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Our Staff
Senior Pastor
Mike Frese
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​Mike grew up in Iowa but moved to North Carolina to attend Duke Divinity School in 1990. He has served as pastor in a variety of settings throughout the North Carolina Conference ever since. Immediately prior to coming to First UMC in Wilson, he served as the Corridor District Superintendent. Mike believes that a life of faith opens individuals to experience deep joy, meaning and fulfillment. He is married to Patty, and they have 2 married daughters and 3 grandchildren. When free time presents itself, they both enjoy hiking and being outdoors.
To contact Pastor Mike, please send an email to:
Youth Pastor
Tiler Bland
A proud West Virginia native, Tiler left the Mountain State to move to Wilson in January 2022 and hasn’t looked back. Tiler knew that youth ministry was his calling at the age of 16 when leading Fellowship of Christian Athletes in High School. When he’s not spending time with teenagers, his hobbies include kayaking, traveling, eating out, and watching college football (Go Mountaineers!)
You can reach Tiler at: tilerbland@fumcwilson.org
Director of Children and Family Ministries
Hannah Bland
Hannah is from central Pennsylvania and has her Bachelors in Pastoral Leadership and Masters in Business Administration from the University of Valley Forge. From the day that she aged out of children's church, she has been serving in children's ministries and has developed a passion for seeing kids truly come to know Christ. She believes that kids are fully capable of having a relationship with Christ and making a difference in their communities by sharing the gospel. She loves finding new ways to teach kids in fun, engaging, and applicable ways! Hannah also enjoys traveling, cooking, running and painting.
You can reach Hannah at: hannahbland@fumcwilson.org
Pastor Emeritus
Bill Presnell
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Pastor Emeritus
Robert Bergland
To contact Pastor Bob, please email rbergland@nccumc.org
Director of Traditional Music Ministries
David Bellows​
David Bellows, Director of Traditional Music Ministries, began his formal music education at Hope College, where he earned a Bachelors in Organ Performance, studying with Huw Lewis. David received a Masters in Organ Literature and Performance at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Hans Davidsson. David is deeply interested in all aspects of the organ and choral music. In his spare time, David enjoys perusing iTunes in search of new music, going to the beach, and drinking strong coffee. David and his wife, Xu Wei have a son, Samuel.
Financial Secretary
Fran Stafford
To contact Fran, please send an email to: franstafford@fumcwilson.org
Church Secretary
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To contact ... please send an email to:
Director of Weekday School
Lorie Daniel
Hi! I'm Lorie Daniel! After teaching in the weekday school for several years, I took on the role of program director in 2014. I have a passion for working with young children and helping them grow not just intellectually, but also spiritually. I want each and every child to know how very much God loves them. My husband, Joseph, and I made our home in Black Creek when we married 32 years ago after graduating from NC State University. I received a BS in Biological Sciences and worked as a Chemist for several years before choosing to stay-at-home with our two young children. It was during this time that I found my true calling in early childhood education. Our children, Leah and Jacob, are both adults now with careers of their own. We love traveling together and exploring National Parks as often as we can.
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You can reach Lorie at: loriedaniel@fumcwilson.org
Custodian
Boris Farmer
To contact Boris, please email: borisfarmer@fumcwilson.org
Director of Communication
Shelley Gibson
Shelley moved to Wilson in 2014 with her husband and three children. They shopped around for churches for a couple of months until they walked into First Methodist after touring the preschool and never looked back. It immediately felt like home. Shelley and her husband, Sean, have 3 children: Parker, Aiden, and Bella. Her favorite things after Jesus and family are coffee, being outdoors, and chocolate!
You can reach Shelley at: shelleygibson@fumcwilson.org