twins, Ryan and Rachael, college sophomores, their son Kyle, high school, and daughter, Katie, in middle school.
You may contact Pastor Wendy at: [email protected]
or 585-309-6510
Information about Switch Youth Group may be found here: https://www.instagram.com/switch_youth_group/D