Dr. Debora Bishop, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Atmore, has been appointed as the superintendent for the Mobile District of the Alabama-West Florida Conference.

Bishop has been the pastor at FUMC-Atmore for the past four years. Her last day in the pulpit will be June 11, and her replacement will be named on Mon., April 17, and his or her first Sunday at the church will be July 9.

Bishop said it’s quite exciting to have been appointed.

“It’s going to be an opportunity to serve the conference,” she said. “I go back and forth. When I think about being their district superintendent, it’s very exciting, but then I think about leaving Atmore, and I’m not so excited.

“It’s going to be hard to leave,” she said.

In her new role, Bishop will oversee the Mobile District, which covers every Methodist church in Mobile and Washington Counties, from Dauphin Island to just north of Chatom.

A district superintendent is the chief mission strategist for the district. The superintendent is committed to living out the values of the church, and equipping the churches and clergy to do that same, according to the Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline.

Bishop will also help create programs for ministry and mission, and to help working relations between church staff, parish relations committees and to help the connected church.

Bishop said one of her gifts is connecting people, and that her gift will help make her a better superintendent.

“Some people might call it over organizing,” she quipped. “I like to see things grow and be fruitful to work with people and to help them find their gifts so they can be fruitful.”

Bishop said the appointment process was fairly simple.

“The bishop called me and asked if I would join the cabinet,” she said. “Hold told me that he would like for me to be the district superintendent for the Mobile district.”

Bishop said she’s going to miss the people of Atmore the most when she leaves this summer.

“It’s been great to serve this church, and it’s been great to serve with them and it’s been great to see them grow,” she said. “It’s been fascinating to see the Holy Spirit grab them by the collar and they’ve gone with it

“In these four years, we have let the Holy Spirit take charge and work through us together,” she said. “We’ve seen great fruit because of that. We have a great community awareness and great community work.”

Bishop said she’ll be able to take the memory of helping others do the same to other churches in her new district.

“There’s something for everybody here,” Bishop said. “I will miss worshipping with them.”