Dr. Melanie Rosa was appointed Lead Pastor in 2017. She comes to First Church after serving in a variety of churches large and small, urban and rural. She also worked as a Campus Minister at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Most recently served the Rocky Mountain Conference as a District Superintendent with oversight for 40 churches in Denver and Colorado Springs. She holds a Master of Divinity and Doctorate from the Iliff School of Theology and has a passion for reaching new people with the liberating love and hope of Jesus Christ. Melanie has served in mission in Haiti, Guatemala, Romania, Mexico and the U.S. She is married to Fred and they are the parents of Mark and Katie.

Barb has been involved with First Church since 1994, first as an active member and currently working children and families at First Church as the Director of Children and Family Ministry as well as the Assistant Director of Parent’s Day Out. Over the years Barb has worked as the Nursery Coordinator, Vacation Bible School Director and Sunday School Teacher. She is passionate about this church and the people in it. She has many years of experience working with children from newborns to teens.

Barb has a degree in Merchandising and Design from Colorado State University. She has been married to her husband Brian for 29 years. Together, Barb & Brian have four children who keep her very busy on her off time.

Kelly is a new addition to the FUMC staff. She is our new preschool director. She brings with her, many years of experience working in Early Childhood Education. She has worked with all ages of children from infant to 12 years old, but her favorite age group is the preschool age.  She has a real passion for working with this age group of children, because they can bring such joy to life and loves to rediscover the world through their eyes. She enjoys that everyday is a new experience and cherish all that laughter.

Little about her, She is  a native to Northern CO, living in Loveland most of her life. She is married to her husband Jeremy and has 2 daughters, Sienna and Mollie. In her free time, she enjoys reading, jigsaw puzzles, yoga, traveling, visiting with friends over coffee and spending time with her family.

Josh Malave joins us from Virginia, where he was Youth Director of a larger church in the Richmond area.  Previously, he was a military school chaplain and varsity baseball/basketball coach.  As a Pastor's kid, he values the vital formation of ones faith and self discovery in the teenage years specifically, and often says they "need someone in their corner."

David Adkins holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a Master of Arts degree from Samford University with an emphasis in choral conducting, a Master of Science degree from Samford University in secondary education and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Denver with an emphasis in organizational leadership and human resource administration. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, since 1984 David has served as the Director of Music, Arts, and Worship for churches throughout Alabama, Florida and Colorado,  serving churches from 300 to 4,000 members.

David currently works full-time as Director of Music & Communications at First Church.  His hobbies include home improvement projects, stained glass and studying organ.  He and his spouse, Dr. Gregory O'Barr, live in Windsor, CO.

Dr. McArthur is the Music Director for the CSU Dance program, as well as a collaborative pianist for the CSU Music faculty.  He also serves as the Music Director at First Baptist Church of Loveland.  He has a Masters of Music from CSU and Doctorate in Musical Arts from CU Boulder.  He has experience with Modern Worship and we are delighted to welcome him to the Music Staff at First Church.