Site Created and Maintained by:
Kathleen M. Martin

Fredric O. Jackson, Pastor
Stratford United Methodist Church

If you are looking for a church...
Where people are friendly?
Where people are growing in love and faith in Christ?
Where there is a mix of contemporary and traditional music?
Where families with children are welcome?
Where the preaching from God's Word is relevant to everyday life?
Where people are excited about their faith in God?

We joyfully welcome you in the name of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, who loves and cares for you! If you do not have a church home, we invite you to come grow with us as we seek to worship & serve God, and experience the transforming love and power of God in Christ Jesus!

-Pastor Fred

Communication

I use an instrument called, The Pre-Marriage Awareness Inventory, to assist future husbands and wives deal with the most important aspect of getting ready to be married, their relationship. My goal is to encourage couples to discuss their expectations of marriage, finances, relationships with family and friends, religion, sexuality, etc. with each other. I am not fulfilled by being a lecturer who will tell them about my forty plus years of married life, but by knowing they will share deeply with each other especially between our counseling sessions. I say to each couple something like this, “In the end it doesn’t matter what crisis you may experience as long as you are committed to communication with each other and are open to possible need for appropriate third-party support” (medical, financial, spiritual, etc.).

I haven’t outgrown the need to improve my communication skills. There are times when I have spoken too quickly without forethought or not considered the feelings of the people I speak to. I want to share with you some guidelines that I am working on:

Respectful Communication Guidelines

R= take Responsibility for what you say and fell without blaming others.

E= Use Empathetic listening.

S= be Sensitive to differences in communication styles.

P= Ponder what you hear and feel before you speak.

E= Examine your own assumptions and perceptions.

C= keep Confidentiality.

T= Trust ambiguity because we are not here to debate who is right or wrong.

- Pastor Fred

Email: stratfordumc@yahoo.com or Call (203) 375-5851