© 2010 Dayton United Methodist Church
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Mike Dominick, Senior Pastor
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Pastor Mike joined the staff at Dayton Church as Senior Pastor on July 1, 2009. "My passion is to help people connect to the living God through His Son, Jesus. Walking with Jesus has been the joy and strength of my life, and my greatest thrill is being part of another person's coming to Him. I always hope to 'put the cookies on the lower shelf' where everyday people can reach them, so my communication style is warm and direct, with stories and humor."
Mike is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church (1978), and a graduate of Muncie Southside High School (1970), Taylor University (BA Philosophy of Religion, 1974) and United Theological Seminary (1977). He and his wife, Shirley, have been a presenting couple with United Methodist Marriage Encounter, have led church camps for children and youth (including serving as Directors of Sr. High Bible Conference for 25 years), and have been active in Walk to Emmaus.
Mike and Shirley were high school sweethearts, and married in 1971. Shirley is the Assistant to the District Superintendent of the Northwest District of the United Methodist Church. They have two children, Peter (married to Mindy) and Rachel.
Austin Bender, Youth Pastor This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Austin grew up in Northern Indiana in a family of 10, and graduated from Elkhart Central High School in 2005. His call to youth ministry led him to Olivet Nazarene University. While at Olivet, Austin served in a local youth group and on Olivet’s Student Council as Student Body President and President of Men’s Residential Life. He graduated with a BA in Youth Ministry in May 2009 and was called to Dayton Church two months later.
Austin’s desire is to be used by God to develop and equip young men and women for His purpose. “I love youth, and the more I serve in ministry with them, the more I desire to invest in their lives in a way that will help each one of them and their families draw closer to our Heavenly Father. I know that God has such big plans for their lives, and I want to prayerfully help guide them in His ways.”
Austin and his wife, Amber, met at Olivet and were married May 2009. Amber is pursuing her Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies at Butler University. Although Amber has not been called into formal youth ministry, she loves being involved with the youth group and is excited to support Austin in his calling.
If Austin is not at church, you may find him watching his favorite football team, Da Bears. He loves outdoor activities, including camping, hiking, off-roading and water sports. Austin’s other interests include playing practical jokes, catching TPers, belly flopping and shinin’ coons.
Jim Hiestand, Children's Pastor
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Jim has served on the staff at DUMC since 1997. Presently, he is the Children’s and Counseling Pastor. He served two churches as missionary pastor with Village Missions, and was the West Central Director of Child Evangelism Fellowship of Indiana. His undergraduate degree is from Florida Bible College (1974) and his Masters of Biblical Counseling Degree is from Evangelical Theological Seminary. (1991)
Jim played soccer and ran cross country in high school and college. He has coached and is a referee for soccer of all ages. Jim and his wife, Denise, have been married since 1977. They are blessed with 3 children. Denise is an artist and has served in ministry in various capacities and was the co-director with Jim in CEF International.
“My philosophy of ministry is centered on the words of Christ, ‘Let the little children come to Me.’ ” It is important to give the children a firm biblical foundation and to equip teachers with quality curriculum and training to nurture the children. It is my passion with Biblical counseling to assist the children and parents to restore and amend broken relationships and hurts.
Eric Schneider, Minister of Outreach, Discipleship, and Worship
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“My one desire is for people to come to a deeper understanding of the love and grace of Jesus. Whether it is through music, teaching, or one on one time, I love it when people can get a glimpse of how much Jesus loves them,” says Pastor Eric. He strives to accomplish this desire through his many areas of leadership at Dayton. Pastor Eric's role at the church includes overseeing adult education and small groups, helping new attendees to get plugged in, leading the choir, and helping the congregation to reach out to the community with the love of Christ. He has been a part of the pastoral team at DUMC since September 18, 2008. “No church is perfect, but Dayton has been the most amazing place I have had the honor of serving.”
On a personal note, Pastor Eric loves to just sit and play piano and guitar. He loves to learn new music and to write songs. He also enjoys Star Wars and University of Kentucky basketball.
Deke Jones, Administrative Minister
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Deke Jones is our Administrative Pastor, coming to us with a diverse background that uniquely qualifies him for the position.
