Meet Your Administrative Staff
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Casey Garland
Co-Director Children's Creative Playday Preschool
Casey Garland is originally from Minneapolis, MN, where she earned her bachelor of science in Early Childhood Development (1986) from the University of Minnesota - Duluth. She earned a masters of science in Early Childhood Special Education (1989) from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and married her husband Steve the same year.
The couple met while living on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and have three kids: Kevin , Molly, and David. Their family also includes three dogs and one tricolor bunny.
Casey has been the director of the Creative Playday Preschool since August 2008. She helped to expand the preschool program in 2009 to a two day a week program for 18 month olds. She’s been a member of the church since 2003 and is a member of the Footprint Sunday school class. Casey has also helped direct our summer day camp.
Before taking the position of director at FUMC, Casey was the director of the Small Blessings Preschool at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church for 8 years. In Minnesota, she worked at St. David’s Child & Family Services Casey as a classroom teacher and administrator from 1991-1999. This program was social service based, integrating kids with special needs through its service programs.
Her favorite psalm is the twenty-third . Casey also likes to read, bargain shop, camp, travel, and hang out with her family.
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Maureen Bowman
Co-Director Children's Creative Playday Preschool
Maureen Bowman has been an employee of Children’s Creative Playday since 1992 as a teacher of two year olds, an office aide, and assistant director.
In 2009, Maureen became a co-director of the program. Maureen bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and her associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education are from universities in her home state of Ohio.
Maureen and her husband Lee (married in 1984) have two daughters, Colleen (’89) and Lana (’92). They have lived in Allen since 1991.
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Jackie Campbell
Finance Administrator
Jackie Campbell serves as Finance Administrator, and has held the role since February 2006. She views her role as a support staff to each staff member and committee. As Finance Administrator, Jackie assists with budgetary creation, payroll processing, monthly and annual financial closing, creating budgetary variance explanations and providing proper backup documentation. Not to be overlooked, the Finance Administrator must also be transparent in every facet of the job. With all its challenges, Jackie views the best part of the job as working with numbers, as math has been one of her lifelong favorite subjects.
Jackie was born in Lubbock, Texas and grew up in Petersburg. She graduated from Texas Tech and received a Bachelor of Science in Finance. Jackie has been in Dallas since 1997. She was married to Jim in 2001, and was blessed with her son, Collin, in 2004.
She has worked in various industries though the years, including; Insurance, Retail, and Information Technology. Her hobbies include, baking, spending time with friends, listening to talk radio, and playing computer card games. Jackie loves to laugh as evidenced by the playday class rule, "You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit".
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Teresa Gray
Administrative Assistant to the Senior and Executive Pastor
Teresa has been the Assistant to the Senior and Executive Pastors since 2001 when she was offered the position on Good Friday. She describes her job as the “best one in the world” and has found FUMC Allen a great place to use her God given talents. The message she received from God was “I’ve groomed you for this position and gave you these gifts for my church.”
Teresa gifts include creating written media, such as our Sunday bulletins, managing the database for members and visitors, creating statistical reports for our senior pastor, and creating the media for Sunday worship and for the monitors throughout the church. Teresa’s administrative role includes assisting in the planning of funerals, weddings, baptisms, and worship services as well as purchasing and maintaining office equipment, and all other tasks that FUMC Allen requires as directed by God.
Teresa’s married to Bruce and will have two sophomores this fall. Brittany is attending Baylor University, studying education, and Trenton is a student at Allen High School.
Teresa believes “God has given us all gifts and we need to figure it out then you’ll be successful.” Her favorite time of the day is the quiet time she spends with Christ and her Bible. She also enjoys painting and drawing.
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Larry Wright
Church Administrator
Larry Wright proudly hails from historic Burkburnett, Texas, graduating from high school as valedictorian. He graduated from Rice University in 1987 with a degree in chemistry and a commission in the United States Marine Corps. Larry served God the next seven years as an officer and C-130 pilot in the Marine Corps before God called him into occupational ministry. Larry is an ordained Southern Baptist Minister with a Masters Degree in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served in churches in North Carolina, Lubbock, and Burkburnett in the roles of associate pastor, minister of education, and church administrator.
More recently, Larry served as the church business administrator at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas, before coming to join the staff at FUMC Allen in August 2009.Larry is a certified Fellow of Church Business Administration from the National Association of Church Business Administration (NACBA) and is actively involved in the national organization and the United Methodist Church Administrators’ organization. He is currently serving as the president of the Dallas Chapter of the NACBA .
At FUMC, Larry has the privilege of serving in the role of church administrator and has responsibilities including facilities management, personnel, financial oversight, risk management, policies and procedures, and anything else needed to help the pastors and church members to be as effective as possible at “honoring God by seeking, engaging, and encouraging people through a life-changing Christian journey.” “It’s all about Him—Every day we have to live, every relationship, every resource, every decision is an opportunity to bring glory to God. And it’s fun too. I have the best job in the world: I get to spend all of my time working to advance the kingdom of God. What more could you ask for.”
