Wesley United Methodist Church

Pastor Ben Spangler

Pastor Ben comes to us right out of Duke University Divinity School, where he went after completing a BS in Business Administration at FSU. He grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and was active in Christ UMC there. He loves woodworking and the outdoors.

In his bio he provided, he states: I am committed to walking the neighborhood around the church and getting to know the folks who live there. I hope to facilitate spiritual, physical, and emotional space which is for the community through the congregation where God may show up.

He lists his strengths as empathy and listening, a willingness to learn and serve, thoughfulness, and community building.

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!

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 36 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.