Sixty Years on Middletown-Lincroft Road

Middletown United Methodist Church sits along Middletown-Lincroft Road in Middletown, New Jersey, a Monmouth County township of quiet residential streets and longtime congregations. Former pastor Wayne Conrad has preached that the church was founded about sixty years ago, and the campus has grown up around the same sanctuary that still holds the Sunday service today. Across those decades the church has built a reputation for three things in particular: a worship service that marries traditional hymns with a contemporary praise band, a music program with four working ensembles, and an in-house food pantry called Goodness Now that serves hundreds of local families each month.

The congregation describes itself with three simple verbs: connecting, growing, sharing, and each of those words points to something visible on Sunday mornings and throughout the week. With about sixty sermons archived, recent series such as "Church on the Move," "Forming a Family," "Core Faith," and "Faith That Grows" show a steady rhythm of teaching from the Rev. Jisun Yang, who stepped into the pastorate in July 2025.

Sundays at Ten in the Sanctuary

Every Sunday morning at ten o'clock, the sanctuary fills for a single combined service that lasts about an hour. The format is intentionally blended: a full praise band plays alongside hymns accompanied by the organ, and a choir lifts the liturgy. There is a time of prayer, Scripture reading, music, and a sermon that the church says "connects faith with everyday life."

Holy Communion, also called the Lord's Supper, is observed on the first Sunday of every month. Both regular and gluten-free bread are offered, along with grape juice, and everyone is welcome at the table. Children begin the service in the sanctuary with their families and are called forward partway through for an age-appropriate children's message before being dismissed to Sunday School. Parents who prefer to keep little ones close are welcome to stay.

The church live-streams the service on its Facebook page and YouTube channel, and recordings remain available on demand for anyone who missed Sunday or wants to revisit a message. A weekly newsletter called the Communicator carries the bulletin, announcements, and the weekly sermon link to those who sign up.

Rev. Jisun Yang and the Ministry Team

The Rev. Jisun Yang is the pastor. She was born and raised in South Korea, where she studied computer science and worked as a programmer and project manager before earning her Master of Divinity from Drew Theological School. She was ordained as an elder in full connection in the Greater New Jersey Conference in 2021 and began her ministry at Middletown UMC in July 2025. Her strengths, in her own words, are preaching, team-building, and strengthening hospitality and care ministries. She is joined by her husband, Sung Woo Lee, and their infant son, Nathan.

Cindy Balme wears two hats at MUMC. As Director of Music Ministry she oversees all of the church's ensembles, and as Director of Family and Youth Ministries she guides programming for children, youth, and families. A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and the Boyer College of Music at Temple University, Cindy spent many years performing leading soprano operatic roles before turning to choral conducting with her husband John, with whom she founded the Concordia Youth Chorale and the Concordia Chorale. She returned to her Methodist roots in 2020 when she became music director at MUMC and now lives out a call to ministry alongside her musical leadership. Anne Cullen has been the office manager since 2019. Elizabeth Hill, who joined the preschool staff in 2008 and became director in 2015, runs Learning Path Preschool. Denise Sharkey oversees the church nursery, and Carolyn Hooper serves as sexton.

Music That Speaks Two Languages at Once

Music is one of the clearest expressions of MUMC's blended identity. Four ensembles meet during the week and play an active role in Sunday worship. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Thursdays at 6:30 in the sanctuary and leads the congregation in hymns and anthems. No audition is required, only a willing heart. The Babcock Bell Choir rings on Thursdays at 7:30 and welcomes players of any experience who want to learn. The Flute Choir gathers on Thursdays at 6:00, with all skill levels invited, from seasoned players to those picking up the instrument again. The Praise Band, whose practice time varies, leads the contemporary side of worship and welcomes vocalists, guitarists, keyboardists, drummers, and other instrumentalists.

Together these groups bring together the church's two musical traditions (organ, choir, and handbells alongside guitars and a rhythm section) into one service every week.

Goodness Now: A Pantry on the Campus

The single largest ministry the church operates outside its walls is Goodness Now, a food pantry run from the church building in partnership with other local organizations. The pantry serves between 550 and 600 family members a month. It operates in a shopping-style format: guests walk through and choose what they need, which reduces waste and gives each visitor dignity at the table. Non-perishable items, fresh produce, and basic household essentials are offered, with supplies varying based on donations.

Goodness Now opens twice a month. On the first Friday of each month the pantry runs from 6:00 to 8:00 in the evening, and on the third Saturday from 9:00 in the morning until noon. There are no eligibility requirements; anyone in need is welcome. The church supports the pantry in three ways: a Goodness Now donation bin at the gray doors of the building for those who pick up extras during their own shopping, an Amazon Wishlist that ships items directly to the church, and monetary gifts through the church's online giving.

A small donation team is also recruited for each distribution day to help set up, serve, and clean up. Volunteers say the experience is one of the most tangible ways to connect with neighbors beyond the pews.

Learning Path Preschool

Tucked into the same campus is Learning Path Preschool, a longstanding early-childhood program directed by Elizabeth Hill. The preschool operates as a separate ministry of the church and welcomes families from across the area. Hill, who joined the staff in 2008 and has led it since 2015, lives in nearby Colts Neck with her husband and three children. Current registration details for new families are at learningpathpreschool.org.

Children, Youth, and the Families in Between

MUMC's children's ministry runs every Sunday morning during worship. After the children's message, kids are dismissed to classrooms organized by age: a non-reader room for PreK through Grade 2, an upper-elementary room for Grades 3 through 5, and a middle-school room for Grades 6 through 8. A nursery is available for infants and toddlers throughout the service. Activity bags with age-appropriate Bible lessons, coloring pages, and quiet activities sit just outside the sanctuary for any child who wants to stay with parents during worship, and a glass-windowed area at the back of the sanctuary offers families a more private space with changing tables nearby.

