Rev. Karen Vannoy and Rev. John Flowers
Co-Pastors

Karen is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and received her Master of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. John is a graduate of the University of Houston and received his Master of Divinity from Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City and his Doctor of Ministry in Church Revitalization from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. Individually and together they have served a number of churches in Texas, and they have both held leadership positions in their conference.

John and Karen have been married for 16 years and have four adult children. Karen loves to teach NIA for exercise and dance movement. John loves to play basketball, racquetball and yes, golf. They both love to read and watch movies. John has pledged to become a Diamondbacks fan, and although he says the transition from Dallas Cowboys and SA Spurs fan might take some time, the process has already begun.  

Karen's e-mail address:  karen@firstumcphoenix.org                             John's email address:     john@firstumcphoenix.org

Dr. Sheila Corley has been a part of the program staff at First Church since January 2000 and is a gifted musician who inspires our choirs to glorify God with every note they sing.  In addition to directing our choirs, Sheila supervises the entire music ministry of the church.

Shelia's e-mail address:  sheila@firstumcphoenix.org

Russ Morrow

When First Church established the position of business administrator in March of 2001, Russ came on board to fill the position. A graduate of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, Russ manages our finance, property, and personnel  program areas, and is also the administrator for our foundation.  Russ is married to Dianna and father to Andrew and Rachel.

Russ's e-mail address:  russ@firstumcphoenix.org

Kimber Govett

Kimber serves on the program staff as our Children's Ministry director. She began her work in April 2005, coming to us from North Scottsdale UMC where she worked with children and youth music and drama programs. She has a long background of creative work with young people, in community, church, and conference camp settings. She brings a wonderful personality that projects God's welcoming love and is a great addition to the ministry team at First Church! 

Kimber is the mom of Dakota and Kassidy. She is married to the Rev. Stephen Govett.

Kimber's email address: kimber@firstumcphoenix.org

Robin Spencer

Robin Spencer came on staff as our parish nurse in March 1996. She earned her RN and BSN degree at the University of California, San Francisco. Robin says "the best part of my job is the people and First Church has great people!" Robin often fields the question, "A registered nurse on a church staff.....now, what is that all about?" Robin coordinates the many wellness ministries here at First Church (things like medical resource referral, equipment loan closet, healing services, support groups, clinics and screenings, etc.),  assists with pastoral care, and has been known to bandage booboos once in a while.

Robin's e-mail address:  robin@firstumcphoenix.org

Nancy Maxwell
Administrative Assistant

Nancy has been our administrative assistant since July 1986. She keeps our senior pastor in line, just as she did for his two predecessors! Her work here includes keeping track of the very busy church calendar, scheduling and arranging weddings and funerals, hassling the pastor, and much more. She is the "collective memory" on the church staff. Nancy is a graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska. She and husband Bill have been FUMC members since 1986, and are the parents of four grown daughters and the grandparents of eight!

Nancy's e-mail address:  nancy@firstumcphoenix.org

David Gotch

David is our accomplished organist at First Church. He holds a master's degree in organ performance from Arizona State University, just down the road in neighboring Tempe. In addition to holding forth on our fabulous organ every week, David also assists in the leadership of the adult choir programs at First Church. He performs several organ and piano recitals each year for the spiritual enjoyment of the congregation. David and his wife Brenda reside in Chandler.

David's e-mail address:  david@firstumcphoenix.org

Sarah Shafer

Sarah has been a member of First Church since 1972, and joined the staff in October 1995. She has her degree in English Language and Literature and taught high school English “about a hundred years ago.” Her background also includes writing and proofreading for a small newspaper. She designs, formats, edits and prints the biweekly newsletter, the Good News, the service bulletins, concert programs and brochures. Sarah sings alto in the Sanctuary Choir and is a member of the Health Cabinet. She is the mother of two grown children.

Sarah's e-mail address:  sarah@firstumcphoenix.org

Judy Murphy

Judy's love of working with young children led her from being a parent assistant in the Weekday School classrooms in 1981 to a teaching position with three year olds in 1982, and eventually to Weekday School director in 1994. Judy was born and raised in Bethlehem, PA. She has a bachelor's degree in Medical Technology, a Child Development associate's degree, and administrator credentials from the national Child Care Association. Judy and her husband John have lived in Phoenix and been FUMC members since 1981. They are parents of three grown daughters, and grandparents of three children. Besides ministering to the families and Weekday staff members, Judy enjoys birding, gardening, and reading.

Judy's e-mail address:  judy@firstumcphoenix.org 

Linda Pressler

Linda's bright and cheerful smile is the first thing you will see when you step through the office door at First Church. Linda has been with the church since September 2000 and knows more than anyone else about FUMC (except maybe Nancy who has been here since the days of the pioneers!)  Whether you have phoned in or stopped by in person, Linda will help you get to the right person and get your questions answered with a bright and bubbly First Church welcome!

Linda's e-mail address:  linda@firstumcphoenix.org

Beverly Stamper

Bev covers mornings and lunch hours in the church office with special duties maintaining membership records. She comes to us following a long career with Del Webb and Pulte Homes. Bev and her husband, Glen, are members here at First Church.

Bev's e-mail address: beverly@firstumcphoenix.org

Billye Yager

Billye is our "go to" lady for weddings! She has been our wedding hostess at First Church since 1991, assisting the pastors at rehearsals and weddings. She has been a helpful influence in the lives of many brides (and grooms!) over the years, helping to make the wedding services in our beautiful sanctuary flow like clockwork.

John Ward

John has been a member of the campus management staff since March, 2000. John's specialty is maintenance and repair of campus equipment and the buildings and he does a great job of keeping our 50 year old physical plant operating at peak efficiency! John's wife, Peggy, is a  retired United Methodist pastor. They are the parents of three grown children and grandparents of eight.

Gene Emerick

Gene is a long-time member of our campus maintenance staff, working here at First Church since 1990. Gene is responsible for custodial care, as well as room use by our many church and outside organizations. Gene's fine wood working and finish carpentry skills have added a touch of beauty around our church campus over the years. He and his wife Shirley live in Scottsdale and have three grown children and one (almost adult) grandchild.

Dan Hawkins

Dan, with the rest of the maintenance staff, takes good care of our campus facilities. Married to Natasha, and the proud papa of Annabelle, Dan is responsible for maintenance, room set-ups, custodial duties, and security matters at First Church.

Ryan Billinghurst

Ryan is our part-time custodian and is seen around here most often on evenings and weekends. Music is a hobby of Ryan's. When he isn't working here at First Church, Ryan is a student at Scottsdale Community College.