Ogden First UMC dunks pastor for fire truck fundraiser

Story and photo submitted by the Rev. Kim James
First United Methodist Church, Ogden, Utah

At the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference in June, Bishop Elaine Stanovsky made an appeal for churches to raise money to purchase a used fire truck for the Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana. Rev. Kim James of Ogden First United Methodist Church pledged $300 for the cause and then went home and made it happen. A new member of her congregation had offered to provide a dunk tank for a fundraiser, and this seemed like the perfect combination. What could be a better way of putting out fires than by getting the pastor all wet?

With the smoke of forest fires blowing in from the northwest reminding them of the need, the Ogden First UMC congregation rallied around the cause and had a lot of fun on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 23. Fortunately, others besides Kim (including Annual Conference Lay Member Chris Hicks) were willing to take the plunge, and children and adults alike had fun throwing the balls. At $1 per throw and larger donations accepted, the count quickly rose to a little over $600.

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Click here to learn more about the Rocky Mountain Conference partnering with the Northern Cheyenne community to improve their fire protection.