As was announced previously, Camille Winningham has resigned as administrator to focus her time on the needs of her family. She assures us that we will continue to see her and her family grow in the life of our Church. While we will miss seeing her behind the church office desk, we look forward seeing her in other ministries in our Church. 

We are grateful and delighted to welcome Erin Tepley as our new Office Administrator. Erin Tepley was born in Scarborough, Maine. Erin received a Bachelor of Arts in French at the University of New Hampshire, and a Masters in Teaching at Kaplan University. Her previous work titles include customer service, administrative assistant, placement coordinator, and staffing specialist. Erin also coached figure skating and represented our country during her teenage years in Slovakia, Germany, and Poland as a member of the U.S. Figure Skating Team.

Erin and her husband, TJ, met while they were both in college and married in 2006. From 2012-2015, TJ was assigned to Ft. Polk, and the Tepley’s resided in Rosepine. Their request to return to Ft. Polk in 2019 was fulfilled. Upon returning,  they decided to live in Deridder in order to get involved within the community. 

Erin and TJ have three children. During TJ’s one-year duty station in Montgomery, Alabama, the Tepley family became members and baptized their first two children at Whitfield Methodist Church. The warmth and love they received from Whitfield catapulted them into searching for another church that had the same traits in Deridder. Upon placing their youngest son into Methodist Children’s Learning Center and attending one church service, the family felt welcomed and hopeful. Erin is most excited to fill the role as the Administrate Assistant of First United Methodist. She says that “driving our family back into Louisiana felt like coming home! Being offered a position within our community of this well-established church reminds us of the greatness of God and his ever presence in our lives.”

Please come by during our new office hours Mondays - Fridays  8:30-Noon and Mondays - Thursdays 1:00-4:00 and introduce yourself to Erin. You can also give her a call at 337-463-4491 or email her at . 

Please also remember to keep Erin & Camille in our prayers as they both make this transition in their lives, in the life of their families, and the life of our Church.