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Church Staff Biographies
 
Josh Albright --  We welcomed Josh to the staff at FUMC in May of 2007.  Josh currently attends Omaha Central High School and is a sophomore.  He enjoys playing drums in the school band .  He also works on the stage crew for music plays and other performances.
Roberta Coss -- Roberta is the Office Administrator and has been with FUMC since November 1995.  She maintains the church's website, calendar & office, coordinates weddings, baptisms & funerals, and a variety of other tasks.  Roberta has two awesome daughters, Salene & Stacey and is the staff person for her two cats.  She is a member at North Side Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), where she is very active.
 
Jane Florence -- Reverend Florence comes to us from the Southwest Texas Annual Conference.  She holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.  Before recognizing her call to ministry, she worked as a high school English teacher and later as the principal of a Christian school.  She holds a bachelors degree in education from Trinity University-San Antonio, two Master of Science degrees from Texas A & M in Corpus Christi--one in Curriculum and Instruction and one in Administration.  Jane has experience with both small and large congregations, having served for five years at Medina Valley UMC, Castroville, TX, just outside San Antonio.  While there, they built a new sanctuary and enjoyed growth and expanded ministries.  She was then appointed in 2004 to serve Manchaca UMC in south Austin--a 1000 member congregation of great theological and political diversity.  Manchaca has a very strong program ministry with ChristCare groups, Stephen Ministry, older adult ministry, health and wellness outreach, housing for the homeless, and many other mission and educational opportunities as well as a large music program.  Jane has two daughters who are pursuing careers.  Her husband of six years, Howard Surber, is a United Methodist pastor on retired status, who works in the financial investment industry.  Jane preached her first sermon at First United Methodist Church-Omaha as the first female Senior Pastor in our 150+ history on July 1, 2007.
 
Becky Jones -- Becky is a multi-talented Director that has been with First United Methodist Church since 1998.  She not only directs the children's and youth choirs, as well as the Zion Band, she is also in charge of Communications and Membership of First United Methodist Church.  She prepares BREAD and BREAD Crumbs and the Sunday bulletins and tracks the membership and attendance information for visitors and members, alike.  Becky has a Masters Degree in Music with an emphasis on Vocal Pedagogy.  She has performed in various roles in Omaha area theatre productions and has a private studio.
 
Mark Kurtz -- An award-winning composer and organist, Mark Kurtz has been Director of Music Ministries at First United Methodist Church since the year 2000.  His education began at the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he won a Chancellor's Award for Excellence and graduated as Outstanding Senior.  He continued his studies at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he was twice named an Angell Scholar and graduated with highest honors.  Next, he studied at the University of Minnesota, where he branched out from his conservatory-style background and began to be involved in performance art, musical theater, and conducting.  His compositions have been performed across the United States, in Canada, and in Europe.  He has received many commissions for new work, from groups such as the American Guild of Organists and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  He regularly writes new pieces for the Chancel Choir and Handbell Choir of First United Methodist Church; two CD's of his compositions, performed by the church choirs and with guest soloists and instrumentalists, have been produced.  Since 2001, Mark Kurtz has also been Music Director of the River City Mixed Chorus, Nebraska's only GALA (Gay and Lesbian Association) Chorus.
 
Marie Meyers -- This year, I completed my 36th year of teaching music to elementary-age students in Omaha schools.  My husband, Bob, and I have been members of FUMC for 13 years and our daughter, Elizabeth, was confirmed in FUMC.  We love to travel, be a part of the Chancel Choir, listen to music, cook, play bridge and follow Chicago Cubs baseball.  It has been my privilege to know and work with Mark Kurtz and members of our terrific Chancel Choir as the Music Associate.  We feel blessed to be a part of a faith community that has been very welcoming and very supportive, has challenged our thinking, and stood by us in times of joy and times of sorrow.
 
