HALLOWELL — The congregation of Cox Memorial United Methodist Church will officially welcome its new pastor, the Rev. Richard A. Cullen, on Sunday, July 5.

Cullen returns to Maine having served in Nashua, New Hampshire, at Main Street United Methodist Church for the last eight years. Prior to serving in New Hampshire, Cullen served as the pastor at the United Methodist Church of Auburn. He also served churches throughout Massachusetts between 1985 and 1996, according to a news release from Bob Sinclair, parish relation chairman.

The Rev. Richard Cullen Photo courtesy of Cox Memorial United Methodist Church

Cullen, who lives in Litchfield, will officially be retiring at the end of June and will serve the Cox Church during his retirement on a part-time basis.

He graduated Boston University School of Theology, cum laude with a Master of Divinity degree, and Westminster Theological Seminary, magna cum laude receiving a Master of Arts in Religion degree. He is also a graduate of Barrington College.

Cullen will lead the congregation into its next chapter as one of the oldest and most historic churches in the area, tracing its roots back to 1802 with the present building having been constructed in 1828. The church is named for the Rev. Melville B. Cox who was the first American Methodist foreign missionary and served in Liberia.

The church will continue to offer online worship services throughout the month of July, at coxmemorialumc.360unite.com.

The live, online services are held at 10 a.m. via Zoom each Sunday. During July the church will be structuring its plan for a return to the building sometime after Cullen begins his ministry.