Larry is married to Dr. Melynda Wright, and they have four children: Jessica, Alyse, Logan, and Trey. When he is not working, he enjoys yard work, studying his Bible, and traveling with his wife. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33
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Jeff Horne
Facilities Maintenance
Jeff, originally from Corpus Christi, is a third generation Texas farmer. He, his dad and grandpa grew cotton, corn, and milo on their 2,140 acres of farmland. From that experience, his favorite phrase became “we need the rain.” That lack of rain brought him to North Texas where he lives with Crystal, his wife of more than 30 years. He’s worked at FUMC since 2005 as our maintenance manager.
Jeff and Crystal are the parents of three grown children--Holly, Karen, and Chris--and one grandchild.
Jeff enjoys traveling, camping, and water sports. He's played guitar for 40 years and teaches private lessons. Jeff’s favorite guitarist and main inspiration has been Steve Wariner who plays guitar and is a singer and song writer. Jeff plays guitar for the 11:00am contemporary service on Sunday mornings as a member of the Resonate Praise Team.
Involved with music throughout most his life, Jeff has played in many bands. He also played for the Miss Texas Pageant and with stars, such as Mark Chestnut, Rusty Weir, and Freddy Fender. His favorite guitar, which he occasionally plays during this service, is a double necked guitar. While in school, Jeff studied photojournalism and once did freelance work taking pictures of wildlife and nature. He has had pictures published in the Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine.
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Pete Brewer
Evening Reception/Facilities
Pete Brewer joined staff in January 2011. He grew up in Allen and he and his family have been members at FUMC since 1993. He graduated from Allen High School in 2008 and attended Texas A&M from 2008-2010.
Currently, Pete is attending Collin College and hopes to transfer to University of Texas-Dallas where he will continue working toward a B.S. in computer science, mechanical engineering, or physics.
Pete is a member of the Chancel Choir and participates in many church activities as a volunteer. Outside of the church, Pete is very active in the community. He currently serves as an assistant scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 328 and a soccer referee for the Allen Sports Association. He enjoys reading, the outdoors, and computer programming.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in The Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:30-31 (NIV)
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Alison Thomas
Communications Director
Alison was raised as an Air Force brat, born in Oklahoma City, OK, and growing up in Midwest City, OK, Smyrna, TN, Abilene, TX, and Bryan-College Station,TX, before settling in the Dallas area in 1984.
She has known she was going to be in the word business since she was 17 years old, when she first studied journalism as a sophomore at Abilene High School. After her family's move to Bryan, she was editor of the school newspaper and worked on the high school yearbook. Alison earned her bachelor of arts in English from Texas A&M University, with a minor in journalism (1981), and her masters of arts in Rhetoric and Composition. Alison also earned a writing certificate from Texas A&M in 1982.
Alison is married to Zack and together they own A to Z Doors, a commerical hardwood door installation and repair service. They are the parents of six boys. The oldest, Charles, earned his business administration degree at Sam Houston State University. Zack and Chris are graduates of Allen High School, and sons Andrew, Cameron and Connor attend Allen High School.
Her resume includes four years honing her craft during her college years at a weekly newspaper, working as an information specialist for the Department of International Affairs at Texas A&M, teaching freshman English for two years while a graduate student at Texas A&M, and working at Electronic Data Systems for 10 years in proposal development and sales training. Following a two-year stint at Value Health Management in Dallas, she became a stay at home mom following the birth of her twins. During that time, she wrote articles for the Plano Area Mothers of Multiples, and designed and edited the weekly newsletter for Vaughan Elementary as well as the Allen/McKinney Area Mothers of Multiples group, of which she was a founding member. Alison returned to EDS serving as contact editor and proposal manager and began working at FUMC Allen in 2000 in the Music Ministry department. She says FUMC Allen is a “wonderful place to work” and finds the flexibility an added bonus while raising six boys.
Her desire for her sons to have the same musical church experience she had being raised as a Southern Baptist fueled her involvement in musical ministeries. As a volunteer, she helped with VBS music then directed a Kindergarten choir for two years. Winning a scholarship to a week-long Choristers Guild Workshop focused on music and worship fueled her passion even more. As Children's Choir Coordinator and later the Music Assistant, she has produced multiple children's musicals and choir camps. Now she rings with the Carillon Bells, follows her twins on choir tour, and sings with Sisters in Song.
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Traci Ward
Membership Secretary
Traci is a sixth generation Texan, born and raised in Odessa, Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology, with a minor in accounting/business. She has completed graduate hours at Tarleton University, with hopes to finish some day.
She married Jimmy Ward in November 2003, after 15 years as a single parent. Both of her sons reside in Odessa. Dustin is a drilling foreman, and Casey an emergency medical technician for the Odessa Fire Department.
The majority of her work history centers around case management or crisis intervention for individuals diagnosed with developmental or various psychological disorders.
She enjoys traveling, reading, anything crafty or artistic, and spending time with her family.
Through her work with ACS and Mission Insite, she truly believes “all roads have led to FUMC Allen.”
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