Wesley United Methodist Church

Pastor Sarah Kiviniemi McIntosh

Pastor Sarah comes to us right out of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. We have been thrilled to make her acquaintance and experience the new energy and focus she brings to Wesley. She's from Asheville NC and went to college in Boone NC, then on to Atlanta and Emory. She never expected to leave the land of mountains, tall pines, and cool breezes and move to beaches, palm trees, and HEAT - but here she is. She fell in love with a Florida boy, her husband Shane. He has also taken on his first pastoral assignment in Anthony, just north of Ocala. We wish them both the best! Watch out for her all around town, where you might see her running. She's a regular entrant in local races!

Choir Director James Arnett

Jim retired in 2017, and promptly felt the need to continue sharing his love of Christ by working with a church music program. He has a passion for small or middle-sized churches where everyone counts and its place in the community is vital. While he was trained in the traditional styles of the church chorale, he is of an age to have grown up through the genesis and development of praise-style music, which he also enjoys.

He received his Master of Divinity from the Asbury Theological Seminary and over the last 27 years has served many Florida churches in their music programs. He comes to Wesley with his wife, Carmen, who is a retired United Methodist minister. Watch for interesting developments from this dynamic duo!

Wenxin Song, Accompanist

Wenxin joined WUMC as a pianist in May 2019, and is currently a student at the University of Florida. She is a biology major with a minor in bioinformatics on the pre-med track. Wenxin has played piano since preschool, and most enjoys pieces from the postmodern and romantic eras. Over the years, she has self-studied sight-reading and improvisation after graduating from formal lessons, and currently volunteers as a Musician in Residence at Shands Hospital. She is excited to be a part of our faith community!

Office Administrator Terri Manche

Terri, a native of Maine, joined WUMC in January 2017. She is the wife of Mark Manche, who has done work around the church for several years. Terri's calm and competent demeanor fits perfectly in the church office, which can sometimes be pretty hectic.

Custodian William Strawder

William has worked for the church for about 28 years, keeping the campus clean and ready for whatever comes along. He is an excellent role model to youths and young men in the community as they come to help him around our church. He is not only teaching them what it takes to clean the buildings, but what it takes to be an upstanding member of the community!

Audio/Visual Specialist Linda Nosko

Linda grew up in this church, attending with her parents since 1962, and becoming a member in her own right in 1966. Linda has worked for many years in our audio booth in the sanctuary, managing the sound system and preparing the slideshows you see throughout each service, as well as for any special events needing the sound system. She’s the proud mother of Misty, and even prouder grandmother to Jade Marie and TJ. Jade Marie can often be seen helping out in the sound booth on Sunday mornings. In her ‘spare’ time Linda manages a family-owned business here in Gainesville.