Our Church Staff

Lisa Greenwood Wolcott - Senior Pastor

Lisa is a fifth generation Texan who grew up in Dallas attending First United Methodist Church in Richardson. She received a BA in Psychology from The University of Texas in Austin and a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. She was ordained a Deacon in 1992 in the North Texas Conference and appointed to Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas where she served as an Associate Pastor in Youth Ministry.

In 1994, she was ordained an Elder in the North Texas Conference and in January 1995 was appointed to serve as an Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church in Denton, Texas. She served in Denton for eight and a half years, seven of which were in the area of youth ministry where she worked along side a strong group of parents, adult volunteers and youth leaders to build a healthy and vital youth ministry. She moved into the role of supervising the children, youth and adult ministries staff, coordinating welcoming ministries and missions, and providing leadership in the creation of a new praise and worship service.

In 2003, she was appointed to serve First United Methodist Church of Commerce, where she and her family—husband Matt and two girls, Elizabeth and Caroline—are loving serving along side the gifted and warm people of Commerce. Lisa is involved in the community as she is active in the Rotary Club, the Alliance for Ministry and in Commerce Elementary School, as a parent.

Lisa is also involved in the larger church through her service to the District and Conference. She serves on the Paris Sulphur Springs District Committee on Ministry and Superintendency Committee and chairs the North Texas Conference Board of Ministry Committee on Preparations and Qualifications which discerns if persons are qualified for ministry in the United Methodist Church.

She loves spending time with family, reading a good book, going to the mountains, traveling, spending time with friends, playing cards, watching Star Trek, and talking about faith.

Click here to contact Lisa.

Dana Coker - Associate Minister

Dana is a lifelong United Methodist who grew up in Plano , Texas actively involved in Custer Road UMC. She graduated with a BA in Psychology in 1999 from Texas A & M University , College Station , and a Master of Divinity in 2003 from Perkins School of Theology.

While in seminary, she built a year-round ministry to university-aged young adults at Custer Road UMC. Following graduation from seminary, Dana was commissioned into the North Texas Conference while she was serving as Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults at First UMC, Wichita Falls .

In 2005, Dana was appointed to serve First UMC of Commerce and the Wesleyan Campus Ministry of Texas A&M Commerce. She was ordained an Elder in the North Texas Conference in June of 2006, while serve FUMC and the Wesleyan, and she continues to love her ministry with college students and the people of Commerce. 

Commerce has been a great place for Dana. Not only did she find a great place to be in ministry, finally complete the ordination process, but she also found the man she married. She wed Harold Coker Jr. of Harveysburg , Ohio in July of 2007. They look forward to beginning their family in the great city of Commerce .

She loves spending time with friends and family, sports, watching Lost, Heros, MASH, or The West Wing, reading a good book, playing the guitar, hiking in the mountains, playing cards, and talking about life and faith.

Click here to contact Dana.

Mariann Andrews - Office Administrator

Mariann was born in Greenville, TX and has called it home for the past fifty years. She graduated from Greenville High School, and then traveled down the interstate fifteen miles to Commerce. She graduated from East Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. Mariann entered the world of banking and for the next twenty five years made that her career. She commuted to the Dallas area where she held the position of banking center manager. Mariann was excited to make a career change in 2002 to serve as office administrator for First United Methodist Church. One of her greatest joys is all the new friends she has made while at FUMC.

Mariann and her husband, Mack, another Hunt County native, enjoy time shared with their family. Their daughter, Emily, son-in-law, Michael, and grandson, Matthew, also live in Greenville. They are discovering all the wonders of being grandparents. Their daughter, Julia, is currently at the University of Nebraska. The phone lines are active. Mariann’s mother, Mary, lives nearby and at the age of eighty eight still volunteers at her church.

Click here to contact Mariann.

Jennifer Washer - Director of Children's Ministries

Jennifer Washer was born in Springfield, Missouri but claims Magnolia, Arkansas as her hometown. She earned a BSE in Elementary Education from Southern Arkansas University and taught 4th grade in Louisiana and Texas before her children were born. She also served as lead teacher in a Parent’s Day Out Program.

