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, Rev. Melanie 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. Rev. 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 and grandparents of Madeline.
Rev. Cynthia Paquette worked as an entomologist for 10 years before answering her call to the ordained ministry in 2007. She has a Doctor of Philosophy in Entomology and worked in the field until 2015. She originated from Malaysia, came from a Buddhist family and had a conversion experience at the age of 16 while trying to find meaning and direction in life after the passing of her grandmother. She completed a Master of Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary in 2015, was commissioned as a Provisional Elder and was appointed to First Church in June 2016. As Executive Pastor, Rev. Cynthia oversees the cradle to grave faith formation by working with the different programming staff and the pastoral and congregational care ministries by working with her clergy colleagues and the congregational care ministries. Rev. Cynthia’s gifts for ministry are in the areas of administration, healing, and teaching.
Barb has been involved with First Church since 1994, first as an active member and currently working with 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 and Brian have four children, who keep her very busy on her off time.
Laurie and her family joined FUMC in 2007, and she feels fortunate to have become a part of the many the different children’s programs shortly thereafter. She began as a childcare provider in the church nursery, then joined the Parent’s Day Out Staff, and in 2009, began teaching for FUMC Co-Op Preschool. She will start her 11th year with that program this fall. She considers being a part of helping the young children of FUMC start their faith journey an incredible gift.
She was a business major in college and is happy to be able to put those skills to use. Laurie’s other interests include playing golf, reading, and spending time with her family. She is married and blessed with four children and three grandchildren.
Kelly is a new addition to the FUMC staff as the 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 she loves to rediscover the world through their eyes. She enjoys that every day is a new experience and cherishes all that laughter.
Kelly is a native to Northern CO, living in Loveland most of her life. She is married to her husband Jeremy and has two 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.
Although she hesitates to admit it, Gail Farnum has been working in the child care field for almost 40 years. Gail was born in Fargo, North Dakota and received her degree in Child Development there at North Dakota State University. Shortly after joining First United Methodist Church, she began working in the church nursery. She later became a teacher for the Parent's Day Out program at First Church, and in 1995, became its director. She was the Vacation Bible School music director, and also director of child care for the annual Methodist conference for many years. Gail and Bob were blessed with two daughters, Chelsey and Rachel. Besides young children, Gail’s passions include playing guitar and singing. She is proud to be caretaker of the wonderful ministry of Parent's Day Out.
Josh Malave joins us from Virginia, where he was the 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 one's faith and self-discovery in the teenage years specifically and often says they "need someone in their corner."
Condemned to a lifetime of Methodism by his middle name, David Wesley Reid joined the staff in 2011. He was founding publisher and editor of Vital Theology newsletter. He has been communications director for Duke University Divinity School, public relations manager for a Fortune 500 company and vice president of a Denver PR firm. Earlier, he was a reporter and editor for newspapers in Denver, Cincinnati and Spokane.
David received his B.A. in communications from Linfield College during the last millennium. His wife, Louann Reid, is chair of the English Department at CSU. He is a baseball fan and crazy about jazz. He enjoys a good cigar but can’t afford one very often.
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, David has served as the Director of Music, Arts, and Worship for churches throughout Alabama, Florida, and Colorado since 1984, 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.
Julie Iven has been a part of First Church family since 2018. Upon retirement from Colorado State University during the summer of 2020, Julie has been deciding where she would best use her gifts, skills, and talents. She wanted to invest her post-retirement time at an organization that gives back to the community and thus joined the staff here at FUMC.
Julie comes to us with a strong background and close to two decades of experience in accounts receivable, accounts payable, financial balancing, and reporting. She has also worked with a wide demographic and different age groups. During her spare time, Julie likes to read, weave, further her spiritual journey, and deepen her faith.
Haley is a recent graduate of Colorado State University's department of journalism and media communication. While at CSU, Haley worked for the Rocky Mountain Collegian, the student-run newspaper, for three years and served as editor-in-chief of the publication during her junior year. She has prior office administration experience and communications experience through her time working for the Department of Journalism and Media Communication, the CSU Alumni Association, and Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest.
In her free time, Haley enjoys privately studying and practicing classical voice and piano. She intends to pursue a second bachelor's degree in music education in the near future.
Gail joined the church in February 2020, along with her husband Brian, after moving to Fort Collins from Spring, TX. They moved around quite a bit, as Brian was in management with Walmart for 22 years. Gail and Brian have lived in Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, and now Colorado.
She worked at a church in Lewisville, TX, first as a volunteer to the Ministry Assistant, and then as the bookkeeper. Over the years, Gail has taught Sunday School, helped with VBS, and sung in the choir at various churches where she and her husband have been members. She has also worked in embroidery shops, which she really enjoyed, and recently purchased a home machine.
Gail and Brian have four adult children, two here in the Fort Collins area, and six grandchildren.