First United Methodist Church

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. What a joy to be appointed to serve First United Methodist Church as an Associate Pastor! Let me share a bit about myself and my family.

I was ordained an elder in the UMC in 1999 in Arizona. I have served 3 churches in various capacities--Associate Pastor, Senior Pastor and Solo Pastor. The ministry needs of each of the churches ranged from developing a ministry with racial/ethnic persons within a predominantly Anglo congregation, revitalizing a struggling inner-city church with the full breadth of children's and adult ministries, and creating ministries for seniors in an 800-member congregation located in an affluent retirement community.

My birth family, including my mom, dad and 3 older brothers, came to the United States from Burma in 1971. Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma sponsored my family to start a new life in this blessed country. The people and pastors of Boston Avenue UMC nurtured me in my formative years.

I earned a B.A. from Yale University in New Haven, CT and an M.Div. from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. I am grateful for both of the experiences. I am particularly grateful for the time at Yale because I met my husband, Eric, there. Eric is a CPA, and he is the reason we live in Wyoming. He is the CEO at the hospital in Wheatland. We have 2 children, Katie (10 years) and Adam (6 years).

Previous to my appointment at First UMC, I was the Executive Director of Cheyenne Interfaith Hospitality Network which works with churches to provided shelter and services for homeless families with children.

It is so clear that God's hand has been upon us in the move to Wyoming. God has a plan, and as we live within that plan, He provides more than we could ever imagine to bring His plan to fruition. As God brings us together in ministry, may hope in God's power rise within our hearts. May our hope, leavened with a healthy dose of hard work, be used to fulfill God's plan for the people of First United Methodist Church and beyond. All that has come before, both the joys and the struggles, bring us to this place in this time. Let us look with expectanty and hope for how God will use us together in ministry.