Ortonville- After nearly six years as pastor of the Ortonville United Methodist Church, Tim Dibble’s last sermon here will be June 12.
Dibble was appointed by the bishop of the UMC’s Detroit Annual Conference to be senior pastor at the Ypsilanti First United Methodist Church.
‘This appointment was a big surprise,? said Dibble, who will lead a congregation of about 500 in Ypsilanti, where the UMC’s current pastor has been made a district superintendent for the Detroit Metropolitan District. ‘Apparently they thought I would be a good choice.?
Dibble’s first day as pastor of OUMC was July 1, 2005. Prior to Ortonville, he served as pastor at a United Methodist Church in England from 2000-2005, a special appointment he requested from the Detroit Annual Conference because he was marrying a Brit. He and Fiona Dibble, whom he met as a student pastor in England in 1993, will celebrate their 11th anniversary in July. They have five children.
‘I liked serving Ortonville a lot, it was a lot like the small town I grew up in, Vicksburg, Michigan,? Dibble said. ‘I felt very much at home in this setting.?
Dibble has served the community in more than a religious capacity. He was a member of the Downtown Development Authority, serving on the board of directors and on the Main Street promotions committee. He and members of his church have hosted numerous dinners as part of the summer Beets, Beats & Eats series downtown, and he has volunteered at various community events including CreekFest, SeptemberFest, Halloween in the Village and Christmas in the Village. Dibble was also president and vice-president of the Brandon High School Band Boosters. He has enjoyed working with other local churches on CROP Walk, the Relay for Life of Brandon/Ortonville, and joint church services at Thanksgiving and Lent.
‘I will miss the folks I served,? Dibble said. ‘We grew very fond of folks in the church and in the community. We worked with a lot of different folks on a lot of different projects… Leaving is always bittersweet. I will miss the people and village, but it is exciting going on to a different place. The new church has a groundbreaking, Hispanic outreach ministry and I will be learning to speak Spanish at 51 years of age, almost 52. It’s an adventure? I’m looking forward to it.?