Staff
Appointed in June of 2004, Rev. Charles King comes to Lawton Heights UMC from his previous position as the director of The Wesley Center, a campus ministry in Durant, OK.
He brings with him a passion for reaching unchurched and dechurched people as well as a creative outlook on ministry. He leads a number of small group studies, such as the Companions in Christ study, the Pastor's Book Club, and the Year Through the Bible study.
His sermons are biblically based, seeking to bridge the gap between the biblical world and today's life situations. He is especially interested in the theological issues found in film, the writings of Roberta Bondi, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lweis.
Under Rev. King's leadership we have renewed our commitments to reach out to the poor, to relieve suffering, and to practice the United Methodist slogan of "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors."
Christy Wood joined our church staff in March of 2005. She is the friendly voice you hear when you call the church or stop by to check things out. A transplanted Yankee, Christy brings an openness to working with the variety of people who cross our paths.
Christy chairs our Health and Welfare Team, which provides help with utilities and other emergencies that sometimes arise.
Kae Bacani - Custodian
Kae Bacani serves the church in the critical capacity of custodian. She keeps the church clean, especially after Rev. King makes a mess of it. She prepares the buildings for any upcoming events, making sure that doors are opened and the facilities are ready to go when someone is meeting.
Byron Phillips - Children's / Youth Director
Byron Phillips joins our staff after two summers of working with Project Transformation. Byron has been involved with Cameron Campus Ministy for a number of years and is currently working on his degree in Theatre. He brings with him a wealth of ideas and tons of energy.
YiuKa Chan Spannagel - Co-Director of Music / Pianist
YiuKa comes to Lawton Heights as a great gift of God. An accomplished pianist, Yiu Ka has accompanied the recitals of numerous students at Cameron University. She holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in piano performance and teaches piano in Lawton.
Billy Spannagel - Co-Director of Music / Pianist
Billy comes to Lawton Heights as a great gift of God. An accomplished pianist, Billy has accompanied the recitals of numerous students at Cameron University. He holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in piano performance and teaches in Lawton. He also plays the trumpet and a few other instruments we are learning about.
Hilde Brown - Nursery Attendant
Hilde Brown has been working in our nursery for...gosh...a long time. She has a love for children and has handled some crazy one over the years.
Charles Boyle - Visitations
Charles "Chuck" Boyle is our visitations specialist. Chuck makes his way around the city of Lawton visiting hospitals and shut-ins on a weekly basis. He is a long time member of Lawton Heights UMC and knows a great deal about our heritage.
Retired from both the military and from teaching, Charles finds great joy and satisfaction in reaching out to others. He's very active in the Emmaus movement and with Lawton Redemption Church, where he serves as a volunteer. if you want a word of encouragement and a good story, talk to Chuck.
Lyle Ball - Administrative Council Chair
Looking something like a pale Yoda from Star Wars fame, Lyle Ball is a beloved figure both at Lawton Heights UMC and within the Lawton community. A long time member, Lyle chairs the Administrative Council, the main voting body of the congregation.
Lyle has a wonderful servant's heart and is a regular on VIM (Volunteers in Mission) trips.
Emmy Apple - Treasurer
Serving as our church Treasurer is Emmy Apple, kind-hearted yet strictly by the books when the money is concerned. Emmy watches over our expenditures, making sure that the bills are paid, money donated to benevolences gets to the right charity, and the the staff gets paid on time.
A passionate crafter, Emmy is instrumental in the organization of our Annual Bazaar. She spent many years as a leader in Camp Fire, endearing her to many throughout the Lawton community.
Dale Clodfelter - Trustees Chair
Dale Clodfelter is a long time member of the Lawton Heights Church and serves as the chair of the Trustees. The Trustees watch over the legal aspects of the church property as well as maintain the physical facilities.
Dale works in construction and therefore knows how to do the occassional repair jobs needed to keep our building operational. Dale also runs the sound for Sunday morning and evening services and maintains the church van for the bus ministry.
Lori Parks - Education Team Chair
Compassionate and loving are two words that describe Lori Park, our Education Team Chair. We could also use words like tender-hearted, smiles, enthusiastic, etc... Gosh, even her car has a smiley face on it.
Lori comes from a family that is dedicated to education, a dedication she brings with her to the Education Team. Lori puts in many long hours preparing for Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Community/Neighborhood Events, and even playing the occassional piano in worship.
Otha Jean Elkins - President United Methodist Women
Otha Jean Elkins serves as the president of the United Methodist Women. A compassionate and friendly face, Otha is a very welcoming person. she served for years as the church secretary and knows all the ins and outs of the Lawton Heights church.
Mike Wood - Worship Team Chair
A traditional/folk/bluegrass music lover, Mike Wood brings a new twist to our worship team. Mike love to perform his music in worship, at community concerts and benefit concerts, and at the Texoma Traditional Music Association (the latter being an organization that he founded and which meets at Lawton Heights UMC the third Saturday of every month from 3:00 to 5:00).
Mike's world experience and his knowledge of world events keeps him looking for new ways to express how we practice our Christian faith in today's world.
David Titus - Wordsmith/Storyteller/Missionary. David can do more with a piece of string than most people can do with powertools. David travels the globe, sharing the love of Jesus Christ through story.
David has written numerous books and produced many videos about string figures. You can check out StringMinistries at the link posted on out "links" page.
Joe Bacon - Discipleship Team Chair
Joe Bacon leads our Discipleship Team. Joe is very good at keeping up with what's happeing in church and then leading the Discipleship Team in writing cards to people who visit, miss too many Sundays, get ill, have a death in the family, etc...
Retired from the Army Joe has found a number of activities to keep himself busy, including the Kiwanis Club. Jos is a very charitable person who gives a great deal to the Lawton heights church.
