As the process of building our Cooperative Parish continues, we have had some changes to our pastoral team. Beginning January 1, 2025 there were some amazing changes to our pastoral team! We continue to work with our sibling campuses in the North Shore Village Cooperative Parish! - Setauket UMC, First UMC in Port Jefferson, and Stony Brook Community Church to create "a new, new thing!"
Our new parish has been blessed by the appointments of 2 pastors, with a 3rd planned for the near future! They are working diligently with us to bring the Grace of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!
They will preach in at least one of our four campuses every week, please join us at 11am as we worship our risen Lord at the Wading River campus! You can also join in with Setauket UMC at 9 am, Port Jefferson UMC at 9 am, or Stony Brook Community Church at 11 am.
Lead Pastor: Reverend Dr. Claire Wu
It is with much gratitude and faith, that we welcome our new lead Pastor, the Reverend Dr. Claire Wu. Pastor Claire will be an asset to SUMC, as she has an approachable energy and a reassuring presence. Pastor Claire will be an integral partner in our cooperative parish to allow it to run effectively and to help initiate positive and respectful relationships with our sister churches. Let us all to pray for our pastoral team as we embark on this new journey as a church family.
Pastor Claire Wu was born in Seoul, South-Korea and immigrated to the United State of America) when she was 25 years old. Claire earned her MDIV (Master of Divinity) and DMin (Doctor of Ministry) at Drew University. Her call to the ordained ministry came while she was helping to plant small group ministries. She devoted herself to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ and was involved with spiritual disciplines, discipleship, evangelism, small group fellowship, and church planting ministries in the church. God provided her with the special gift of building and designing websites and she has been
assisting churches to be more relevant to today's culture utilizing IT skills. She also served as a Chaplain resident at North Shore University Hospital, providing pastoral care to people who are in distress and in need of a compassionate touch. She also loves to experience the “Aha” moments when she witnesses others encountering God’s transforming grace through worship, study, service, sacrament, fellowship, and relationships. Through ministry, she hopes to invite others to continually reorient their lives to be a
part of the transformation God is doing in this world. Pastor Claire is married to Philip, and they have two children, Bryan and Kristy.
Pastor Claire lives with the assurance of Romans 8:25-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?... Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Associate Pastor Okema Diaz
Okema Diaz became a minister through a road of twists and turns. After enrolling in seminary, Minister Okema wanted to be an academic who trained others to interrupt systems of oppression, dehumanization, and subjugation. Often told by her salon clients that she has been ministering and pouring into people all along, within 6 months of field education with Rev. Melissa Hinnen at Park Slope United Methodist Church and observing her mentor, Pastor Michael Walrond at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, Okema inquired about the ordination process. Currently pursuing ordination as an elder to pastor churches in the United Methodist Tradition, Minister
Okema looks forward to expanding the Kin(g)dom, liberating people from harmful theologies, and sharing her witness as a disciple of Jesus and the gospel.