The following announcement was made on February 2, 2025 by Michael Burniston, chair of Morrow’s Staff Parish Relations Committee, at the 10:30 a.m. worship service.

It is my joy to share with you today that Bishop Cynthia Moore-KoiKoi intends to appoint Reverend Danny Yang as the new pastor of our congregation. Rev. Yang will begin his new responsibilities on July 1st of this year with his first Sunday in the pulpit on July 6th.  As a United Methodist Church we are a part of a connection and appointment system.  Our connection allows United Methodist elders from all over the world to serve in a United Methodist congregation. Rev. Yang comes to us from Houston, Texas.

Our congregation’s Staff Parish Relations Committee has met with District Superintendent, Rev. William Williams III, to identify our congregation’s pastoral needs. We have also met with Rev. Yang in an introductory meeting to get to know him and his family.

Rev. Yang comes to us from the Texas Annual Conference, most recently as senior pastor of Westbury UMC - the most diverse church in that Conference. Since leaving Texas and until his appointment within the Greater New Jersey Conference, he is serving as a lay minister at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chatham, NJ.

Pastor Danny grew up on the west side of Houston and went to the University of Texas and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He met his wife, Susan, in middle school orchestra, and these days they spend a lot of time chasing after their two young adorable daughters, Ellie and Izzy. The family is excited to sink roots in the Maplewood community and minister together with the people of Morrow. 

Rev. Yang leaned on his gifts of preaching, visionary thinking, pastoral care and a commitment to social holiness through action to lead Westbury UMC to stability and renewal.  During his tenure, Westbury reversed years of deficit spending, completed a capital campaign, helped rebuild the community after Hurricane Harvey, voted to be a Reconciling Congregation (the second in the Texas Annual Conference), and sustained growth through the COVID pandemic. His nearly twenty years of ministry experiences align remarkably well with Morrow Church's witness to faith and action.

While this announcement is about our newly appointed pastor, we also want to thank our current interim pastor, Rev. Montanye, for his time of service with us, and wish him well as he begins his retirement this summer.  Pastor Dave’s enthusiasm for Morrow Church has been palpable.  It has shined through all his ministry with us.  We’ve greatly appreciated his leadership, visibility, calming presence and inspiring sermons and look forward to his continued affirming presence for the remainder of his interim term at Morrow Church.

Our new pastor will work with us and the Conference so that we continue to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  Bishop Moore-KoiKoi, Rev. Williams and the leaders of the Greater New Jersey Conference will work with us to continue to grow as a vital congregation.  Please join our bishop, our district superintendent, our interim pastor, and me in welcoming our new pastor, Rev. Danny Yang to Morrow Memorial United Methodist Church.