Alicia McDaniel has been an active volunteer at Asbury United Methodist Church since joining 1989, and accepted the role of Assistant Director of Adult Education in 2005. She still volunteers as Asbury’s Contemporary Altar Coordinator. She is also actively involved in Emmaus Walks, especially in worship and altar design, since attending Emmaus in 1994.

Alicia’s spirit and devotion to the Lord has influenced her whole family. Her husband, Tommy McDaniel, is a member of Asbury’s Contemporary Choir and Asbury Christian Theater. Her elder daughter, Monica Elmore, is a Contemporary Services Lighting Technician and, with her younger sister Marlena, serves on the Contemporary Altar Team and in Asbury’s Learning Resource Center.  

Ann Aycock has enjoyed serving in the pastoral ministry with her husband, Jimmy, for the past 25 years, the past eight of those being here at Asbury UMC. As a mother of four, she continues to learn about the privilege, power, and importance of prayer for her family.

Alan Weatherly has been the Senior Pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church since 1997.  Originally from Columbia, Tennessee, Alan became a Christian while working as an electrical engineer in Washington D.C.  Alan and his wife Carla have two grown sons, Stephen and Patrick and one daughter in law, Rachel. Alan’s passion is for renewal of the Body of Christ through a growing hunger for the Lord in prayer and worship.  This renewal will result in God mobilizing a new generation to evangelize the world.

Anthony Wheeler
Beacon Hill Worship Center Pastor
Madison, AL

Bob Slone is a passionate student and teacher of the Bible. His second career as a full-time staffer at Asbury UMC spanned ten years and included adult education, strategic planning, and, most recently, five years as Asbury's first Director of Missions.  Bob was mentored in that role by Dick McClain of the Mission Society, and worked purposefully to help Asbury institutionalize the primacy of the Gospel in missions.  During his tenure as Director of Missions, Asbury also established the tradition of a growing tithe of its revenues to support members and partners in service to others at home and around the world. Bob is joined in ministry by his wife Cathy, and has a married son, Rob, who lives and works in Orlando, FL.

Darcie Gill is a wife, mother of three children and grandmother to six precious little ones. Darcie came to know Jesus in 1972 in Beaumont, California. She is a graduate of North Florida Theological Seminary where she earned a Masters degree in Christian Education. From 1976 to 1984 Darcie and her husband Tim were missionaries with Navajo Gospel Mission in the Four Corners area of Arizona. After leaving the mission field Tim and Darcie started One For Another Ministry with the purpose of uniting the Body of Christ around Christian issues which affect all denominations. God used this ministry to capture their hearts with the plight of persecuted Christians in restricted countries. In 1998 the Gills began serving the persecuted church with The Voice of the Martyrs. Since then Darcie has had the privilege of being a voice for these suffering Christians in hundreds of churches and gatherings across America. Darcie has had the opportunity to minister to persecuted Christians when she traveled to Cuba, Sudan, Vietnam, China, Pakistan, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Kashmir, and India. Through these first hand encounters Darcie will share the victories of the suffering Body allowing you the great honor of getting to know your family who endure afflictions for the cause of Christ.

Dick McClain is Vice President for Ministry Operations of The Mission Society, an international mission based in Atlanta, Georgia.  The Mission Society has over 220 missionaries serving in 30+ countries around the world.  Dick’s personal ministry is focused on mobilizing the church for global outreach.  That ministry carries him not only across the U.S. but also around the world as a catalyst for emerging mission movements.  In recent years The Mission Society has led major mobilization conferences in Ghana, Costa Rica, Kenya and Brazil, training pastors and leaders from over 20 countries. Previously Dick served as Director of Missionary Personnel and Vice President for Mission Ministries with The Mission Society.  Prior to joining the staff of The Mission Society in 1986, Dick served as a pastor for eleven years.  A graduate of Asbury College (B.A.) and Asbury Theological Seminary (M.Div.), he also spent two years as a youth pastor in the Panama Canal Zone during the height of the “Jesus movement” in the early 1970s. Born in China of missionary parents and raised in India and Hong Kong, Dick has been connected with international missions literally his whole life.  As an executive with the Mission Society, he has been involved in ministry and field oversight in more than a dozen countries.  A pastor at heart, Dick has been a mentor and a friend to scores of missionaries.  Because of his commitment to the local church, he has helped the Mission Society focus on church planting and raising up indigenous leadership around the world. Dick’s passion is helping local churches around the world mobilize for missions and strategize for effective global outreach.  Most of his time is spent teaching and preaching in local churches and coaching pastors and leaders with a focus on global outreach.  He is passionate about finishing the unfinished task of reaching the nations with the Good News.  His life and ministry reflect a commitment to enabling the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.

