We Welcome Bishop Daniel Schwerin and District Superintendent. InSun Lee to First Church

First Church Staff
2h
2 min read

April 12 at 8a and 10:30a, Receptions to follow both services

We are delighted to welcome our Bishop and District Superintendent to worship April 12 and introduce them to our congregation. Bishop Schwerin, an inspiring preacher, will preach at both services. District Superintendent InSun Lee will preside over the sacrament of Holy Communion. Janet Cooper, chair of our history book team, will present each guest with a copy of our church history book. Shirley Edwards and Kathy Meyer are chairing a Reception Team to follow each of the worship services.

Bishop Schwerin

Bishop Daniel W. Schwerin, of The United Methodist Church, is serving as the resident Bishop for the Northern Illinois-Wisconsin Episcopal Area where he was assigned in September 2024. Bishop Schwerin was elected to the episcopacy at the North Central Jurisdiction gathering in November 2022.

Bishop Schwerin (he, him, his) is husband to his wife, Julie, and a father, grandfather, poet, and Jesus is the gold in his life. He is a graduate of Perkins School of Theology and did post-graduate Bowen family systems theory work there. He has enjoyed many contexts for pastoral ministry, including urban and rural churches, a new church plant, and a Superintendent of two districts. He especially enjoyed the multi-staff downtown setting of one of his appointments, which became a reconciling congregation and launched a beloved community of non-profits. These non-profits worked to benefit children dealing with grief, persons who wanted help to battle generational poverty, and children who desired access to stringed instruments, lessons, and a community that would enjoy their growth in musical ability.

After the General Conference of 2019, Bishop Schwerin was asked by Bishop Hee-Soo Jung to lead a collaborative effort with conference partners to increase racial justice and radical inclusion. He then served as Assistant to the Bishop in the Wisconsin Conference. He has also served on the General Conference Task Force on Funding Patterns in the UMC.

Bishop Schwerin and his wife love evening walks and labyrinths. His poetry comes from life on a farm or making rounds across thirty-plus years as a pastor in Wisconsin. His debut haiku collection, ORS, from Red Moon Press, won the Haiku Foundation’s Touchstone Award in 2015.

Pastor InSun Lee

I have served for over thirty years in various missional contexts; in Korea, the

Philippines, Mozambique, and the United States. I can speak three languages: Korean,

Portuguese, and English throughout my missional journey.

I was appointed to the South East District of the Wisconsin Annual Conference as a

Superintendent starting on September 15, 2025. I had served the Darlington & Fayette

(2021-2025), Tomahawk & Spirit (2017-2021) UMCs. In 2017, I obtained a doctoral

degree in ministry from Claremont School of Theology in California, focusing on

Women’s leadership in Mozambique. This study is about feminist perspectives to

overcome oppressions, motivates to strive for self-development as autonomous agents,

encourages to understand the biblical vision of equality, and challenges to cultivate

potential women’s leadership.