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

Hello!

It is a joy to serve God and serve you as part of the Kent UMC team. 

Each person’s spiritual walk is unique and personal.   It’s our prayer that you would find a path at KUMC that will guide you in that journey.  Whether you are just beginning to explore how God is a part of your life, or if you have seasoned faith, there’s a place for you here.  We have a number of small groups and studies where you can explore the Bible, discover your own gifts, and be in fellowship with others.  We like to learn, grow, serve the community, and have fun together! 

I would love to visit with you over a cup of coffee or tea, and share what it has meant in my life to become a follower of Jesus Christ.  My faith journey has been greatly influenced by many others, and I am blessed and grateful for those who have walked along side me. I look forward to walking beside you, hearing your stories, and growing in Christ together.

Terry

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