Donna Landers has served as Executive Director of Choose Life of North Alabama, Inc. since 1999.   Donna has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and worked as a supervisor for Motorola, Inc. many years prior to coming to Choose Life as a volunteer counselor.  Under her leadership, Choose Life started six new programs and provides services to over 3,500 clients each year. Donna also serves with her husband Leroy, the pastor of Christ Way Baptist Church in Harvest. They have four children and seven grandchildren.

Elaine Dickson, a Huntsville native, is very familiar with the needs and resources of our community.  She graduated from Auburn University with a B.A. in Psychology and from Alabama A & M University with a M.S. in Clinical Psychology.  Her work with the Huntsville/Madison County Mental Health Center was in the area of case management, where she gained a firsthand knowledge of those living in poverty and the obstacles they faced.  She has been involved with Christian Women's Job Corps® of Madison County, Inc. since 2000 and has recently moved into the position of Executive Director.  Her mission (and that of CWJC), is to continue offer a hand up to women in need.

Dr. George Cowan prefers to be introduced simply as President Emeritus of Wycliffe Bible Translators, one of a team of four which translated the Scriptures for the Mazatec people of southern Mexico. He served from 1957 to 1981 as President of the Wycliffe Bible Translators and a member of the Board of Directors of the Summer Institute of Linguistics from 1956 to 1981.  He also served at various times as Area Director for Europe, Area Director for Africa, editor of TRANSLATION magazine, Extension Director, Director for fieldwork in Mexico, and Director of Linguistic Schools in Canada, England, Germany and the United States.  He has personally visited and ministered to Wycliffe members and supporting constituencies around the world. Dr.Cowan is Canadian, born in Kelwod, Manitoba.  He received his B.A. from McMaster University, his M.A. from the University of North Dakota, and his M.Th. from Dallas Theological Seminary.  During seminary he served on the staff of Young Life Campaign and pastored a church in south Texas.  In June, 1970, BIOLA University conferred on him an honorary Doctor's degree. He joined the Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1942 and served first among the Amuzgo of the State of Guerrero, then the Mazateco of Oaxaca.  He married Florence Hansen in 1943 and became part of a team of four that produced the Mazateco New Testament, published by the American Bible Society in 1961.  The Cowans' children, Paul, Esther and Ruth, were born in Mexico.  His wife, Florence, passed away October 4, 1997. Retired from administrative responsibilities, he still serves as a volunteer with Wycliffe USA and as a lecturer on Perspectives on World Mission courses.  He lives at Town and Country Manor, Santa Ana, CA.

Jan Niel serves as the Prayer Ministries Director at Frazer UMC and has been on staff in that capacity since 1996.  In 1987, the Lord called Jan to a ministry of intercessory prayer and has allowed her to conduct prayer seminars in churches throughout the country.   She has also been involved in the coordination of regional and community prayer events.  Jan serves on the board of the Montgomery House of Prayer and Worship which is a community based multi-denominational ministry designed to promote unity in her city. The desire of Jan’s heart is to teach God’s people to pray according to the biblical principles He has given us.

Julie Durling has been the Director of Children’s Ministry at Asbury UMC for the past ten years. During that time Julie has seen a vast harvest of children come to know Jesus as their personal savor and begin their journey into an ever deepening relationship with Him. Her passion is to encourage children to be conformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. She believes that boys and girls are the church of today not just the church of tomorrow. She has ministered to children since the age of 14 when she trained to be a kindergarten Sunday School Teacher at her local Methodist church in Sunderland, England. She has had experience working with children and youth in a wide variety of environments, from teaching High School Biology to a Youth Leader in Local Education Authority Youth Clubs to being a Sunday School Superintendent. Before coming to the USA, Julie was a trainer for the Methodist Church in the London area where she trained both children’s and youth workers. Julie is married to Russ, who leads Asbury’s Healing Prayer Ministry and they have 2 grown children, Sarah and Mark.

Dr. Leonard Sweet is a preacher and writer who communicates the gospel powerfully to a postmodern age by bridging the worlds of academe and popular culture.  Currently he is the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University, Madison, NJ and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University, Portland, Oregon.  Len has been chosen to speak at various Jurisdictional and General Conferences as well as the 1996 World Methodist Congress in Rio de Janeiro. He also serves as a consultant to many of America's denominational leaders and agencies.

Moises and Talsey Vega
We met the Lord Jesus while in the Sudan, Africa back in 1994.  After four years of being married, we began to have problems.

The God we knew at a distance, at that time, used this situation in order to give us a new life, as He restored our marriage.  Seven years later, in the Sudan, called us to return to Panama and work full time at His service.
Our service to the Lord at the Sudan and at Panama is mainly to bless His people and work with His Church, something that has not being easy but through the years we have seeing God’s grace from His Church.   

Since then, God has being our fortress, fulfilling all of His promises towards us.
We give thanks to God, for our five kids, Moises Jr. and Delia, Jose, David, Rutty and little Talsy and the team of brothers and sisters that through time, have believe God together with us.

