My name is Jim Droste and I am the pastor for both Oakfield United Methodist Church and Tabor United Methodist Church. I began my appointment for these two churches in July of 2009. It is my first appointment as a pastor for the United Methodist Church.
My Call to Ministry
As a child, I grew up in Mequon, WI and my family were members of the Grace Lutheran Church in Theinsville, WI. I was very active in church. I sang in the choir. I played in the bell choir for many years. I was active in the youth group. I was confirmed along with 16 other folks. When many others stopped coming to church, I kept coming. Then I went to college.
It was at college, when I was on my own and could make my own decisions that my church attendance changed. I, in fact, stopped going. I would go when I came home for the weekend, but on my own it was optional. During my freshmen year of college, my brother died. His death hit my parents and I very hard. I found myself questioning why God would do something like this to me. Already not attending church regularly, this put my faith completely out of whack. I severed my relationship with God for most of college and part of graduate school.
While attending Western Illinois University, I met two classmates who lived in the same apartment complex. Their names were Hal and Kendrick. It was in talking with them and hearing about their faith that I slowly began to come back to God. While job searching for a position as a Residence Hall Director, I found out about a late opening at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. I got the job and was reconnected at a church where I worked one year as the choir director.
Within months I was a member of the church. A few months more found me on two different church committees.
Previous Work and Education
Before being a pastor, I worked at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh for six years as a Residence Hall Director. (2003-2009). As a Residence Hall Director, I lived in a campus residence hall and served a key role in the day to day operations of the building. I supervised several student staff members that lived on the floors, put on programs for their residents, helped them with college high and lows, and enforced residence hall policy. I met directly with students who violated residence hall policy. I advised a hall government board of between five and eight students. I also was in charge of facilitating hall repairs.
In preparation for my work as a Residence Hall Director, I attended Western Illinois University where I earned a Master of Science Degree in College Student Personnel (2001-2003). While at WIU, I served as a Graduate Student Advisor for a student group called the Bureau of Cultural Affairs. I worked with a student group that helped to bring various performing arts groups to the town of Macomb, IL.
I did my undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education. I was studying to be a choir teacher.
