Hi, I’m Pastor Jim Head-Corliss.

If you are new to the church, let me tell you a bit about us. The heart of the matter is this: we are a group of people of all ages, all shapes, sizes, and kinds, doing our very best to Love God and to love our neighbors. One of the ways we express this love is through worship because our God is truly amazing!

God created everything, great and small.  God’s love is incredible, powerful, and unconditional.

So, worship is really important to us. We also spend time looking into God’s word in the Bible for practical teaching, looking for God’s path in our everyday lives.

But following Jesus doesn’t end when our worship is finished. Throughout the week we gather in groups to serve, pray, reach out to our community, and sometimes just to hangout and have fun together.

Look, we know that life is full of challenges. No one here at our church is perfect. This is one of the reasons that God has brought us together. We’re all here to help and support each other through each step of life’s journey because no one should have to travel alone.

Pastor Jim

Hi, I’m Richard Thomas, and I am grateful to serve as the Director of Discipleship Ministries at Kent United Methodist Church.

At the heart of who I am is a simple conviction: people matter to God, so people must matter to us. I believe the church is at its best when we are helping people love God, love one another, discover who God created them to be, and then live that faith beyond the walls of the church.

My own journey has taken me through some very different worlds. I grew up in Los Angeles before eventually coming to Washington, where football opened doors I could never have imagined. I received a scholarship to the University of Washington, played on championship teams there, and later had an opportunity with the Baltimore Ravens. The lessons I learned through athletics—discipline, sacrifice, perseverance, teamwork, leadership, and the importance of developing people—continue to shape the way I approach ministry today.

But football has never been the whole story.

My relationship with Christ changed the direction of my life, and over the years I have had the privilege of serving as a youth minister, pastor, evangelist, preacher, teacher, mentor, speaker, and coach. Much of my ministry has centered on helping people move beyond simply knowing about Jesus toward actually becoming more like Jesus in everyday life.

That is what discipleship means to me.

It is not just attending another class or completing another church program. Discipleship happens when we be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and learn to do what Jesus did. It happens through Scripture and prayer, but also through relationships, conversations, service, meals, difficult seasons, laughter, questions, failures, second chances, and people choosing to walk alongside one another.

I am especially passionate about reaching generations.

I believe children, teenagers, young adults, parents, grandparents, longtime believers, and people who are still trying to figure out what they believe all have something important to bring to the life of the church. The goal is not simply to build programs for different generations, but to become a church where generations know one another, learn from one another, serve together, and grow together.

Family is an important part of that passion. My wife, Tiffany, and I are part of a large blended family that has experienced tremendous joy, unexpected challenges, loss, perseverance, and grace. Being a husband, father, and grandfather has taught me repeatedly that people rarely grow because someone simply gave them more information. We grow because someone loved us enough to walk with us.

Alongside my ministry at KUMC, I also serve as the Head Football Coach at Kentridge High School. Some people may see church ministry and football coaching as two very different jobs. I see them as two places where God has given me the opportunity to invest in people.

Whether I am standing in a sanctuary or a locker room, teaching Scripture or teaching young men how to respond to adversity, my purpose is remarkably similar: love people, equip people, develop leaders, build community, and help people recognize the gifts and potential God has placed within them.

My hope for discipleship at Kent UMC is that there will be a pathway for everyone—from the person exploring Christianity for the first time to someone who has followed Jesus for decades—to take another step toward Christ.

There is room here to ask questions.

There is room here to grow.

There is room here to serve.

There is room here to discover your gifts.

And there is room here for your story.

I look forward to hearing that story, sharing life together, and discovering what God will do as we love, equip, reach, and grow together in Christ.

Richard Thomas
Director of Discipleship Ministries
Kent United Methodist Church

Hi, my name is Stephanie McIlwain Miller, and am delighted to have joined the staff at Kent UMC as Director of Youth and Children’s Music and the Arts. Thank you for the warm welcome on February 19.

I believe worship arts have a unique ability to communicate our faith as we seek to create disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Worship arts should enrich the spiritual lives of the congregation as well as the spiritual lives of those sharing their gifts.

I have been a teaching artist since I aged out of children’s choir and was asked by my director to be her assistant. Since then, I have studied child and vocal development while completing my MA in speech-language pathology and have had advanced training in voice, acting, and directing choirs for children and youth. I have started worship arts programs for young people across 3 states and over 37 years. I am passionate about employing the arts to help young people experience the love of God in fellowship with those around them and to give them the opportunity to use their gifts to share that love with each other, the congregation, and the community.

I firmly believe that young people are not just “the church of tomorrow.” They are vital members of the church today. Given the opportunity and some guidance, they can help lead us all in faithful service and celebration. I will be working with families and staff to create developmentally appropriate programs that allow participants to have fun learning and growing together as we strive to create our best possible offerings for God.

For the children, we will primarily be focused on the two children’s choirs and the acolyte/Bible bearer program as these encourage children’s active and knowledgeable participation in worship while providing a strong musical foundation. Youth worship arts programming will have more breadth. Areas of focus will be determined by participants’ interests, but could include vocal and instrumental music, puppetry, drama, liturgical dance, and graphic arts – to name just a few. Please refer to the Young People’s Arts Calendar for more information about meetings through March.

I leave you now with the words of Helen Kemp, a writer and composer who was an internationally known specialist in the training of young voices. Body, Mind, Spirit, Voice: It takes the whole person to sing and rejoice!

Looking forward to singing and rejoicing with you,

Stephanie

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Shalom! Shalom! My name is EJ Ragual. I have been the Youth Leader at Kent United Methodist Church since November 2023. It’s been a blessing to work with the Youth, develop their faith, and provide them the knowledge that I know about our Lord Jesus Christ, the 73 books that form the Bible, and the church that Jesus built.

At Youth Group every week, we divide it into 2 parts: Faith and Fellowship, and then we transfer to Youth Arts where Ms. Stephanie leads. During Faith and Fellowship, Youth will learn more about our Lord Jesus Christ, connect with other Youth within and outside the church, and develop their own relation and spiritual journey through many experiences.

As Youth Leader, I also host events that are open to different churches. Examples are: Overnighters (lock-ins), community events, worship nights, Bible study, retreats, fun activities (Topgolf, Bowling, etc.), and so much more. I also Co-Lead Beacon UMC’s Youth Group alongside their Youth Leader.

Within the PNW Conference in the United Methodist Church, I am known for hosting yearly Overnighters, am part of the band called Generations of Miracles as the Guitarist, Bassist, and Drummer; and also heavily involved in the development and leadership as part of the Collective at Christmas Institute.

A little bit about me! I work 3 jobs: An Operations Manager for Tukwila, Federal Way, and Covington Baskin Robbins locations, a Youth Leader here at Kent UMC, and a Bayhost, Event Ambassador, and ACE Trainer at Topgolf! I love playing different instruments with Generations of Miracles, and the CI Band. I am Filipino and know how to speak 4 languages. I love my girlfriend Arabella Cueto. I am going into school to double major in Bachelor in Applied Management and Bachelor in Early Childhood Education at Green River College. Then I will start working towards my Master of Divinity and maybe Doctors at (hopefully) Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. I often have a lot of plans and projects that I like to do and plan. Many of my friends call me an anomaly and extremely crazy. Some say I have so much energy and have so many complex ideas. But most of all, many people see me as a person of love, and a person who centers their life around Christ.

With all that said, I am looking forward to meeting you and your Youth. Feel free to connect with me anytime!

EJ Ragual