Pastor's Page

Rev. Mike Orthel, pictured here with his wife JoAnn, will move here in mid-October. Pastor Mike's first day here will be Wednesday, October 15. Let's give the Orthels a great FUMC welcome!

Mike grew up in Buffalo Center. JoAnn spent her teen years in Humboldt where her parents worked in the Humboldt school system.

Mike graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1969 with a degree in mathematics.  After teaching for a few years, he soon found himself in retail store management, eventually managing grocery stores in Keokuk, Clarion, and Eagle Grove.  Mike entered the ministry in 1986 when he was appointed to the Stewart Memorial UMC (Vinton)/Urbana UMC charge in the Waterloo District).  During this time he attended the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, graduating in 1989.  He served his first full time appointment at Colfax UMC. He was the founding pastor of Jordan Creek UMC, a new church in West Des Moines and then moved on to Kalona UMC where he served for six years. He then moved to Algona, where he had been for five years.

JoAnn graduated from Morningside College in 1971 with a degree in music education.  She taught school for a few years but has concentrated on private music lessons, teaching piano and voice from her home. JoAnn has been an active partner in the churches Mike has served, leading choirs, teaching Sunday School, and being active in the UMW.  She has served in several Conference & District level offices of the UMW. JoAnn writes music and occasionally and shares it with the church. She wrote the tune for the calypso-style UMW Purpose Song used in many Conference gatherings.

JoAnn also enjoys tying comforters, sewing school bags and knitting prayer shawls.  She hopes to have more time to read books from the UMW reading program when her term as conference UMW secretary of program resources is completed this December.

Mike and JoAnn were married on December 30, 1972.  They had a daughter, Ruth, who died the same day she was born in 1977.  With the exception of a sister who lives in Palmer, the rest of JoAnn’s family (her parents, a brother and a sister) live out of state.  Mike’s family consists of six living siblings—four sisters and two brothers.  All but two of them live in north central Iowa.

We welcome the Orthels to Burlington and to First United Methodist Church!!