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On Sunday, October 1st, 2023 Oakwood Methodist Church welcomed their new pastor, Rev. Nick Scutari, and his family in worship.

 

Pastor Scutari has been serving at First UMC, New Ulm since July of 2020, at full time status. He served at Tracy UMC in Tracy, MN from 2016-2020.

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Asked how he preferred to be addressed — Pastor Scutari? Pastor Nick? Scutari said, “Whatever works. Pastor is fine. Nick is also fine. I'll probably even respond to "hey you."”

(That’s for conversation, for this article we’ll stick with Scutari.)

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Scutari and his wife, Stephanie, and their 14 and 12 year old daughters, Abi and Zoe, live in New Ulm, and have taken to the community. "We really enjoy living here- New Ulm is a beautiful place to live, and there's always something to do around town, which is fun," Scutari noted.

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The New Ulm area is not much different from the time the Scutari's started in ministry, in Alexandria, MN back in 2008, so they feel comfortable here. Scutari is originally from Stony Brook, New York, a suburb of Long Island, but ever since he went to college in the small town of Greenville, IL at Greenville College (now Greenville University), he has taken to rural life.

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Scutari shared his passion for the Church, written in response to introductory questions for the Southern Prairie District of the Minnesota Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church:

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"My hope for the Church is to live more into a life of discipleship-to embody the love and grace of God for both the people of God, and for the world. I think that this is so important in our broken and hurting world today. The Church is at it's best when we are both growing in love of God, and of our neighbors."

 

Scutari looks forward to learning more about the congregation members he serves and discovering new ministry opportunities in New Ulm.

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Scutari earned his Bachelor's of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Greenville College of Greenville, IL in 2010. He earned his Master of Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary in 2016, while serving as Associate Pastor bi-vocationally at Alexandria First FMC, and stepped into full-time vocational ministry with his appointment to Tracy UMC in Tracy, MN in 2016.

When asked about the new beginnings he has experienced, Scutari stated: "It was definitely a transition from being a bi-vocational pastor to a full time pastor, to be sure, and even more so when I started here at First UMC back in 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been a whirlwind few months, moving from serving one congregation, to serving two, starting in October, but I'm looking forward to this new chapter of life and ministry together with the folks at Oakwood UMC. The congregation has been so welcoming to me and my family, and I'm excited for the future."