Church Staff
I am what some people call a natural born Methodist, meaning I was born into and raised in the Methodist Church. I was baptized as an infant, attended Sunday School as a child, was an active member of the youth group and so on.
I grew up in Port Arthur, Texas where I was active in Scouting, a member of the band, played one year of football, and ran long distance track. I graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School, Port Arthur.
I first considered the ministry as a career when I was fifteen after attending church camp. I talked with my father about my feelings and he advised me to wait and see if this was what I was really meant for or a “mountain top experience.” During the next several years I explored other career interest but there was always something which called me to the ministry. To put it simply, the most natural choice for me has always been and is the ministry.
In August 1982 I entered Lamar University, Beaumont as a student of engineering. While in college I played in the Band and was active at the Wesley Foundation. After exploring several other career interest and even leaving college for a year, I finally accepted my call to preach and completed my B.S. in Political Science at Lamar in May 1989. My college years afforded me an opportunity to test several options as potential vocations but in the end the call of God caused me to choose to serve in the ordained ministry of the United Methodist Church. I graduated from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, with a Masters of Divinity in May 1994.
I publicly declared my candidacy for the ministry on October 5, 1986 at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Port Arthur, Texas. In June 1987, I accepted a student appointment to Midway United Methodist Church near Livingston, Texas (Beaumont District). After serving Midway UMC for two years I was appointed to serve Bascom UMC in the Tyler District in June 1989, to the Ben Wheeler / Stanger Springs Charge in the Tyler District in June 1991, to First United Methodist Church, Conroe, Texas as Associate Pastor in June 1993, to St. John’s Rockdale, Texas in June 1999, to FUMC, Lindale, Texas in June 2003 and have been at FUMC, Fairfield since September 2007.
While at Bascom I met and married my wife, Cynthia Ann Hullum Kethley. Cynthia grew up in Tyler, Texas graduating from John Tyler High School. She has a B.A. from East Texas State University and a M.A. degree from the University of Texas at Tyler. Cynthia enjoys many arts and crafts — especially scrap-booking. We have one daughter, Ashley Hullum Kethley. Ashley is very musical and plays the Flute.
I am a pretty laid back person who has grown up in the church my whole life. I remember when I couldn’t wait till I was in sixth grade so I could finally be in the youth group at my home church. Ever since then, through out my Junior High and High School years and even college years, my church youth group was my life. It was a time I could meet up with friends who share the same faith, laugh, play games, learn and grow. God has blessed me with all these years of being a youth and now He is calling me to be a leader for the youth.
I was born and raised in Lufkin, TX where I attended First United Methodist Church. I was on the leadership team of our youth group there and helped out in the church anyway I possibly could. I got a B.A. in Theatre at Stephen F. Austin State Univeristy along with an all-level teaching certification. At College I was involved in the campus Wesley Foundation, the methodist student center, and I worked part-time as the youth director at FUMC of Diboll, TX. This being such a great experience I decided to make youth ministy my career. While substitute teaching I searched and interviewed with several churches around Texas and finally found a position and new church home here in Fairfield.
During the course of finding my way to Fairfield, I proposed to my loving girlfriend of a year, Sable, (actually I have known her and have been best friends with since 7th grade) and married her in early June 2010.
Cynthia Outlaw, Noah’s Ark Director, Weekday Ministries and Organist
Marilyn Toothman, Pianist and Children’s Choir
Chris Owen, Praise Team Leader
Tonya Roberts, church secretary — I am the church secretary. I been with FUMC since October of 2007. I am from Dallas, and I was born on September 15. I am married to Ren Roberts. We have 3 beautiful children together: Kamri 9, Kamren 5, and Airen 4 mos.
