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Waples Leadership
The staff and lay leadership here at Waples Memorial UMC is comprised of men and women who love, care and pray for the people of our church and our community. They are constantly working to "do church better," by becoming completely focused on our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. If you have any questions for any of our staff or volunteer leaders, feel free to reach out and email them or call our church office to speak with them. You can contact the church office at waplesinfo@waplesumc.org.
Rev. Justin Miller
Senior Pastor
Justin came to Waples in July of 2020. He was born and raised in and around Fort Smith, Arkansas. He started in ministry in 2002 in Arkansas as a student local pastor while finishing his bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems. Upon graduating, he moved to Sulphur Springs, Texas, where he continued serving as a student local pastor while attending Southern Methodist University—Perkins. He graduated from Perkins in May of 2008 with his Master of Divinity.
In 2009, he was appointed to Floral Heights UMC in Wichita Falls as Associate Pastor/Youth Ministry. In 2013, he was appointed to Trinity United Methodist Church also in Wichita Falls as Senior Pastor. While at Trinity he worked through the ordination process and was ordained as an Elder in 2018.
Justin is married to Katie they have two children, Hannah and Andrew, and 3 additional children they claim as their own, Leonardo, Brett and his wife, Shelby. Justin enjoys collecting Snoopy, watching planes, traveling, mission work, and spending time with family.
Rev. Will Atwood
Associate Pastor of Care Ministries
Will was born in Michigan and has lived in Texas since 2004, except for his military service in the U.S. Army. He served as an intelligence analyst stationed in Kansas, Arizona, and did one tour in Baghdad, Iraq. He enjoys sports, outdoor activities (when it’s cool enough!), video, tabletop, and card games.
He is truly blessed by his family: his wife, Lisa Atwood, and their twins, James (boy) and Noel (girl). The twins, who are twenty months old, are in the exciting phase of transitioning from walking to running. They bring a lot of joy and adventure to their lives. Their household is also home to a ten-year-old dog named Luna and two cats, Quinn and Clover. They enjoy simple pleasures like getting out of the house for trips to the grocery store and the parks, exploring the backyard, and healing from the bumps and bruises of learning to walk.
Will first came to The United Methodist Church in high school, chasing after Lisa. At First UMC Lewisville, he found more than he was looking for. He has worked in the church in several mission areas and as a youth pastor. He graduated from Perkins School of Theology with a Master of Divinity in 2021 and has served as a pastor for two years with FUMC Bells. He is licensed as a local pastor and is in the process to become a Commissioned Elders.
Neil Mowles
Director of Discipleship and Music
Neil Mowles was born and raised in the DFW Metroplex. After graduating from Texas Wesleyan University with a degree in music education, he taught high school choral music and advanced theatre arts for 11 while he was the music director at Polytechnic United Methodist church on the Wesleyan campus.
In 2004, he left the teaching profession (except for maintaining a private voice studio) for a full-time position as the Expressive Arts Director for Unity of Dallas. While at UoD, Neil built a thriving arts ministry and was honored to have had his choir invited to perform at Carnegie Hall under the direction of esteemed composer John Rutter and produced several award-winning theater productions at the church.
In 2014, he and his late wife, Patricia, moved to Pilot Point, TX, to fulfill her dream of running a horse boarding and training barn and he became the Director of Worship and Music Ministry at First United Methodist church of Celina, where they eventually moved in 2018 to operate another horse barn.
Neil shared a love of animals with Patricia and together they fostered over 100 dogs and also rescued, spayed and neutered many feral cats to become barn cats throughout the area. He is a devoted “dog dad” to Sophie, Chewy, Yancy and Jimmy Choo. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and traveling.
Ericka Hinton
Officer Manager
My name is Ericka Hinton. I joined the Waples staff in July of 2019. I have been a Church Administrative Assistant for 15 years. I am a Denison native and I worked in the healthcare field for 25 years for Medicare. I am married to Hal, who is a barber. We have 3 grown children; 2 daughters one son and 2 granddaughters who we adore. Thank you for the warm welcome, Waples family!
Tammie Overturf
Pianist
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Hannah Miller
Media Tech
Hannah became a member of Waples in July of 2020 and joined the staff as the media creator August of 2023. She attends Denison High school and will be graduating in 2026.
Katie Miller
Nursery Director
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Katie is a elementary teacher of 17 years. She loves working with children, especially babies, now that her's are older. She loves singing, reading, and sitting in the floor with the kids.