After two major eye surgeries, UMC Bishop Frank Beard to return to active ministry

Steven Spearie, State Journal-Register
·2 min read
Illinois Great Rivers Conference Bishop Frank J. Beard, who will return to active ministry on Jan. 1. He has been on medical leave since July 1, dealing with two major eye surgeries.
Illinois Great Rivers Conference Bishop Frank J. Beard, who will return to active ministry on Jan. 1. He has been on medical leave since July 1, dealing with two major eye surgeries.

Bishop Frank J. Beard, who leads the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church, will return to active ministry Jan. 1 following two major eye surgeries.

Beard, who suffers from glaucoma, has lost 95% of his sight, or field of vision, in his right eye and 80% of his sight in his left eye.

In a Facebook post, Beard said the surgeries did not restore vision that he has lost but he is no longer losing vision in either eye.

Beard had surgery done on his left eye on July 28. The surgery on his right eye was performed on Oct. 27. Both surgeries were done at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

"With the narrow part of the field of sight, within that area, his vision is good," said the conference's communications director Paul Black.

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Beard experienced "an increased amount of pressure in (both) eyes," Black said. "They did a very delicate surgery where you basically put a hole in the eye to bring the pressure down."

Both surgeries have had a 10- to -12-week recovery process, Black said.

"Doctors were very pleased with the results, and I think he was too," Black added. "I don't think I'm overstating that, considering the alternative."

Beard has been on medical leave since July 1. He has been recuperating between Springfield and a home he and his wife, Melissa Kay, have in South Carolina.

The Great Rivers Conference's offices are in Springfield. The 64-year-old Beard was installed as bishop in 2016 and oversees a geographic area covering 87 counties stretching roughly from Interstate 80 to the southern tip of the state.

Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, 66, who headed the conference from 2008 to 2012 and is now a bishop in western Ohio, has served in an interim capacity here since Beard went on medical leave.

Palmer, Black said, has made several trips to Illinois but largely has been able to stay in contact with conference leaders through videoconferencing.

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Before Beard went on medical leave, he created a leadership group to work with Palmer, Black said.

Western Ohio Conference Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, who has served as the interim bishop of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference since Bishop Frank J. Beard went on medical leave on July 1.
Western Ohio Conference Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, who has served as the interim bishop of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference since Bishop Frank J. Beard went on medical leave on July 1.

"It was very providential that Bishop Palmer was our interim leader because he was already familiar with several folks from his four years here earlier," Black added. "It was renewing some old acquaintances type thing. There was a very high appeal for (Palmer), and Bishop Beard is very well loved in the conference, whether you're progressive, centrist or conservative. He's tended to have high marks from all three camps."

Beard can serve as Springfield bishop up until 2028, Black said.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield Methodist Bishop Frank Beard to return to active ministry