Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Highlands United Methodist Church welcomes new pastor
Highlands United Methodist Church, of Bella Vista, is welcoming a new pastor — the Rev. Robert Blackwell Cloninger, II. Rev. Cloninger, originally from Fort Smith, Ark., is moving to the community from Marion, Ark. “I’ve been the pastor at Marion United Methodist Church in Marion,” noted Rev. Cloninger.
Rev. Cloninger hopes to bring some excitement and energy to Highlands United Methodist. “I hope to draw in a lot of young families, kids, and youth, and make an impact in the overall community for the better,” added Rev. Cloninger. The reverend felt called to be a pastor at the young age of 6 years old. He attended the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and received his Bachelor’s in History with a minor in Rhetoric. “After that, I went to Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Okla., to get my Master’s of Divinity,” stated Rev. Cloninger. The reverend was then ordained five years ago, yesterday, June 11.
Getting to be a part of the process when God changes someone’s life is what Rev. Cloninger noted as the most rewarding part of being a pastor. “When you can work with someone and their life gets pulled together, or you work with a family and the family gets pulled together and stays together – I really enjoy that part of it,” added Rev. Cloninger.
“Highlands United Methodist Church has a welcoming congregation,” noted Rev. Cloninger. “They want people to come to church there. They don’t exclude people – they want people to attend and to find Jesus. They want to fulfill their mission, which is really the mission of the United Methodist Church, which is to make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Rev. Cloninger is married and has two children with his wife, Betsy. They have a 2-year-old daughter, Caroline Elizabeth, and a six month old son, Robert III.
While the church welcomes their new pastor, they also are saying goodbye to their current senior pastor and associate pastor. Senior Pastor Dr. Bryan Fink will be moving to First United Methodist Church in Stuttgart, Ark., and Associate Pastor Michael Callahan will be retiring from Highlands while continuing to pastor Harmon United Methodist Church.
For more information, including service times, the church can be reached at (479) 855-2277. Highlands United Methodist Church is located at 371 Glasgow Road, in Bella Vista.