Ministry Staff

Ministry Staff

Meet the people who Can connect you to the various ministries of First United Methodist CHURCH of Allen
Missions/Care & Support Ministry

Rev Josh Esparza

Rev Josh Esparza is our associate pastor at FUMC Allen, responsible for Missions and Care & Support Ministry. Josh, a Dallas-Ft Worth native who grew up in Frisco, TX, spent the past four years serving as the campus pastor of Owenwood Farm and Neighbor Space, the second campus of White Rock UMC. He was also an associate pastor at White Rock UMC. Josh began at Owenwood in 2018 with a vision for a faith community that made a spiritual and…
Resonate Praise Team

Dawn & Scott Horton

Dawn and Scott serve as contemporary worship leaders and directors of the Resonate Praise Team. They have enjoyed leading Resonate since 2003, and feel blessed to worship and encounter God each week with the congregation, not to mention serve alongside an amazing team of musicians who love the Lord and one another. The Hortons are long-time members of FUMC – Dawn was raised in our church – and they especially now appreciate the opportunity to raise their own two children,…
Adult Discipleship

Adam Lubbers

Adam Lubbers joined the FUMC Allen staff in July 2021 as our Director of Adult Discipleship. He came to us from Chapel Hill UMC in Farmers Branch where he served as youth minister and pastoral intern for three years.  Adam is originally from Granbury, TX, and became an active United Methodist in high school. He went to college at Abilene Christian University, where he studied history and the Bible. While at ACU, he met his wife, Courtney, and they were married…
Worship Leader

Jeff McPherson

Jeff McPherson is one of our worship leaders at The Table, our modern worship service at 8:40am.  Jeff grew up at FUMC Allen and studied electrical engineering at the University of North Texas. He has served as a worship leader at FUMC Denton and at UNT’s Wesley Foundation. He has served at FUMC Allen as VBS Director, and he served as a full-time counselor at Bridgeport Camp and Conference Center. There he discovered a joy for working with and teaching…
Special Kids Ministry

Susanne Means

Susanne Means is the director of our Special Kids Ministry. She grew up in Houston, TX, and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin. After moving to Ft. Collins, Colorado, she earned her teaching certificate from Colorado State University. She returned to Texas where she met her husband, Mark. They have been married 18 years and have two sons, Cameron and Matthew. Susanne worked as a special education teacher in Allen for 14 years and has…
Senior Adults/Welcoming Ministry

Rev Maxie Moore

Maxie Moore is the FUMC Allen Associate Pastor in charge of our Welcoming Ministries and our Senior Adult Ministry. She leads our Hospitality Team who strives to extend radical hospitality to everyone who walks through the doors of our church.  She also supports our Community Connect Team, which seeks to equip all church members to be evangelists and develop relationships with our community. Maxie has a passion for teaching and, especially, for leading Disciple Bible Study. Maxie and her husband,…
Co-Director Children’s Ministry

Martine Whitten

Martine Whitten joined our staff in September 2022 as FUMC Allen’s Co-Director of Children’s Ministry. Working in part-time capacity, Martine will be our first point of contact on Sunday mornings in the Children’s Wing, where she’ll be welcoming children and parents to Sunday School. She will also coordinate and communicate with our children’s Sunday School teachers. Martine and her family joined FUMC Allen in the fall of 2020. She and her husband Jack are parents to Rachel and Finn. Martine…
Youth & Young Adult Ministries

Ed Whipple

Ed Whipple, our director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries, serves to guide our students in their journey with Jesus Christ. “I value the role of the church, and I desire to do my part in helping raise generations of believers in Christ.” Ed is pastor for our youth at FUMC Allen as well as the staff contact for our college and young adult ministries. He has directed numerous youth events, including local and international mission trips,camps, and retreats.  Throughout…
Worship Ministry

MJ Wright

Myung-Jin (MJ) Wright joined our staff as our worship accompanist in August 2019. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in piano performance from the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. She has been pursuing a doctorate of musical arts at the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton since 2012. MJ has worked as a staff pianist at the Juilliard School of Music, National University of Singapore, and Singapore Lyric Opera. She has also served as a…