Reverend Akio Iyoda has  been appointed as minister as of July 1, 2018.  He is a second-career  pastor having worked in the newspaper industry for twenty years before  being called into ministry. He was commissioned this year at Annual  Conference, and this is his first appointment as a pastor for the United  Methodist denomination.  Before being appointed to Merrick UMC, he  served at Hicksville UMC as an Evangelist and also at Good Shepherd  Korean Methodist Church as the English Ministry Pastor.