United Methodist Church to say goodbye to Rev. Jim Walker

The congregation of Belleville First United Methodist Church has announced plans to say farewell to the Rev. James Walker and his wife Susan who will be retiring on the last Sunday in June after 13 years of service.
The Walkers will be moving out of their home on High Street on June 10. There will be a recording of his final sermon for the June 14 service.
The Rev. Mary Loring of Calvary United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor will take over as of July 1.
Barbara Moore, who is in charge of the arrangements for the farewell, said the Walkers are retiring and have purchased a condo near Grand Rapids.
First, those who wish to say goodbye may send cards to them at the church at 417 Charles St., Belleville 48111. The cards could include memories of him and pictures.
On Saturday, June 6, there will be an event at 1 p.m. at the church. People are asked to line up their cars in the church parking lot with signs on the vehicles to thank the Walkers for their service. The cars will parade to the front of the church where the Walkers will be.
Moore said the signs can be attached to the cars or put on sticks and placed in front of the church before the event.
The next day, on Sunday, June 7, there will be a 2 p.m. Zoom party. For an invitation to this event, email [email protected] .
Rev. Walker and his wife, Susan, a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in Christian Education, are the parents of three daughters, Moriah, Hannah, and Tiffany. Moriah was severely and multipli handicapped and died the second year they were in Belleville. Hannah and Tiffany now are in college.
The Walkers came to Belleville from Wyandotte First United Methodist Church, where they had served for nine years. They also have served in Lansing, Brown City, and Utica.
Rev. Walker, 64, was born in Escanaba and graduated from Waverly High School in Lansing. His father was a conservation officer for the State of Michigan and James was heading in that direction with a degree in geography from Michigan State University, when he felt the call of the ministry. He has been ordained in the United Methodist Church since 1985.