How did BIUMC become part of your story? (When and how did you get connected here?)
I was appointed to serve Bethel International United Methodist Church by Bishop Gregory Palmer, starting July 1, 2018. I previously served as pastor of Sugar Grove UMC near Ada, Ohio (1990-94), Maynard Avenue UMC (1994-2006), Christ UMC in Columbus (2011-16), and Maple Grove UMC (2011-18). Maynard Avenue UMC became a radically inclusive congregation and Christ UMC is an interracial congregation--so the diversity of BIUMC was a clear connection to my ministry.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love to preach the Word! I know that other aspects of pastoral ministry are just as important: visiting the sick and counseling the troubled, casting vision and leading change, administering the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, teaching Bible study and developing leaders, administering and ordering the ministries of the church, and more. But I really love to preach the Word.
What’s one fun fact about you that people might not know?
Do I get two? I have heard two US Presidents speak in-person: President Ronald Reagan in the Rose Garden in 1981 and former President Jimmy Carter at Emory University in about 1989.
I am a lover of poetry. I read poetry regularly and occasionally put pen to paper.
If you could describe BIUMC in one word, what would it be and why?
FAITHFUL. We are called not just to believe in Jesus, but to follow Jesus. BIUMC follows Jesus in feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, and caring for the vulnerable.
Pastor Glenn’s passion in ministry is fostering diverse community centered in Christ.
He has:
- started summer programs for urban children
- formed partnerships with city recreations centers and public schools
- visited United Methodist churches and orphanages in Liberia
- led the Worship Team for annual conference
- always welcomed any and all who would come.
As an introvert, Pastor Glenn feels deeply the longing we all have to be loved and cared for—even when we are not sure how to seek that out. Surely there could be no better place to foster diversity community centered in Christ than Bethel International UMC!
Pastor Glenn and his wife, Carolyn Wahlmark, have lived in Columbus since 1994. Pastor Glenn grew up in rural central Kansas and got a B.A. in Classics from the University of Kansas, later studying at the University of Illinois and attending seminary at Emory University in Atlanta. Though he cheers for the Buckeyes, it’s still Jayhawk blood in his veins. Carolyn graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and the University of Illinois. She works as a librarian at OCLC in Dublin. Pastor Glenn and Carolyn have two daughters—Emily who works with survivors of human trafficking in Kansas, and Rachel, studying Classical Civilizations at the University of Cincinnati.