Susan Morse -- Susan began at FUMC in March 2006.  She is a fourth generation Omahan who graduated from UNL with a degree in Finance and Accounting.  Away from FUMC, she spends time with her family and friends and enjoys sports.  Susan says, "I enjoy the change of the seasons and to quote one of my favorite authors, John Steinbeck, 'What good is warmth without cold to give it sweetness.'"
 
Loren Mullins -- Loren has served one-quarter time since his retirement in 1998.  He is staff liaison to the Health, Wellness and Spiritual Formation Ministries Committee.  This includes being the pastor assigned to the Stephen Ministries program.  Other pastoral duties include hospital and care center visitation and he assists the Senior Pastor in worship and other assignments.  As time permits, he teaches Bible study classes.

Jason Nehrig --  Jason has been working for the church since December 5, 1999.  He has grown up in the church and attended Rainbow Factory Preschool. Jason is a 2004 graduate from Central High School, where he was involved with Band, Drama and Vocal Music.  He was a member of the Acapella and CHS Singers Choirs.  He worked in the Theater Department, constructing sets, and worked with lighting and sound systems.  After graduation, Jason attended Southeast Community College in Milford, Nebraska and graduated from the John Deere division as a diesel mechanic.  This is beneficial to the church as he helps maintain our John Deere equipment.  Jason spends his spare time working on his grandparent's farm.   

Steve Nehrig -- Steve has been the Building Manager at FUMC since May 1, 1989.  He and his wife, Karma, have been married since 1976 and their family have been members of FUMC since 1983.  Heather and Jason were born, baptized, went to preschool, grew up in and have worked for FUMC helping with many functions held here.  Steve and Karma both love to work together designing and creating quilts, pendant flags, and a variety of other projects.  Steve's main passion is woodworking and has made several pieces at FUMC.  He designed the log cabin that sat on the south lawn of the church to help celebrate FUMC's 150th Anniversary in 2005.  He loves working with the many volunteers and feels it is very important for people to get involved and mostly to feel welcomed when coming to FUMC.
 

Ivan Richardson -- I was raised the son of a mechanic in St. Paul, Minnesota thus acquiring some mechanical ability.  I decided for the ministry between my sophomore and junior year of high school and thus began my preparation for nearly fifty years of pastoral ministry. I spent almost twelve years with the Church of the Nazarene and then thirty eight with the Nebraska Conference of the United Methodist Church.  During the Nebraska ministry I helped start the Northeast Omaha Community ministry.  We challenged the "Red Lining" in the Omaha housing market and won a ten million dollar commitment from the S & L's for investment in North Omaha. The Northeast Community ministry became active in the rehabbing of house in North Omaha and at one time had a million dollar line of credit.  Marlys and I were married in 1953 and we have four children, twelve grandchildren and five great grandchildren. We retired from the ministry in 1998 and then a started a lawn service business.  It was while volunteering with the lawn crew that I got the opportunity to work part-time on the maintenance staff here at First Church for the last eight years.

 
Sue Rood -- Sue is the Director of Religious Education and has worked professionally in Christian education first at Broadway UMC in Council Bluffs, Iowa and then FUMC since 1988.  Sue has her Certification in Christian Education and did her foundational studies for Diaconal Ministry at St. Paul School of Theology. She and her husband Ken, who is a United Methodist pastor working at Methodist Hospital as the Chaplain, have been married since 1967 and have three children and four grandchildren.  Sue says, "Through all the opportunities and experiences of my life, my greatest joy has been my family--my husband, children, children-in-laws and grandchildren.  Through all the ups and downs of my life the church has been my home."
 
Milton Thomas (MT) -- Born in Louisville, Mississippi, MT was the youngest of eight children.  Growing up in the country instilled a strong work ethic at a young age.  Omaha provided the fertile soil for MT to sow the seeds of his passion for music, and in 2002, a record label was born--Money Talk Productions, Inc.  In 2005, MT started his current position as evening custodian at FUMC, a place he truly enjoys coming to every day.  MT also started his auto detailing company this same year, and anyone who has seen his vehicles knows this is also a great match of his talents!