Pastor Stanley’s background and educational experience is centered on agriculture, food production, conservation and creation care. His career experience includes working on a dairy farm, working with the county Soil and Water Conservation office, teaching Agriculture and teaching Landscape and Turf Science and Management. He has a passion for mission service and has assisted others in crisis at Red Bird Mission and Henderson Settlement, Hurricane Katrina clean-up and rebuilding, Camphor Mission in Liberia, Africa, along with other local United Methodist missions across East Ohio.

Pastor Stanley is a certified candidate for ministry as a Deacon in the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC). His call to Deacon Ministry began many years ago through the nearness of God’s presence while he was engaged in mission events. He began to pursue and discern the call to ministry after the Holy Spirit moved him to step out in faith during the East Ohio UMC Conference at Lakeside in 2012. At the Conference in 2014, Pastor Stanley saw and heard about Ecology and Justice, the new and innovative program beginning at Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO). God’s call appeared to be confirmed for him, and in August 2014, Stanley began at MTSO and has continued as a full-time student pursuing Master of Arts in Practical Theology (MAPT), specializing in Ecology and Justice.

Pastor Stanley has begun his field study work at Centerburg UMC/H2O in July 2016 as the Director of God’s Green Acres. He is grateful for being able to follow in the footsteps of Hope Hutchison and looks forward to seeing God’s Green Acres grow to be a fruitful ministry of the Centerburg UMC/H2O congregations. In Matt 9:37, “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.’” (NRSV) Stanley hopes to develop God’s Green Acres to be a place where the seeds are planted and a harvest of ten or a hundred fold are returned, not only of the produce provided to the community, but of the souls touched by the hands and feet of Jesus’ faithful followers.

Following completion of his MAPT degree in May 2017, Pastor Stanley looks forward to being in full-time ministry, matching the Gospel message with society’s instruction of daily practices to preserve, protect and sustain God’s creation. He hopes that this higher calling allows him to remain a part of his home church, Trinity UMC in Mansfield, OH, support his wife’s career and encourage his two college-bound daughters.