Staff

“How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the good news!”  Those are the words proclaimed by the apostle Paul to the Church in Rome, as he writes about what it means to be a Christ follower in a complex and changing world. These words fascinated Susan when she unknowingly began her journey toward ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church.  And they continue to inspire her as she seeks to serve the church by sharing the good news of Christ through relationship evangelism, witness, and discipleship.

Reverend Susan Holden grew up in a rural community near Nashville, TN and attended college at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where she studied dance choreography and teaching, and earned her BS and MS degrees.  She later returned to school to become a Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant, working with children and the frail elderly.

Susan is a life-long Methodist, but began to experience a significant shift in her assumptions about the Christian faith several years after moving to Las Vegas in 1999.  Just when she was ready to leave the Church altogether, yet still hearing those words of Paul deep within, Susan felt a distinctive nudge from God to invest her time and energy in helping plant a new United Methodist Church in Northwest Las Vegas. Although reluctant at first, she soon found herself captivated by a fresh and compelling vision of the power and purpose of Christian community.  And it was those very words of Paul that she found she was living out, not through her own efforts, but as a gift of the Spirit in the experience a new, yet ancient, Christian culture.  One experience that profoundly affected her came after she was asked to help interview individuals who had a negative perception of the church.  By engaging in these powerful conversations, Susan felt the desire to keep creating opportunities for folks to speak about faith.  As a result of the work in that season of new church planting, the Foundation for Evangelism awarded Susan the Harry Denman Evangelism Award in 2009.

During this time, Susan also sensed a call to ordained ministry and began ajourney of discernment and study. She completed her Master of Divinity at Claremont School of Theology in 2015.  She was appointed to a dual role in 2014, as Campus Minister to the University of Nevada and Associate Pastor to University United Methodist Church in Las Vegas.  Rev. Susan was ordained as an elder in full connection with the Desert Southwest Annual Conference in 2017.   She is currently serving as Sr. Pastor at Journey United Methodist Church, Las Vegas.

Susan and her husband Joe are parents of Rebecca, Emily, Stone, and daughter-in-law, Tracie. They are all grown, live in New York City, Miami, and Las Vegas,and are busy with their different careers, as theychange the world in their own distinct ways.

Joe is a recently retired project engineer.  In their free time, Susan and Joe enjoy hiking and biking together, and they share a love of history.  Both of them are looking forward to exploring their new home in Arizona, getting to know the folks at Desert Skies andtheir neighbors in Vail, and experiencing the beautiful outdoors.

WOW!! 2020….what a year so far! With the blink of an eye, so much of our lives have changed. At first,
I thought, this too shall pass….but as months have come and gone and I am still in a mask, working from home, (after being in the church office for the past 14 years), social distancing myself from family and friends, preparing for the upcoming school year (high school) for my son, caring for and helping outwith the needs of my parents, all that comes to my mind is the encouraging Bible verse (and one of my favorites) Romans 8:31~ “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”    

We are still in the midst of a global pandemic and ALL of us have been affected in one way or another.
It’s an uneasy feeling not knowing what our future holds, but as I open my Bible and read this verse, over and over again, I have nothing but offerings of thanksgiving in my heart in knowing that our gracious Lord, walks by our side, holds our hand, and sometimes carries us when we need him most.

As we continue on this journey of the unknown, I hope you feel the presence of our Lord and find yourself in his comfort, peace and love.

Stay safe, healthy and happy! And remember…Love thy neighbor as thyself….wear a mask!

Yours in Christ,

Tammy

If you are interested in being a part of the music program at Desert Skies UMC., please contact Doc Shawn.  

Dr. Shawn earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Alaska; a Master of Music in Conducting from the University of Calgary, Canada; and Doctor of  Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Arizona.

For several years “Doc” combined his talent as a performer and a touring artist for the Artist in Schools Residency Program in Alberta and established a successful musical theatreprogram throughout Western Canada and Alaska.  After several years of traveling, he began teaching as a music specialist for the Calgary Board of Education.  During this period of time he was also the Conductor and Artistic Director of the Savridi Singers, Calgary’s Premier Women’s Choir, as well as a festival adjudicator, guest conductor, and clinician for choirs and bands in and around Western Canada.

In 2006, he was offered a position to teach at the prestigious St. Gregory College Preparatory School in Tucson, Arizona.  After seven years of teaching in the private sector, he transferred to the Tucson Unified School District for four years for the opportunity to teach the more under-privileged children in southwest Arizona.

After twenty-five years in the education field, “Doc”, retired from teaching and presently works as the Director of Music and Congregational Care at Desert Skies United Methodist Church in Tucson, Arizona.

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Dr. Raymond T. Ryder, Organist and Handbell Director at Desert Skies, is also on the faculty at Pima Community College where he teaches piano, class piano and music fundamentals. Raymond is a performing member of the Sonoran Bells, and active in the Southern Arizona American Guild of Organists. He is a Past President and the Honored Teacher 2014 of the Arizona State Music Teachers Association. Dr. Ryder holds degrees from the University of Colorado, the Florida State University, and the University of Arizona where he studied piano with Rex Woods and organ with Roy Johnson. Prior to moving to Tucson, Raymond was on the faculty of Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.

“Easter people, raise your voices…” , the opening admonition of the famous hymn by William M. James, is for many Christians as comfortable and predictable a part of the celebration of Easter as baskets full of goodies, coloring eggs, or a traditional feast with family and friends. Less comfortable and predictable is the challenge to live our lives as “Easter people” – to embrace the transformative reality of the resurrection, the empty tomb, our sins forgiven. Proclaiming these truths contained within the hymns and liturgy on Easter Sunday reflects an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual reality that we are called to embody as we live out our everyday lives amidst the often frenetic, technologically driven pace of the second decade of the 21st century, fraught with deterrents and distractions from without and within that challenge our faith. To live out the joy and power of the resurrection as Christ-followers, as a community of faith, we are called to share the great Good News of the resurrection in how we live our lives each day, reflecting the love and forgiveness of Christ in our thoughts, words and actions. In this way, we authentically live our lives as “Easter people”, and in so doing, proclaim the Gospel.

Scott Jones, Music / Worship Leader at our Vail campus, grew up in Gloucester, MA, where he began his musical studies. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University, and a Master of Music Education from Boston University. Prior to joining the staff at Desert Skies, Scott served as Organist / Choir Director at the United Methodist Church in Ipswich, MA, and as Praise Band Director at Christ Church United Methodist here in Tucson, where he and his family have resided for the past ten years.

Teresa Patterson is our custodian here at Desert Skies UMC. Teresa grew up in Tucson, graduated from Sahuaro High School and has attended Desert Skies UMC for many years. Teresa fondly remembers her time as a member of the South East Circle and taking Disciple classes. Her most significant spiritual experience was being baptized by Rev. Dan Hurlbert at Desert Skies, and her favorite events at church have been the Messy Church services in Vail. Teresa has a long history of cleaning experience.  For the last 20 years, she has worked as a maid in such diverse places as TMC, Banner UMC, Oro Valley Urgent Care, business, hotels, and private homes.  She runs a small house cleaning business on the side. She is especially pleased to be part of a team helping to make our worship time the best it can be.  Teresa is married to Tom Patterson, a retired Army medic and a two-time Iraqi vet, who works for Walmart. Tom’s car is a big hit at our annual “Trunk or Treat” event.  Teresa and Tom live in Rita Ranch.