Wesley UMC Staff & Leadership
The staff and leadership at Wesley love, care, serve, and pray for every single person at Wesley UMC. If you have any questions for any staff, feel free to reach out to them by email or call the church office at 217-345-3917 to speak to them.
Brad Shumaker
DIRECTING PASTOR
Email: BSHUMAKER@CHARLESTONWESLEY.ORG
Raised in Galesburg, Illinois, Bradley has been serving in ministry at various levels throughout Illinois since 1994. After earning a B.A. from Illinois State University (1997) and a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (2000), his more recent appointments were at Champaign Faith UMC (2000-2015) and Coal City UMC (2015-2022). Coming to Charleston Wesley UMC on July 1, 2022, Brad is excited to be a part of a grace-filled community and a part of a ministry team ready to change the world. In addition to serving the local church, Brad works with community first responders as a community chaplain.
Brad and Erin have been married since 1996 and have three children: Andrew, Jacob, and Tyler. They are big sports fans, especially baseball, where Brad is often coaching young players about the love of the game and teamwork, along with the fundamentals. Oh, and they are big Cubs fans!!
Janice Kahl
CONGREGATIONAL CARE PASTOR
EMAIL: JKAHL@CHARLESTONWESLEY.ORG
A native Texan, granddaughter of a Methodist circuit rider, preacher’s wife for 32 years before his death, and third-grade teacher for almost 30 years, Janice has just retired from 17 years of being a licensed local pastor in the Northwest Texas and New Mexico United Methodist Conferences. Moving to be closer to her daughter (an educational academic advisor at EIU) , son-in-law (who is a professor at EIU) and granddaughter Ella (a 7th grader). Most times away are spent back in TX keeping up with her TX family, including a granddaughter and husband both in graduate school and a grandson (a university student.) She has found Wesley UMC to be a special place where her soul can be filled and where she can sing in the choir and play hand bells. Other favorite pastimes are reading, cooking Mexican food, playing the piano, eating out with friends, and attending musical concerts and dramas.
Kait Jackson
OFFICE MANAGER
WEDDING COORDINATOR
EMAIL: KJACKSON@CHARLESTONWESLEY.ORG
Kait grew up in Winnebago, IL. After meeting her husband, Sam, while attending the University of Illinois Springfield, she moved to Charleston, IL. Kait graduated from Lake Land College in 2019 with an Associate's in Business Administration, and the University of Illinois Springfield with a Bachelor's of Business Administration in 2020. Since 2022, Kait has volunteered with VBS and Youth Group at Wesley. She's excited that God answered a prayer and brought her to serve at Wesley as the Coordinator of Communications. Kait enjoys spending time with her husband and raising their two boys, Grant and Will, with a baby sibling on the way. Her family are also animal lovers, having 2 German Shepherds, 2 cats, and a bearded dragon at home.
Sarah Gatton
DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN"S AND YOUTH DISCIPLESHIP
EMAIL: SBERGIN@CHARLESTONWESLEY.ORG
Sarah grew up in Coffeen, Illinois, attending Coffeen United Methodist Church, serving as song leader, Community Vacation Bible School Director, and coordinating the Community-Wide Summer Food Program. Sarah moved to Charleston after graduating from Hillsboro High School in 2015. That year, she started attending Wesley UMC and the EIU Wesley Foundation. She worked 6 years at Consolidated Communications while completing college courses. She is excited that her call to ministry has led her to serve at Wesley. She now lives in Shelbyville with her husband, Brandon; their Corgi, Hazel; and their cat, Scout. Sarah and her husband enjoy finding time for traveling, trying new restaurants, and exploring local small-town shops.
Michael Mellott
DIRECTOR OF CHANCEL CHOIR & CHILDREN"S MUSIC
Email: MWMELLOTT@YAHOO.COM
Michael Mellott is the adult and children’s choral director for the Wesley United Methodist Church in Charleston, Illinois. He is also the music teacher and choral director at the local middle school, where he teaches 7th and 8th grades general music, as well as conducts the middle school choir and an extracurricular a cappella advanced choir. In addition to his teaching, he is also a clinician for vocal health for educators, athletic coaches, and vocalists.
He received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, where he and his family reside. When time permits, Mr. Mellott performs with the local community summer theatre and enjoys woodworking and cane making, where he often donates handcrafted items to various organizations, such as Out of Darkness (a suicide prevention and awareness organization).
Elizabeth Halbe
BELL CHOIR DIRECTOR
Elizabeth has served for many years as an administrator and educator, as well as a pianist, singer, and actor. When not involved in church music ministry and administration, she can be found teaching music and working in local theatre as an actor and music director. She is married to actor and playwright Earl Halbe. Both Earl and Elizabeth are the founders and co-producers of Theatre In The Park, Charleston, IL.
Ethan Hayward
ORGANIST & PIANIST
Ethan Hayward comes to us from Chillicothe, IL, with his higher education musical training from Millikin and EIU. Ethan’s musical experience includes serving several local churches and public schools in our area, playing for various musical theatre productions, accompanying local musicians and students, and providing private piano instruction.
Kaylie Hutton
NURSERY COORDINATOR
Kaylie Hutton is a current student at Eastern Illinois University studying criminal psychology. Kaylie grew up in Charleston and has gone to Vacation Bible School at Wesley every summer growing up. She has years of experience working with children having babysat since she was 11. She has always had a love for seeing kids learn and grow.
Cole Dearnbarger
CUSTODIAN
Cole Dearnbarger was raised in Charleston, Illinois. Cole started at Wesley in the summer of 2023. In his free time, he enjoys spending time outdoors, hanging out with his 3 daughters, and riding his unicycle. He enjoys helping others which is what led him to Wesley UMC.