Jennifer has been employed as the Director of Children’s Ministries at FUMC Commerce since 2002. She loves the children and working with people and enjoys using the skills she has gained to grow God’s kingdom. She is married to Ken, a finance professor at Texas A&M - Commerce, and has two daughters, Emily and Maggie. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys reading, cooking, shopping, singing, and gardening.

Click here to contact Jennifer.

Hayley Jobe - Director of Youth Ministries

Hayley Jobe was born in Omak, WA but has called Commerce, TX home since 1994. She graduated from Texas A&M University- Commerce and received her BS and MS in Counseling. She is currently the Assistant Director of Residence Life at A&M Commerce.

She has a 17 year old daughter attending Commerce High School who is active in the youth group. Hayley enjoys being a girl scout leader, and on her spare time she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. She has been actively involved with the youth department for 3 years and enjoys helping them develop as individuals who are strong leaders.

Click here to contact Hayley.

Brunna Covolan- Communications Specialist

Brunna was born in Campinas, Brazil.  She moved to New York at the age of 3 and lived there until she was 18.  Her family decided to move to Rowlett, Texas which is what brought her to be a student at Texas A & M Univeristy -Commerce. She began school at the Univeristy in 2005 and will be graduating in May 2008 with a bachelors degree in Psychology. She is an active member in her sorrority, Chi Omega, and is currently the Personnel Chair.  She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and listening to music.  If there was one place she could travel to it would be Australia; traveling is one of her favorite things to do; and wishes to travel to every country in the world throughout her life. Her ambition is to work toward getting her Phd. in Clinical Psychology, and to one day run her private practice.

Click here to contact Brunna.

Cathy Morgan - Custodian

Cathy graduated from North Mesquite High School in 1972. She relocated to her birthright community of Hopkins County in 1982 where her late grandparents, Jess and Mae D. Orr, resided. In 1995 she received her BBA degree from Texas A&M-Commerce. She held management positions with Total, Loves, Taco Bell and The Rosemont Assisted Living Facility. At the Rosemont she gained experience in building maintenance and upkeep. Cathy now resides in Cumby with her two children Sonia 24 and Johnny 21. Cathy has been employed with First United Methodist Church since 2003.

 

Gene Lockhart - Music Director

Gene Lockhart was born in Nebraska, raised in Iowa, went to college in South Dakota, taught in the public schools in South Dakota, and did graduate work at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York before coming to East Texas State University in 1969. He has held a variety of positions with the university since that time, and recently retired from serving as the head of the Department of Music. He continues to teach in the Music Department. He has been active in FUMC-Commerce since arriving in Commerce and currently serves as Director of the Chancel Choir and Music Ministries.

Click here to contact Gene.

Dr. John Burkett - Church Organist

Born in Montgomery, Alabama, John Burkett began studying the piano and the organ at ages 6 and 9 respectively. Pre-college study with Harald Rohlig, Mark McGowin and Gene Jarvis led to further study at the baccalaureate, masters and doctoral levels at Florida State University, the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois.

After a year's teaching experience in Nebraska at Kearney State College and the University of Nebraska, Dr. Burkett came to ETSU (now Texas A&M-Commerce) in 1972 where he teaches a wide variety of courses. He has played for Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian churches since the age of 13 and has served as organist to the First United Methodist Church of Commerce, Texas, since 1975.

As a composer, Dr. Burkett has written numerous hymn-based compositions for solo organ and solo piano, most of which remain unpublished. In 1995, however, he co-authored 101 Favorite Hymn Harmonizations for Keyboard, which was published by Abingdon Press of Nashville.

Anne Piper - Children's Music Director

Denise Rater - Nursery Coordinator

Denise has been the nursery coordinator for about 8 years. She has operated a licensed home daycare for 21 years. Denise has current CPR and 1st aid certification.

 

 

 

Mary Shumway - Nursery Staff

Mary Shumway was born in Longview and has lived all her life in East Texas. She is married to Danny. They have three children: JenAnne, Rebekah, and Philip. Ms. Mary, as the children call her, loves children and it shows! She manages to comfort and console them and keep them learning, all the while having a great time. They love her!