Elk City United Methodist Church

Scott is Elk City UMC’s Senior Pastor. He was appointed to Elk City UMC in 2019 and has been in pastoral ministry for over 20 years. He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from The University of Oklahoma and a Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. He was ordained an elder in The United Methodist Church in 2006. Scott loves serving with the congregation of Elk City UMC because he believes they share the values of Love God and Love Neighbor. When he is not at church, you will find him spending time with his wife, Jen, or watching sports (most likely OU football or WWE). Scott has a heart for missions, especially youth missions and for sharing his faith. His guiding Scripture is Matthew 28:19-20, The Great Commission, which leads to his deepest prayer and hope that all persons come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He believes that until this is the case, there is Kingdom building work to be done.

Rev. Kaela Burdge is our Pastor of Discipleship at Elk City UMC, and the Hub churches (Erick UMC and Chapel Hill UMC). Kaela was appointed to Elk City in the summer of 2022, and her primary focus is to help people grow in their relationship with God and become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. She is responsible for overseeing the spiritual growth and development of the congregation, designing and implementing programs that foster spiritual growth, and providing guidance and support to individuals as they navigate their faith journey. Currently, she’s feeling God tugging at her heart to find better ways to navigate authentic digital evangelism and discipleship in the 21st century. Kaela was ordained as a Full Elder in connection in 2019 and has had the privilege of serving some wonderful churches all across Oklahoma. One thing that Kaela loves about working at Elk City UMC is how focused the whole church is on making disciples and building God's Kingdom. Kaela has a heart for campus ministry where she heard her call to ministry, and she has a heart for camp and retreat ministry and has worked on staff at Cross Point UMC Camp at Lake Texoma and has been a camp counselor for every age group at Cross Point, Egan, and Canyon. Kaela values hard work and connection, and she sees a true value in intergenerational ministry: that when all people are included in Christ's ministry, lives are changed. In Kaela’s spare time, she loves hanging out with friends, meeting new people, playing her guitar, playing/watching sports (especially OU Sooners and Dallas Stars Hockey), camping and hiking, and spending time with her husband Alan and their children: Elisha, Thomas, Samuel, and their dogs, Socks and Luke. Kaela loves reading Scripture and finds it to be the deepest and easiest way for her to connect with God. Her favorite Old Testament book is Ecclesiastes, and her favorite New Testament book is Galatians. Kaela's biggest hope and dream is for the world to focus on Jesus Christ being Lord of their lives, and worshipping together despite our differences.

Pam joined Elk City UMC’s staff in 2009 as Administrative Assistant…and if you asked anyone else on staff what her job entailed, they would simply say “everything.” In fact, the most frequent phrase heard throughout the work week is “ask Pam.” She says her job is a privilege and loves working with people she considers “one big family.” She not only assists staff and ministry teams, but anyone who visits the church facility. Her task list is too numerous to cover, but most often involves paperwork, answering phones, church correspondence, scheduling, building and operating service slides, prepping meals and more. Pam always strives to treat others the way she’d like to be treated and values putting others before herself, something her parents taught her by example. When she’s not at church, she and her husband, Gale, love spending time with their two sons and their families, especially their granddaughters! She also loves wandering in the pastures, along the hills and down beside the creeks looking for and collecting rocks, both big and small.  “God created each rock just like He created us - no two are alike, they come in all sizes and shapes and they are all beautiful!” Pam’s wanderings often interrupt her assistance with farm and ranch projects, to Gale’s dismay. Pam enjoys delivering Meals on Wheels with a smile, and wants God to use her in such a way that this earth was touched with goodness by her presence. Her favorite Bible verse is Psalm 95:1: Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Sherry has been Elk City UMC’s Treasurer since 2015. She’s been working with numbers since she was a teenager and has always wanted to serve the church. Since her job at Elk City UMC includes both, this is the perfect fit! Her duties include keeping the church’s financial data posted, making sure the church is in compliance with various tax agencies and helping with benevolence needs and other accounting duties that arise. She’s part of the “front office crew” and will be one of the first smiling faces you see if dropping by the church during the week. Honesty, loyalty and a heart for service are important to her. Sherry enjoys helping with Walk to Emmaus and when she’s not at church, she’s with her family whom she loves to spend time with. Her favorite Bible verse comes from Job 9:21, He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Her biggest hope is for her family…especially her grandchildren…that they live happy lives and never doubt her love or the Father’s for them.

