| Rev. Dr. Ray Owens, Directing Pastor |
Rev. Ray has served the Wellington & Stockland UMCs, Decatur Grace UMC, and Arthur UMC in the former Central Illinois Conference. He served as the Conference Council Director/Academy Dean at the time of merger and the creation of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. Most recently, he has served the last ten years as pastor of the Lexington First UMC.
As directing pastor of the Pontiac First United Methodist Church, Rev. Ray is privileged to lead a team of dedicated clergy and laypersons in fulfilling our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. By balancing the three dimensions of pastoral ministry; preaching the Word of God and administering the Sacraments, providing compassionate pastoral care, and offering exceptional administrative leadership he anticipates the great things that God will do in and through this church family in the coming years.
Rev. Ray and his wife, Susan, (daughter of the late Rev. Bill Molloy) are the proud parents of three grown children. Their eldest son, Brian and his wife Carlie (Roeschley) live in Chicago and are employed in the Skokie school district. Their daughter, Meredith and her husband Nathan Hopping are involved in local church ministry as Nate completes his final year at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Their youngest son, Will, is a junior at Illinois State University majoring in Political Science with aspirations of attending Law School.
Rev. Ray and Susan are pleased to call Pontiac their home and look forward to many, many years of fruitful ministry at Pontiac First UMC.
