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09/14/2022 08:30 AM“I had a sense of calling to be a minister at a local church 26 years ago and now here I am,” Reverend Dr. Todd Yonkman says.
As the reverend at the First Church of Christ in Old Saybrook, he is looking to reintroduce the church to the community.
Todd has been leading the First Church of Christ since March, but his interest in coming to Old Saybrook was sparked a few months earlier.
“I had just finished helping two congregations merge in Granby and was looking for what my next call was to be,” Todd recalls. During a quick search on YouTube, Todd stumbled upon a video of a jazz worship at the First Church of Christ. “I listened to only the first 10or 15 seconds and I said, ‘wow, this church really has something special going on.’”
Roughly three months later, Todd was officially starting in Old Saybrook.
As reverend, Todd says “I’m the public face of the church.” His duties include everything from designing worships, guiding different programs offered by the church, “and just providing overall direction.”
“The big project for us right now is reconnecting with the community,” Todd says.
While churches have long been pillars of community building and fellowship for many, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to a fracture in some of that connectiveness.
“Like a lot of churches, the pandemic really changes things for us, so now it’s about relaunching and reintroducing ourselves,” Todd says.
As part of those efforts, Todd says the church has begun relaunching its children and family programs as well as events aimed at the wider community. One of those events is the Community Halloween Spooktacular which is planned for Saturday, Oct. 29.
“We’re planning a trunk or treat, a spook trail, and other Halloween fun,” Todd says. The event is open to everyone in the community and those interested in helping can email Todd at pastortodd@firschichurchsaybrook.org.
For Todd, being a reverend is not something he quite saw himself doing despite a strong interest in the church at an early age.
“I was raised in a very religious family in Michigan, but I didn’t think it was necessarily something I wanted to do,” says Todd. “I was still intrigued by religion and originally thought maybe I’d be a religion teacher or a professor or something like that.”
Instead, Todd says he felt a calling to be a minister at a church in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the rest is history. Over the years, Todd has worked at several congregations across southern New England including Granby, Stamford, and Providence, Rhode Island where Todd and his wife Nicole were co-ministers.
Asked for what he likes best about being a minister, Todd told the Harbor News, “I love connecting with people. I love getting know people and hearing their stories. I’ve worked in some diverse comminates and it’s exciting engaging with different people.”
However, there are some challenges that come with running a congregation.
“The hardest part is adhering with all the changes in our culture. Congregations are run by volunteers so trying to adapt as different needs arise can be hard. The pandemic was a good example of having to make big changes in a short amount of time,” says Todd.
“Keeping up with the demands can be a challenge,” he sums up.
In his spare time Todd can be found enjoying the outdoors with his wife and children when they come visit.
“We enjoy biking, hiking, and back country camping as well as music and going to concerts,” says Todd.
Though he has only been part of the Old Saybrook community for about nine months, Todd already has developed a fondness for it.
“I have found the people in Old Saybrook to be down to earth and very genuine,” says Todd. “The folks at the church have a real heart and want to serve, as well.”
However, Todd isn’t done meeting everyone and is very willing to meet with more Old Saybrook residents. “I love to chat I’m working to make time for everyone so if someone wants a conversation about what the needs of the community are and how the church can help, please email me,” Todd says.
Todd can be reached at pastortodd@firschichurchsaybrook.org and more information on the church can be found at firstchurchsaybrook.org.