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. 

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.

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! 

Rachel is brand new to Denison but not to Texas.  Born in Tulsa and raised in Georgia, Rachel moved from Georgia with her mother to Denton, Texas in 2004.  In Denton, she went to the University of North Texas and graduated magna cum laude with a BA in English Language Arts with a concentration in secondary teaching and a minor in Spanish.  After graduating college, she became a middle and high school teacher, teaching a little of everything from British Literature to Algebra.  She has been teaching for 14 years now and left the traditional school system to teach online four years ago.

Musically, Rachel has been singing since was a child, first with her mother and father and later in school and church choirs.  She has also actively participated in community theatre for almost twenty years with nearly forty productions on her resumé, as an actress, director, and/or technical crew.

An award-winning writer and published poet, Rachel enjoys cooking, baking, hiking, photography, and spending time with her two dogs and two cats—oh and all things related to music. She is also a massive history-buff, with a special interest in American and British history.

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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.

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