Karen is Elk City UMC’s Financial Secretary. She has been making deposits and recording church giving since 2013. She values loving people and enjoys her work at the church as it gives her many opportunities to spread love with the people who come and go. She encounters many throughout the week as her office is a “high traffic area” of the church. When not at the church, she enjoys being with her family and football. Karen loves working with the United Methodist Women and supporting the many ministry projects ongoing at Elk City UMC. Her favorite Bible verse is Isaiah 40:31, 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. Her biggest prayer is to know that her children and extended family are living their lives for the Lord.

Traci is Elk City UMC’s Director of Media Technology. Her job covers a lot of ground and is ever-changing as technology does, so she describes it as making sure the church has reach…that it’s seen and heard both near and far. She has been Facebooking church events, troubleshooting audio/visual, producing in-house and online videos, etc. for the church since 2014. She enjoys the creativity her role affords and working with a team of people who love God and love people. She values genuineness, service to others and attention to detail. She believes a smile, word of encouragement and a good hug can change lives. Some of her most favorite people in the world are her youth kids and their families…and her heart beats for her boys – husband, Kent, and sons, Jack and Rex. All of her best time is spent with them. Her mission work with the youth never fails to move her and teach her new things, but Dallas in the summer of 2015 changed her heart in a beautiful way. That was the summer she understood without a shadow of a doubt what agape love looks like on this earth. Her favorite Bible verse comes from 2 Timothy 1:7 -- For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self discipline. And the Book of James gets a lot of her attention!

Dwain and Sharon Hodges are Elk City UMC’s custodians, joining the staff right in the middle of a pandemic in 2020. That brought a unique set of challenges as cleaning the church took on a new importance. The couple can be found at church most days cleaning and disinfecting after each church event, keeping things in working order and fixing issues that arise on church grounds. Dwain and Sharon simply describe themselves as caretakers for God’s work. They enjoy cleaning God’s house for people to worship in a safe and tidy environment. The couple is enjoying the freedom retirement has afforded them to do the work God has called them to. When not at church, they love to watch movies together and also enjoy classic cars. Their favorite mission is supporting the church in all its kingdom work. Dwain and Sharon’s favorite Bible passage is 2 Kings, Chapter 6, and their biggest prayer is for peace and unity worldwide.  

Dennis Ferguson joined Elk City UMC’s staff in September 2017. He works in maintenance and jokingly refers to himself as “The Chairman” as his primary duties are to set up chairs and tables for any and all functions at Elk City UMC. That keeps him pretty busy as there’s always something going on at church! Dennis married his wife, Jennifer, in 2007 and together they have four dogs “who are our kids and spoiled worse than any kid would be!” When he’s not working at the church, he’s working at Walmart. Dennis enjoys yard work, watching tv and movies and traveling when he gets the opportunity. Hebrews 10:36 is one of his favorite Bible verses: “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Kent and Traci are the Senior High Youth Leaders at Elk City UMC. It’s funny how that came about - ask them sometime! It's been a great example of God's will vs. ours and being obedient! The role includes some teaching, preaching, mentoring, counseling, championing, etc. Throw in some parenting with unconditional love and lots of grace, and you have youth ministry! They would describe working with youth as taking a ride on a spiritual roller coaster. Both believe God put them in this place for this season with these people. They value building relationships with their church kids, not just at church but outside of it as well. Their favorite week of the year is Mission Trip during the summer for two reasons: 1.) Quality time with the kids with few distractions, and 2.) Serving others over self never fails to light a fire in all of them. The couple is grateful for the ways youth ministry stretches them emotionally and spiritually. They value openness, leadership, service, compassion and character and strive to model that for their church kids. Their biggest prayer is for their youth to not just know about God, but KNOW Him…His heart and His love and His power. They have two boys of their own, Jack and Rex, who make themselves just as comfortable at church as they do at home…which makes their parents so happy. Kent’s favorite Scripture is Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Traci’s favorite Scripture as a youth leader is James 3:1 because it reminds her that her actions and speech should always align with her faith…and that’s what she wants her kids to see.

