Ministry Staff
Meet the people who Can connect you to the various ministries of First United Methodist CHURCH of Allen
Music Director Traditional Worship
Rev Brian Hardesty-Crouch
Brian Hardesty-Crouch is the music director of our traditional worship service meeting at 11:00am. He has served as a children’s choir director in Garland, an interim director of music in Lewisville, and interim pastor in Wylie, The Colony, and Melissa. He has sung with the Texas All-State Choir, the SMU Opera Theatre, the Dallas Opera Chorus, and the Dallas Symphony Chorus. I really enjoyed singing on the 1812 Overture with the Dallas Symphony and Chorus at Flagpole Hill near White…
Associate Pastor
Rev Maxie Moore
Rev 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…
Music Director Modern Worship
Jeff McPherson
Jeff McPherson is the music director of The Table, our modern worship service meeting at 8:30am. Jeff grew up at FUMC Allen before becoming an audio engineer at Texas Instruments. He has served as a worship leader at FUMC Denton, UNT’s Wesley Foundation and has served as both a full-time and volunteer counselor at Bridgeport Camp and Conference Center. There he discovered a joy for teaching youth and giving them opportunities to lead worship. Jeff spends his free time rock…
Children’s Ministry Director
Martine Whitten
Martine Whitten is our first point of contact on Sunday mornings in the Children’s Wing, where she’ll be welcoming children and parents to Sunday School.
Associate Pastor
Rev Ed Whipple
Rev Ed Whipple serves as an Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church of Allen, a vibrant community of Jesus followers seeking to grow the kingdom of God. In this role, he designs intentional discipleship pathways, hosts transformative events and retreats, and equips people to grow deeper in their faith. He also cultivates meaningful connections within the church and the wider community, creating opportunities for new people and families to engage. With a strategic eye for ministry alignment and collaboration,…
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…