As I’ve grown up in Kansas, I’ve developed a love for music and the arts.  I draw (primarily in charcoal and pastels) and paint (acrylic) as a way to express my visually creative side.  I love to sing, and when inspired, will write music from time to time, and when time permits, I’m not afraid to enter the kitchen and try my hands at cooking.

My family is a blessing to me.  They have a very important place in my life, is growing steadily and I love to spend time with them, usually over the holidays when my wife and I will prepare a feast that usually leaves them filled and satisfied.

I love life and try to love people, so I believe that the relationships we build between one another in the name of Jesus Christ are the most important thing.  I have a special affection for persons who haven’t experienced the wondrous love of God through Christ and believe that this love of God is expressed primarily through personal relationships with one another.  The culmination of celebrating these relationships happens in the moment of community worship, with emphasis on preaching, prayer and music.  I believe the most profound worship experience happens when the community of believers is joined together in corporate worship and the Holy Spirit is invited into the center of the worship moment.  That is how I’ve encountered God through Jesus Christ.  I feel that a deeply spiritual connection happens between people and God whenever they can encounter God in relationship as a community.

Director of Student Ministries / New Connections Coordinator

Nancy comes to Shawnee with 17 years experience in Youth and Young Adult Ministry with the United Methodist Church!  She received a bachelor's degree in Behavioral Sciences with a minor in Religious Studies from the University of Kansas and attended Perkins School of Theology's Youth Ministry Certification Program at SMU, Dallas.  Nancy is the proud mother of three children and enjoys family time, writing, camping, movies, blues music and cheering on the Jayhawks.  Nancy's ministry goal is to make the church a place where folks WANT to be, welcoming and nurturing others into mature Christian faith.  Nancy feels very much at home at SUMC and would like to say to you: "WELCOME HOME"!

Coordinator of Children's Ministries

I loved Sunday School as a child growing up in St. Peter, Minnesota.  I liked learning about the Bible, about Jesus, and I loved hearing the stories in the Old and New Testaments. I enjoyed learning the books of the Bible to the tune of the ABC song. (I can still remember them.) I liked Vacation Bible School, singing in the Children’s Choirs, playing Mary in the Christmas pageant.  I liked going to Trinity Lutheran Church with my family and learning the hymns and prayers and liturgy. As a wife, mother and adult many years later, I still love Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit, going to church, and learning more about God’s amazing ways. Sharing my faith with children comes naturally to me; I know that someday the things they are learning now will stand them in good stead. I believe in what we are doing at Shawnee United Methodist Church.   Nothing is more important than sharing your faith at home with your children and teaching them what you believe.  But Sunday School gives children a chance to see that their family is not the only family that believes, and that God is working through another bigger family, the church, to encourage, to love and to instill an abiding faith in God’s children of all ages.   My husband Dominick and I live in Merriam, Kansas, and we have a daughter, Anna, who is going to college at Pittsburg State.  While I have a full-time job elsewhere,  I love the creative outlet this Children’s Coordinator position gives me and look forward to meeting you and your children.

Music Coordinator & Organist

I have always had a passion for church music.   I remember singing duets with one of my sisters in our tiny rural church in Illinois when I was in the fourth grade.   Several inspirational music professors at Ottawa University mentored me and encouraged me to use my talents as a music teacher and accompanist, but also instilled in me a deep appreciation for the power of sacred music.  In addition to my music ministry, I have been a professional accompanist for nearly twenty years in the public schools. I dearly love time spent with my family, including my first grandson, three adult children and and their spouses. I enjoy landscaping, traveling, going to classical concerts, and playing with my Cocker Spaniel, Dooley.  In my SUMC role, I am dedicated to helping people of all ages express their spirituality through participation in music groups.

