Two Moody County congregations are welcoming in new pastors this holiday season, and both pastors say they sincerely are loving their new home communities.
Pastor Janice Thompson was the first to arrive in town at Flandreau United Methodist. Thompson has been a pastor since 2015 with her first appointment was in Howard, SD. From there, she moved to Beresford and now Flandreau.  Prior to being in pastoral ministry, she served in youth ministry as well as camping ministry.

Thompson grew up in Rapid City and after having children, moved to Brookings where she attended SDSU. She met and married her husband, Darick in 2019. Together, the couple has three adult children and a younger son, Colton, who lives in Flandreau with them. “This summer and fall we celebrated the weddings of my 2 daughters, so along with moving, it has been a busy summer! Since moving to Flandreau, everyone has been so welcoming to us. We love living here,” said Thompson.
In her free time, Thompson enjoys exploring the arts. She dabbles in writing pysanky (Ukrainian eggs) Hardanger (Norwegian embroidery), beading, acrylic painting, quilting and riding her Harley in the summer.
The most important thing she wants her new home congregation and the broader community to know is that, “Jesus loves you. Jesus will start walking with you if you are new to a relationship with Him, and he will keep walking with you. Faith is a journey that starts somewhere and never ends. No matter where you are in your journey with Jesus, no matter if it has been bumpy or smooth, I would be happy to walk with you if you want to know more.”
During Advent, worship is on Sunday at 10:30AM. We have also added a Wednesday evening worship, beginning with a soup supper at 6PM followed by a 30 minute time of reconnecting with God. All are welcome to join.