We are delighted to Welcome our New Pastor April Sousa starting July 1, 2026.

(from Elk Grove United Methodist Church Website)

April Sousa started her pastoral ministry journey in 2015, saying yes to a nudge that had been present for a while. She started by becoming a Certified Lay Minister (CLM) and serving the Church of the Joyful Healer from 2016-2023, first as a CLM for four years, followed as a Licensed Local Pastor for 3 years. Pastor April attended Claremont School of Theology from August 2019 to December 2022 and graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in May 2023. In June of 2023, she was commissioned toward ordination in the United Methodist Church.

While at the Church of the Joyful Healer, she began the Saturday Gathering, an outreach ministry for the unhoused. As an advocate and ally, she walked with the Joyful Healer Church to become a reconciling ministry church in 2018.

In 2022, Pastor April served the California-Nevada Annual Conference as the Interim Associate Director of Certified Lay Ministry and Lay Church Planting. She continues to serve the Department of Leadership Development for the CA-NV Annual Conference as a member of the CLM Advisory Committee and the Lay Leadership Development Board. She fully believes that the laity is the lifeblood and future of the church, and chooses to invest her time in empowering and mentoring laity leaders.

Pastor April began her appointment with Elk Grove United Methodist Church on July 1, 2023. She and her spouse, Justin, have two adult children, Quinn and Xavier, and a menagerie of pets (as of her 2023 appointment, this includes 1 dog, 3 cats, and 2 bunnies).

We welcome and include everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, age, economic status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Through our actions, we encourage the community to do the same. Our doors are open. Our love is unconditional.

We minister to the whole person to nurture a faith that works in real life through worship, education, fellowship, service, and justice. We walk with each other on our journeys with God and in following the way of Jesus.

We create a spirit of belonging through Christian care-giving, fellowship, and service. We foster collaboration both within our congregation and throughout our greater community.

We work, educate, and advocate for social justice locally and globally through our actions, prayers, and financial resources.

We use our time, labor, and other resources to respond to the needs of our local, national, and global communities. We encourage everyone to serve.

UWF Monthly Thrift Shop

Come shop the amazing deals at our renowned Thrift Shop event. The best part is UWF is dedicated to affordable prices as well as donating proceeds to local, meaningful and socially conscious organizations and projects.

Donations are welcome Wed/Thurs and the Thrift Shop is open Friday 9a-3p and Saturday 9a-12:30p

Photobook Pictures are entering their 3rd Sunday of Individual and Group Picture Days!

Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to be part of our photobook directory to join in our the larger faith community we cherish and enjoy. If your like me, you would like to be better with names/faces…or maybe you just want to memorialize this exciting time in our church!

This is the third of three days of photo shoots and already we have some amazing images of our diverse and lovely community. We are using member volunteers (my thanks to Liz, Rhesa, Janice, Mary & Lynne for their efforts) to keep costs down and green screen technology. This means we can make subtle adjustments as needed, maximize versatility and still create a wonderful printed photobook for 2026 (more to come about this mid-summer around the time of the arrival of our new Pastor April Sousa July 1, 2026.

See Tim or Liz if you were unable to participate in these early shoots, or would like to retake your picture, and we will arrange that at your convenience. The photobook team wants group pics as well so if you lead or chair a group (choir/bell/music/media/friendly visitors/ inclusive ministries/staff/ scholarship/ UWF, ARTF, youth, endowment, Trustees, SPRC, etc)….please take a landscape group photo and send to Tim!

PS: If you would like a fun AI altered image of your picture, see Tim and tell him “I saw this on the website announcement and would like a pic of me/us as a _________ (snowman, gopher, pilot, astronaut…anything).” and he will create and send you a fun digital version of your individual or family photo to you to keep! See our preservice announcement or Tim’s April fools “ mandatory uniform” joke on our Facebook page for inspiration!

All-church Meeting Sat May 16th 2026 10a-3p

-Come learn healthy communication habits for you church, workplace and family

-Explore ways to increase joy and hope in you work as a church and community leader

-Come away empowered to stop shame, negativity, gossip, and other behaviors that limit church growth

-Prepare for a new pastor by learning ways that an active church grows in spiritual abundance and in outreach into the community

Lunch will be ordered from outside vendor ($15 donation appreciated but not necessary)