The youth group for middle and high school students meets on Sundays after the worship service. Activities include discipleship, games, shared meals, retreats, and service projects. Each summer the youth take a mission trip with UM ARMY (the United Methodist Action Reach-out Mission by Youth), spending a week doing hands-on home repair, painting, ramp-building, and yard work for neighbors in need. In 2026 the trip took the group to Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Confirmation is offered every other year for students in seventh grade and up. The next class begins in late 2026. Through interactive lessons, service opportunities, field trips, and discussion, students explore the foundations of the Christian faith and what it means to become full members of the church.

Family-friendly events populate the calendar across the year, including Trunk or Treat in the parking lot, a Christmas Eve service designed for children and families, an Easter Egg Hunt, the Ladybug Festival in spring, and a weeklong summer day camp with a fresh theme each year.

Small Groups for Almost Every Interest

Small groups sit at the heart of MUMC's weeknight and weekend life, and the church has organized them more like a community center than a single Bible study. A Zoom Bible Discussion meets on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. for those who want to dig into the Scripture readings for the following Sunday. Three music ensembles meet on Thursday evenings. A Women's Prayer Group meets Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. in the church library.

Recreational groups include Mahjong on Fridays at 1:30 p.m. in the church library, a Golf small group that meets weather permitting at Shadow Lake and other local courses, an Arts & Crafts group on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in Room 111, a Book Club on the third Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. that rotates between the church library and members' homes, and a Pickleball group that meets Sundays at 3:00 p.m. at Tindall Park.

Fellowship offerings include a Virtual Fellowship that gathers on Zoom at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays right after the service, a Women's Fellowship that meets on the second Saturday of each month at 9:30 a.m., and a Men's Fellowship on the first Saturday of each month at 9:00 a.m. A Greeting Team of two-person pairings welcomes worshipers before each service.

Seasonal small groups include Nights Before Christmas (an Advent study on Wednesdays during Advent), a Lenten Journey Group meeting Wednesdays during Lent, and an annual Women's Retreat held each February or early March.

Reaching Beyond the Township

MUMC partners with a network of ministries near and far. The congregation shares a global partnership with Kaluluma United Methodist Church in Tanzania, supporting worship, education, and community development through prayer, encouragement, and financial giving. Closer to home, the church sends volunteers to the Bayshore Lunch Program in Keyport, where they help prepare and serve warm meals to neighbors facing food insecurity. At the holidays, MUMC donates 200 cans of a single staple item (corn or pineapple, for example) to the Keyport Food Pantry, and surplus from each Goodness Now distribution is shared with the same pantry.

Each November a Christmas tree in the narthex is decorated with ornaments listing wish items for children served by Aslan Youth Ministry. In partnership with the Center of Goodwill, the church provides bundles of household essentials (paper towels, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper) in May, plus Target and Kohl's gift cards in December for parents to buy Christmas gifts. Every year the congregation packs shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse, and joins the CROP Hunger Walk, an ecumenical effort organized by Church World Service that supports local hunger relief and sustainable food and water projects around the world.

A few additional service opportunities keep the congregation visible in the wider community. Suzette Halligan, a licensed cosmetologist and church member, offers free haircuts in exchange for a small donation toward missions. The Greeting Team and a team of volunteer liturgists step up each Sunday, and small groups visit Anchor Nursing Home in Hazlet on the second Friday of each month at 2:00 p.m. for prayer, conversation, and short worship services with residents.

What MUMC Believes

The church holds to the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. Members believe in one God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who creates, redeems, and sustains. They affirm that Jesus is the author and perfecter of the faith and that his death and resurrection are at the center of the Christian story. Salvation, the church teaches, is a gift of grace received through faith, and the Bible (the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament) is recognized as God's Word for all people.

Worth and dignity run through the church's stated beliefs as well. All persons are created in the image of God and therefore of sacred worth. Christians are called to let their actions be the fruit of their relationship with God rather than a way to earn favor. The church awaits the return of Jesus, the Second Advent, without speculating about timing, and focuses instead on helping people be ready. MUMC stays together as one congregation even when members disagree on smaller matters, finding its unity in the mission of "making disciples." The full doctrinal framework is set out in the Apostles' Creed and the Articles of Religion of the United Methodist Church.

Planning a First Visit

Anyone driving to MUMC for the first time will find plenty of parking near the main entrances. The building is fully accessible. Sunday morning begins at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary and lasts roughly an hour. Dress is whatever feels right; some worshipers come in suits, others in jeans. Families who want privacy or a quieter space can sit in the glass-windowed area at the back of the sanctuary. Changing tables are in the restroom at the end of the hallway, and the nursery is staffed for infants during the service.

Visitors who would like to connect with the church ahead of time can reach the office by phone at 732-671-0707 or by email at office@middletownumcnj.org. Newcomers may also fill out a Connection Card online or sign up for the weekly Communicator newsletter to receive announcements, sermon links, and a heads-up on upcoming events.

Giving and Staying Connected

MUMC offers several ways to give. A wooden offering box sits at the church entrance on Sundays, checks may be mailed to 924 Middletown-Lincroft Road, Middletown, NJ 07748, and online giving is available through Realm, with options for one-time or recurring gifts. Each fall members are invited to fill out an annual commitment card to help the church plan ministry and budget for the coming year.

Beyond giving, the church stays in touch through a weekly email, the MUMC Facebook page, Instagram, and a YouTube channel that carries both livestreams and the full sermon archive. Sign-up links for serving as a liturgist or joining the Greeting Team are always open.