Staff

Senior Pastor	Denny Hook The Reverend Denny G. Hook is Senior Pastor of FUMC-PC. Originally from Texas, he has served in the Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church since 1966, and is in his fifth year of service in Ponca City. He has supplemented his pastoral duties by serving on and chairing the Conference Board of Church and Society, Conference Camp Curriculum Committee, and the Senior High Human Sexuality Committee. Denny loves his vocation as a UM Pastor and is also strongly drawn to spiritual insights of Native American Spirituality, discoveries in the field of quantum physics, and the writings of naturalists such as Loren Eiseley and Aldo Leopold. He is a member of the Isthmus Institute — an organization dedicated to finding and exploring the meeting place between religion and science. Rev. Hook and his lovely wife Carolyn — a gifted musician and composer — take pleasure in visiting their five children in different areas of the country and enjoy the company of their four grandchildren as often as possible. Denny is also the author of a book — Snapshots of the Deity: Catching God in the Act. Made up of short essays on finding God at work in the everyday aspects of life, the book makes a good addition to daily devotions, or as stand alone reading. You can pick up your copy at Brace Books and More in Ponca City, or place your order by phone at 1-800-256-5173. To contact Rev. Hook personally you may call the church office, or reach via e-mail at:
Associate Pastor	Laurie Hyde The Rev. Laurie Hyde is Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church. A native of Oklahoma City, her home church is St. Luke's United Methodist Church there. She is a graduate of Heritage Hall High School (1990) and Texas Christian University (1994) with a major in English. Laurie had planned to teach high school English until her senior year in college when she began looking into ordained ministry. She was an intern at First United Methodist Church in Jasper, Texas, the summer before she attended Candler School of Theology at Emory University in the fall of 1994. While in Atlanta she worked at Piedmont Hospital as a chaplain intern and then at St. Joseph's Hospital the summer of 1996 -- both times focusing on senior adult care. Her church internship was at Druid Hills United Methodist near downtown Atlanta where she taught a senior womens' Sunday school class for two years. Laurie's focus at FUMC-PC is Outreach, Evangelism and Care Ministry. Laurie's favorite classes in seminary have been preaching and pastoral care/counseling. She loves tennis, cooking, gardening, reading and cats, being accompanied to Ponca City by Susanna Wesley, her short haired tabby.
Youth Minister	Tom Howard
Music Minister	Donna Butler
Organist	Sue Lippert
Director of Children's Ministries	Karen Sledge Karen moved to Ponca City in 1968 and began attending FUMC in 1985 for the many opportunities of nurturing and growth for her two daughters. With the support of her church family Karen also was nurtured, and as a result chose to return to college to be certified in Christian Education. As a children's advocate, Karen serves on the Conference Board of Children's Ministries and has a wide range of interests including early American history, the evolution of the human spirit, Native American spirituality, baking, quilting, and reading. "It is my belief if children are raised with respect of others and self, tenderness, taught Christian virtues and are "rooted and grounded in love" (Eph. 3:17) they will be whole people, able to make decisions based on a solid foundation as they mature. They will become responsible adults with a true understanding of their total being, capable of making a wonderful difference in the future."