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.
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.
Director of Family Ministries
Nicole came to Waples March of 2021. Originally from Kentucky, she moved to Abilene to further her education. In 2016, she received her Bachelor of Arts from Abilene Christian University (ACU) in Bible, Ministry, and Missions with a focus in Youth and Family Ministry and in December 2020, she received a Master of Divinity at ACU. She enjoys reading, baking and all things coffee.
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!
Music Director
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.
Pianist
-
More to come about Tammie soon.
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.
Nursery Director
-
​