The son of a Methodist minister, he grew up in several small Indiana towns and graduated from Ball State University in 1970. From there, he entered the armed forces and served for the next 24 years as an Air Force pilot. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree and spent several years managing Air Force procurement contracts for new aircraft systems.
In 1972, Deke and his wife, Cindy, both had powerful encounters with the risen Christ during the “Jesus Movement” that swept the nation at that time. Of that experience Deke says,
My wife, Cindy, and I had both been searching for life answers about God. Did He really exist; did He care about us; did our lives count in some special way?
Cindy was the first to find out. She had visited a small group Bible study with her parents and while there she had discovered Jesus and He had come into her life in a powerful way, filling her with the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit!
The next week I also went to the Bible study. The leader told the story of Jesus, the good shepherd (John 10) who cares for us as a shepherd cares for his sheep. When the group shifted to a time of prayer, I witnessed a transformation come over Cindy as the presence of the Lord Jesus filled her up to overflowing with tears of joy and with a countenance that reflected complete peace. In that instant, I knew in my innermost being that this was real and that the Lord was present in this place. I made a decision that night, to accept Jesus and to trust Him for my salvation. I’ve never been disappointed since! What a joy to know Him and to have the deep down peace that the soul longs for!
In the late 1980’s, Deke realized that the Lord was calling him into the ministry. Following his Air Force retirement in 1994, Deke attended Asbury Theological Seminary, earning his Master of Divinity degree in 1998. Deke served for several years as an industrial chaplain with a mid-sized railroad services company where he also flew the company Learjet. He later served on the staff of Ichthus Ministries (in Wilmore, KY) as Chief Financial Officer.
In 2003, Deke came to Dayton United Methodist where he has served as our Administrative Pastor to the present time. He is primarily responsible for the financial and business aspects of the church but also performs a wide range of ministerial duties that include ministerial counseling, teaching, and preaching.
Deke and Cindy have three married children and reside near Lafayette, Indiana.
Earl Owen, Visitation Pastor
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Pastor Earl has been on staff at Dayton UMC for 15 years. Earl is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church. He is a graduate of Vicksburg, Michigan High School, Vennard College (BA in Bible), Greenville College (BA in Religion and History), Asbury Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity) and Concordia Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry). Earl has served the United Methodist Church for 50 years.
Earl and Louise were high school sweethearts and were married in 1954. Louise has been a secretary and piano teacher. They have one daughter, Deborah (husband Alan Baldwin) and three grandchildren – Grace, Joy and Daniel.
Kathy Burris, Counseling Minister and Daycare Director
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I have been attending the Dayton Church for about 25 years. I started the Pre-school ministry with Melinda Walls and worked along side her for 16 years. During that time, the Lord showed me that He wanted me to get into counseling, so I pursued an associate degree from Grace Institute in Denver Colorado via the internet. What a blessing that has been in my life! I truly love counseling and have been blessed more than I could have imagined.
In 2006 when the daycare needed a director, I decided (or rather the Lord decided for me) to apply for the director position there. I was accepted for that position and once again I have been blessed more than I ever imagined. God has been so good to show me where I am needed and knows where I can work in ministry. Think about it, I get to work with kids and adults, how fun is that?
I am the President of the United Methodist Women and have been for at least 8 years. Again another blessing! I also head up, along with Sandy Guinn, the Helping Hands/Social Concerns committee. We help with meals for the post hospital families, Christmas and Easter Jubilee among other things.
I have a wonderful, supportive husband Bob and 3 children, LaTrisha, Shana and Jimmy, whose ages range from 41 to 22... this is another story! We have 4 grandchildren and several step grandchildren and great grandchildren. We are blessed!
I am so thankful to be at a bible based church and for the wonderful staff and leadership of this church and to the Lord Jesus Christ who is my rock!
Jenny Rabanus, Preschool Director
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Kathy Hill, Receptionist and Events Coordinator
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Brandy Burger, Support Secretary
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Julie Hamilton, Financial Secretary
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James Bishop, Custodian
Sheri Mellady, Custodian
Lee Biesecker, Custodian
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