Paulette West serves as the North Alabama Conference Director of Servant Ministries.  Her responsibilities include areas of mission and advocacy for social justice.  She continues as North Alabama Conference Coordinator of Volunteers in Mission to train VIM team leaders and Disaster Early Response Teams.  Paulette works to educate, equip, and empower local churches to become servants like Jesus in their communities, the conference and the world. She was appointed as North Alabama Conference UMVIM Coordinator in 2001 as a volunteer and became part of the conference staff full-time in 2003.  Paulette became Director of Servant Ministries in January 2007.  She has been a presenter for various workshops throughout the Southeast including the SEJ UMVIM Event, Connect, at Lake Junaluska.  She served as the 2005 Co-Chair for this annual event which is now called Connect.  She served as the 2006 Connect Chair.  She is currently on the UMVIM SEJ Executive Board serving as Communication Chair. Volunteer in Mission experiences include trips to Belarus & Latvia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Eleuthera Islands, Honduras, Mozambique, and Panama and participated in numerous mission trips in the United States including disaster response.  She will participate in mission trips to Ecuador and Mozambique this year.  She has coordinated volunteers and served as a house leader for United Methodist partnership with Habitat for Humanity and Outreach, Inc. builds in the Birmingham area. As a member of Trinity UMC in Birmingham, she has served on staff and in several positions including Mission Chair.  She served on the National Advisory Committee for Church and Community Ministry last quadrennium.  Paulette is married to John West, an accountant, and lives in Birmingham, AL.  She has two children.  Her daughter, Lauren, graduated from University of Mississippi and is a realtor; and her son, Pierce attends University of Mississippi.

Russ Durling is 51 years old and an engineer, he is married to Julie Durling, Director of Children’s Ministries at Asbury UMC. Russ was called to a Ministry of Healing Prayer in 1987, studied under David and Mary Pytches in England both of whom were colleagues of John Wimber. Russ leads the monthly services of Prayer and Healing at Asbury UMC.

Scott Thackerson is one of four pastors here at Asbury as well as the aCross Generations Worship Leader. He and his family have served at Asbury UMC since June of 2003. Before moving to Madison, Alabama, he served as the Youth Pastor, Associate Pastor and Minister of Music at Palmerdale UMC in Birmingham, Alabama for eight years. Scott was instrumental in forming a choir for the Traditional Worship, then several years later, launching a Contemporary Worship service there. He served in youth ministry for twenty years before he decided to focus entirely on lead worshiping.
        

Scott is a recent graduate of Athens State University and is currently seeking to finish his seminary degree. He and his wife, Donna, have been married for 22 years and are blessed with 3 children: Breanna, Brigid and Reid.
        

Scott loves Jesus and is passionate about leading others to the Throne Room of God. He believes that when we approach corporate worship spiritually ready and with expectancy, God will make His Presence known in a mighty way.

Susan Taylor has been a member at Asbury since 1987, involved in Children's Ministry and Ends of the Earth Missions.  She has been on mission trips to Honduras, Costa Rica, Russia and China.  She has taught evangelism techniques to mission teams preparing to go to the field at Asbury and other local churches.  She is currently the lay leader of the Ends of the Earth mission area at Asbury.

Terry Teykyl’s warm, humorous style makes him one of the most sought after speakers and seminar leaders in the country.  Terry pastored local churches for 28 years.  In 1987, God spoke to Terry and told him to “build the church in prayer.”  Since that time he has been teaching churches across the country how to pray and invite the Holy Spirit.

Dr. Wes and Joy Griffin are the co-founders and International Directors of the International Leadership Institute (ILI). The International Leadership Institute accelerates the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by training and mobilizing leaders of leaders to reach their nations. Annually, more than 10,000 Christian leaders receive ILI’s advanced training in leadership, evangelism, and multiplication around the world in 2007.  Alumni lead in more than 50 nations.

Formerly, Dr. Griffin was the founding dean of the Baltic Theological Seminary in Tallinn, Estonia following the collapse of Soviet communism. Today this seminary is one of the largest seminaries by enrollment in Europe with graduates serving in the Baltic States and Russia. He also previously served as a senior pastor in the United States and as associate director of evangelism for the World Methodist Council.  

Dr. Griffin received the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religious Studies from the University of Colorado (1981), and the Master of Divinity Degree (1984) and the Doctor of Ministry Degree (1995) from Asbury Theological Seminary. Wes' doctoral dissertation on Christian Conversion in Postcommunist Estonia was chosen for the acclaimed 1995 Distinguished Dissertation Award.

Wes and Joy have taught and preached in more than twenty-five nations across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, and North America.  In the United States, they are frequent keynote speakers in churches and conferences, including more than 70 missions conferences.  They are joined in ministry by their teenage children,    Hannah and Caleb.