Chancel Choir Director/Co-Handbell Director

I have grown up in music ministry. From 5^th grade, I have sung in church choirs on a regular basis. Music is one of the highest forms of praise and so I take the role of Chancel Choir Director with great joy and passion. I believe music should uplift worship and not stand alone. When I work with the choir and choose music, I always keep this in mind. The choir is a place to sing to the best of our ability but also have fun. You will find that our music covers a wide range choral genre. Hopefully everyone, no matter what their style preference, will find a piece that inspires them and lifts them up spiritually. We are always trying to lift up Christ in a way that reaches as many people as possible. I have worked with church choirs for 14 years in various denominations. I find that Shawnee UMC is an incredibly inviting church home. They have welcomed my family with open arms and have made us feel a part of the family. In my full-time job, I am a landscape architect. With my wife, Susan and my children, Harrison, Marta and Henry, I enjoy spending time outside, gardening, camping, Scouting and attending ball games. When we are home, you will usually find us outside doing something.

Hand Bell Choir Director / Praise Worship Coordinator

Debbie Thomas currently coordinates the two ministries of hand bells and the praise worship service.  She directs two of the five hand bell choirs as well as being a musician in the praise band, “Celebration!”  She came to SUMC in 1991 to direct the children’s choir from grade three through six and directing the two hand bell choirs.  Her role in our music ministry has evolved into being the praise worship coordinator for the praise service which started in 2001.   Debbie is a vocal and instrumental music teacher in education with the experience of working with students from Pre-Kindergarten through high school.  She received her Masters in Music Education at the University of Missouri Conservatory of Music in Kansas City. Her roots are from a farm in northern central Missouri (Polo).  She moved to Overland Park in 1980 and married Don in 1985; between them they have four children and six grand children. Debbie’s enthusiasm and desire to use music to create a meaningful and joyful ministry is evident in worship.  The feeling of the Holy Spirit embraces us all when music is used as a catalyst to have a meaningful experience of worship.

Office Administrator

I was fortunate enough to join the  staff at Shawnee in August of 2007, after being a member for 11 years.  There is truly something for everyone in this congregation of warm, loving people.  My 19 year old son enjoyed all of his years with the Youth Group, and he agrees with me that this is a great place to worship.  Growing up, I attended the Roeland Park United Methodist Church, but went through a time when I didn’t feel the need for a church of any kind in my life.  I’m so happy that I realized the “error of my ways”, and found a home at Shawnee.  Reading, gardening, traveling, and spending time with friends and family are all things I enjoy in that space we refer to as "spare time".

Administrative Assistant

I grew up in a small town in Kansas and enjoyed being involved in my church, along with my family.  Since then I have lived in other areas of the state, but am glad that Shawnee is where I’ve been for over 20 years.  My family and I have been here at Shawnee UMC for many years.  Working in the office has given me the opportunity to meet so many of the church members that I wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to do.  Some of the things I enjoy are listening to a variety of music and attending concerts in the many venues that Kansas City offers for live music.  I also enjoy spending time with my family and traveling to new places. 

Building Supervisor

I want to ensure that the SUMC buildings and property are inviting, safe, and supportive of congregational worship and community ministry. During the early part of the Vietnam War, one of the leaders at our church that stood out to me was an elderly man named Mr. Light, who taught all the adults during Sunday School, rang the church bell to let folks know that church would soon start, prepared the balcony for seating of the soldiers who assembled from the next door Army Depot, played bass in the string orchestra, and greeted people (especially the children) as they came to worship.  Without intentionally pursuing it, I seem to have modeled my life after him, and can only pray to be a small reflection of the “light” that still shines in the heavens to illumine the world.  With my wife Laurie and son Jacob, I enjoy Cub Scouts, counted cross-stitch, reading mysteries, and walking.

Building Assistant

Growing up in a very Italian family meant I became a Catholic at an early age.  I spent most of my childhood in Illinois and then moved to Olathe before high school.  Retired from General Motors, my most consuming volunteer work is with the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the Air Force.  This organization does search and rescue and assists with disaster relief.   Classic movies and following the careers of actors and actresses are some of my favorite hobbies, and I am passionate about cooking (Italian and other food).