Tim is Elk City UMC’s Junior High Youth Leader. He’s been wrangling teens here at Elk City UMC since 2005, but has worked in the Methodist Church since he was in college. In 1992, Tim served as an intern at the SWOSU Wesley Foundation and as youth leader for the combined Thomas, Custer City and Independence United Methodist Churches. He also worked with the Hobart UMC. His spiritual gifts are shepherding and encouragement. It is his mission to lead and promote youth programming, activities and Bible-based studies that target the spiritual development for the youth of our church and community. Tim really loves working with kids. His day job is a band director. There, he gets to know the youth in this community. Here at the church, he gets to teach kids about the love of God and about the importance of a loving church community. He truly enjoys working with the leaders in the church. He believes that their varied skill sets makes a complete team. Tim loves his family. He has a beautiful wife, Crystal, and five kids: Conner, Cade, Andrew, Aiden and Evelyn. Tim enjoys golf, cooking and traveling with his family. His greatest hope and prayer is that his children will love God, their family, and to have the ability to choose what is right. Tim values respect, hard work and commitment. These qualities drive his day to day and his work and play. His favorite saying is “Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard!! Do it all for the glory of God”.  His favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11-13: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  

Jimi is Elk City UMC’s Children’s Director. Since 2018, she has served the church in all areas of children’s religious education - ages 2 through 6th grade – including Sunday School, Children’s Moment during worship services, Wednesday night classes, Vacation Bible School and special events, like Back to School Bash, Fall Carnival, etc. She says the most important part of her job is teaching children about God; teaching them the stories and lessons so important to our faith. She believes in building positive relationships between children and the church, as well as their families. Jimi’s hope is to develop life-long disciples of Christ. She is a firm believer that God opens doors for us throughout our lives. She worked in education for 36 years as a teacher, principal and mentor for educators during summer training, and its those open doors preparing her for this one. “All of the talents God’s given me has led me here.” Jimi considers it a privilege and joy to share her faith with those at our church. She enjoys working in such a positive, appreciative and caring environment. She values integrity, passion, compassion and empathy. Family is very important to her. She has a large, close extended family but most of her free time is spent with her seven grandchildren at all of their activities. She also loves to travel and is a voracious reader. Jimi feels like every encounter is an opportunity for mission and looks for ways to share God with others every day. She also enjoys taking her Sunday school class to stock the Blessing Box by the church each week. When asked for a favorite Scripture her response is, “There are so many!” Although hard to choose, her stand-outs are 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Hebrews 12:1 and Philippians 4:6-7. Jimi always wants to reflect God’s love and teachings through her words and actions. She desires to be a joy to those around her and make a positive difference in someone’s life. “The children are the future of our church. My hope and prayer is that by what I do, I have made an investment in this future.”

Lauren is Elk City UMC’s Children’s Music Director. Since 2018, she has been selecting and teaching music on Wednesday nights for our kids, age 2 through 4th grade, and directs the Kids Choir as often perform special music for the congregation. She says she’s happy to be able to give back to the church that helped raise her by sharing her gifts in the children’s ministry. The values that driver her are family, faith, compassion, kindness and steadfastness. Lauren enjoys reading, gardening, traveling with her family, walking and working with her students at Elk City High School, where she is a counselor. Her favorite mission to support is HELP Inc., both personally and through her full-time job at ECHS. Her favorite Bible verses come from Jeremiah 17:7-8, But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Lauren hopes that she’s able to live a life that demonstrates compassion, kindness and patience both for her own children and the children with whom she works. She wants to demonstrate the love of God in every area of her life.

Patsy is Elk City UMC’s Nursery Director and Custodian and has worked in those areas of the church since the mid 1980’s. She describes her role in the nursery as caring and protecting children in a safe, loving environment. The littles love Miss Patsy! She’s had a direct hand in helping nurture our church kids and gets to watch as they learn and grow in their faith here. Many of “her kids” are now adults with children of their own and now they, too, get to spend time with Miss Patsy in the church nursery! As Custodian, she can be found cleaning every inch of the church and helping fix issues that pop up within the building. Patsy loves working with people who enjoy working together to help others. When she’s not at church, she enjoys volunteering at the UMC Thrift Shop. She also enjoys walking in her free time. She loves to start her mornings early, reading her Bible and the Upper Room devotional. She especially enjoys the quietness of a morning. Her prayers are many, especially for the hungry, homeless, lonely abused and ill. She also hopes and prays for world peace and unity, and for all people here on earth and in heaven.

Rachel has been leading our Kids Day Out program as KDO Director since the spring of 2022. In her important role, she supervises and leads the KDO teachers, designs curriculum for her littles, creates a safe environment for children to learn and grow and oversees all the daily activities of the program. Rachel enjoys many things about her job, but the kids take the top spot. “We have great staff throughout the church which makes for a great place to work, but I would definitely say the children make my job one of the best!” The sounds coming from the children’s area are filled with happiness and laughter, which is no surprise considering Rachel strives for honesty, integrity, patience, love and creativity. She and her teachers have created an environment in which children feel free to shine! When she’s not at church, you can catch her spending time with her own kids, especially at their sport events. Her biggest dream in life is for her children…to raise them kind. “There is no greater accomplishment in life than our children,” she says. “Being a mother is the greatest gift I could have ever received in life.” Rachel’s favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” “God has a plan for us, even when we don’t always see that!” she says.

