Staff

Senior Minister

From the Moderator, Barb Switzer: 

The Rev. Donald Hammond will be coming to First Central January 4th to be our Interim Senior Minister.

Rev. Hammond was ordained by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1977, following his seminary education at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana.  After many years as a “settled” pastor, Rev. Hammond discovered his calling as an Interim Minister.  He is currently serving a U.C.C. church in Boise, Idaho, and has been the interim minister in five U.C.C. congregations over the last 10 years.  Rev. Hammond and his wife, Nancy, have a home in Kimball, Idaho and are planning on renting an apartment during his time in Omaha. 

An Interim Minister is called to a unique type of ministry.  Rev. Hammond brings special skills to help our congregation bridge the time between “settled” pastors in a constructive way – we will do more together than just keep the doors open and worship on Sundays.  I hope we will take advantage of this time to examine our role and mission as a UCC church in Omaha, and to think about any changes we might want to make in the way we do the work of the church at First Central.  There will also be the work of preparing our church profile and searching for our next “settled” minister. We should feel especially blessed to find such an experienced minister to lead us through this “between” time.

A search committee for the "settled" pastor will be formed after the first of the new year.  Progress will be reported in upcoming newsletters.

Director of Christian Education

Melanie Naughtin is our Director of Christian Education. Melanie attended Barat College of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest Illinios, majoring in psychology and education, and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1992 with a BS in human development. Melanie has worked as an addictions counselor for most of her career, and has been working for the last 5 years as a paraprofessional in ESL at the elementary level for the Omaha Public Schools. Melanie has been a member of First Central for 8 years.

Minister of Visitation

Jim Harmon is our Minister of Visitation. Jim has a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary, and has worked over 30 years in full time ministry. He currently works full time as an Account Executive for Yellow Book, and part time at First Central as our Minister of Visitation. Jim calls on our homebound members, and will also bring communion on request.

Church Office Manager

Sara Sharpe is our Office Manager. A native of Omaha, Sara graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha with a BS in social work. Sara has been a member of First Central for 18 years, and Office Manager for 4 years.

Director of Music

Stephen Bouma is our Director of Music and Organist. Stephen is a graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University, and holds a MM in piano performance from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. He currently sings with the Omaha Chamber Singers. Stephen is also a composer, and has had works commissioned by Central High School, Hastings High School, and the Clarion Chamber Chorale.