Mission Statement

Welcoming everyone to Christ

 

We will fulfill our mission by each person sharing and inviting another person to know Christ and become a part of our fellowship of faith. Beginning with ourselves and expanding to others.

 

 

Saturday Chapel service: 5:30 pm in the chapel. More contemporary, relaxed. Enjoy a variety of music, and our media presentation.

Sunday Chapel service: 8:45 am in the chapel.Not as formal as the traditional service. Also has a powerpoint presentation. Sunday Sanctuary Service: 10:50 am in the sanctuary. Our traditional service, complete with Chancel choir under the direction of Dr. Mark Jessie.

Sunday School: 9:00 am-9:45 am for grades K-6

                       9:00 am-9:45 am Confirmation class

                       9:00 am-9:45 am Senior High  Sunday School

                                  youth grades 8-12

                       9:00 am-9:45 am adult bible studies.

Phone: 440-322-6622

Senior Pastor: Rev. Roger Talbott

 

Roger came to Elyria First United Methodist Church in July, 2005. He previously served as a United Methodist pastor in the following communities: North Olmsted , OH ; Madison , OH ; Lakewood , OH ; Cuba , NY and Sardinia , NY . Roger grew up in Fillmore , NY and is a graduate of Hartwick College and Colgate Rochester Divinity School . His wife, Jacquie, is an attorney and is currently the Executive Director of Community Shares, Cleveland.  They have two sons, Matthew who lives in Portland OR with Melissa and their children, Ben and Zoe; and Jim who lives in Dallas with Rachel and their two children, Amina and Ziv. Roger has a very ecumenical family. Jacquie is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights; his youngest sister is a pastor in the United Church of Christ; one aunt served as a Baptist missionary in Nigeria for over 40 years, his oldest grandchild is a happy student at a Roman Catholic preschool in Portland and his daughter-in-law is one of the Rabbis at Temple Emmanu-El in Dallas, TX.
You can contact Rev. Talbott at rogert@elyriafirstumc.org

Assisting Pastor:
                        Rev. Dalton Love

 

                         Dianne Covault

Dianne began preaching and leading worship at the Saturday night service in June 2006. She also serves as a part time youth minister at her family’s home church, Church of the Redeemer in Cleveland Heights . She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in geochemistry and in 1990 with a master’s degree in Civil Engineering. After working as a consulting environmental engineer in Chicago for 7 years, she finally answered a long-standing call to ordained ministry in 1997, when she left her job and began full time studies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Her studies were enriched with the births of daughters Linnea in 1998 and Glennis in 2001, and she continued as a part time student, also interning for a year at Presbyterian Homes in Evanston , IL . In 2001 her family moved to Cleveland Heights when her husband Corbin, an astrophysicist, started a faculty position at Case Western Reserve University . She interned at Nottingham UMC on Cleveland ’s East Side in 2001 and 2002, and finally received her Master of Divinity degree in 2003. Third daughter Estelle was born in 2004. After many years of discernment, she intends to seek ordination as a deacon in the area of Spiritual Formation, She is delighted to be on staff at Elyria First and greatly enjoys ministering to the congregation however she can.

 

                       Chancel Choir Director:  Dr. Mark Jessie

Mark Jessie is the choir director of First United Methodist Church. He received both Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Kent State University and a Doctor of Music Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Oklahoma . Dr. Jessie is completing his thirteenth year as choral director at Elyria High School.

                       Organist: Janet Campbell-Kuhl

Mrs. Campbell-Kuhl has been the organist at First Church since September 1993. She is a native Elyrian and is a graduate of Elyria High School. While in high school, Janet enjoyed singing in the Acapella Choir and Madrigal group. She is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College with a degree in Sacred Music. She has served churches in Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit,Denver, Freemont and St. Louis. In 2003 and 2004 Janet was invited to be the organist for the Annual Conference of the Methodist Church at Lakeside. She has also been active in the Elyria Musical Arts Society and the Lorain County Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

 

Office Manager: Liz Vargo

 lizv@elyriafirstumc.org