Justin has been Elk City UMC’s Chancel Choir Director since 2008, leading the musicians during the church’s weekly Celebration service. “Prep work” for the traditional service includes Wednesday night choir rehearsals. Together, the choir works on weekly anthems and special seasonal music. The Chancel Choir performs a Christmas Cantata each year as well as special anthems for the Easter season. Justin refers to his work with the choir a “labor of love” as he thoroughly enjoys the weekly fellowship and fun interactions amongst the close group, whom he calls “a family within a family.” His love of music and working with individuals in a choir setting is his life’s work. He’s been involved with church music in some leadership form since attending Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where he graduated with both a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and a Master’s Degree in Music (vocal emphasis). He’s also the co-director of the award-winning Elk City Schools Junior and Senior High Choir programs. In his spare time he can be found on the golf course, in a deer blind, traveling or just spending time at home with his family. Justin is married to the love of his life, Jo, and together they have four children, Anna Mueller and her husband, Michael; Jonah White; Drew Ediger; and Hannah White. His favorite verse is Phillippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

Kevin is Elk City UMC’s New Day Band Director. He has led his merry group of musicians in contemporary music here at the church since 2011. His love of music began in the 3rd grade with piano lessons but when he found the guitar, he found his focus. He’s been playing ever since. An invitation led him to Elk City UMC’s New Day service and one Sunday the preacher asked, “What is God calling you to do?” He knew then it was time to join the praise band. Two years later, he was leading it. Kevin enjoys working with the pastors on song selection that compliments the Scripture and sermon. He loves incorporating new and current songs into the set list, and his choices always enhance the message. It’s important for him to do his best for the congregation and enjoys working with a staff that cares about their positions in the church just as much as he does. “We are all different parts of one body, complimenting each other to share the love of Christ. I believe we have something special at Elk City UMC.” Kevin values honesty and a good work ethic. He believes if anything is worth doing, it’s worth doing right with your best effort. When he’s not at church, he enjoys family vacations with his wife, Jeanna, and kids, Jessi and Kobi; listening to his favorite bands and recording music he’s written. In fact, he dreams of his own songs making their way through the recording process someday. “Going on the road with Casting Crowns wouldn’t be so bad, either!” Kevin’s favorite missions are Hungry Harry, which collects donations for HELP, Inc., Elk City’s food resource center, and working with the youth praise band, Arise. His biggest hope is for his kids to find happiness and success and to be content. All Scripture is meaningful to him, and he loves the process of finding meaningful music to move with it. Kevin says the trust and musical freedom he’s received here at the church is overwhelming, but the Lord works in mysterious ways as He has a hard rock guitar player leading a praise band that includes Bluegrass and Reggae into their lineup on occasion. He prays everyone finds their answer to the question, “What is God calling you to do?”

Allison joined Elk City UMC’s staff in 2021 as the English Hand Bell Choir Director. “I direct the Bell Choir or, as they would laughingly call themselves, the Ding-A-Lings!” In her position, Allison selects music, conducts regular practices, readies her choir for performances and sees to the upkeep of the bells and related equipment. She says the choir loves bringing the joy of worship into their performances, and she feels very fortunate to be leading such a dedicated group and finds their friendship and love of God very uplifting. “I love being a part of this unique and talented group of ringers!” She also loves that the congregation is appreciative and supportive of the bell choir and sees this as a positive influence for future bell ringers at Elk City UMC. Allison believes, first and foremost, that music is meaningful in some way to everyone who experiences it. She also believes it is a gift from God and should be cherished as such. She finds fulfillment in sharing her gifts with the church and feels called to inspire others through music, whether playing, listening or finding spiritual connection. “If one person feels the joy of God's love through sound, I am happy! I just want EVERYONE to feel that specialness!” Allison’s greatest joy is spending time with her three grandchildren and moved to Elk City specifically for that reason. She’s thankful for new friends made and the opportunity to nurture new relationships. She also loves to travel and hopes to spend more time doing so, once she retires. Allison is a huge advocate for Project Transformation. She would like it to be utilized more often and hopes it becomes wider known. “Not only does it help and change the lives of children, it also makes a serious impact on the lives of the college-age counselors that drive it!” Allison’s favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:8-9: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Her hopes, dreams and prayers are all the same: she wants her grandchildren and all of mankind to live in a world that is more accepting of those who are different, to know that every person has value, to believe that love should be unconditional and to know that God's grace is always with them.