Our Pastor
Rev. Blake Durham
Course of Study, Duke Divinity School
Undergraduate degree, West Texas A & M
I am a native of west Texas and grew up in the Midland area. I attended school in the Greenwood school district and graduated from Greenwood High School in 1994. Growing up, my family were members of the Greenwood United Methodist Church. I received my calling to ministry at the high school One Way camp at Ceta Canyon when I was 16.
I served in youth ministry for 20+ years, beginning at the age of 20 at Trinity UMC in Snyder, TX during the summer of 1996. After moving to Canyon to attend West Texas A&M in the fall of 1996, I served at San Jacinto UMC in Amarillo, followed by a stint at FUMC – Stanton. After marrying Veronica (Roni) in 1998, we continued serving various United Methodist churches in the west Texas area in the youth ministry. We served in Abernathy, Colorado City, Sweetwater, and San Angelo. In 2008 we moved to Quitman, TX in east Texas to serve as the youth minister at First UMC. It was during this time that I knew God was calling and moving me toward full-time pastoral ministry.
I was licensed as a local pastor in 2013 and received my first appointment to Higgins UMC in Higgins, TX in the northeast Panhandle. Our family served and lived there for seven years (2013-2020) working and ministering to the people of that small, rural community. In 2020, I was appointed to St. Luke’s UMC in Midland as the associate pastor. We have been back in Midland for four years now.
I am a graduate of the Course of Study program (basic and advanced) through Duke Divinity School and I was ordained as an elder in full connection on May 19, 2024 at the final annual conference of the Northwest Texas Conference. My biggest desire when it comes to ministry is to help people know and experience the love, grace, and forgiveness of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. My hope is to be able to find new ways of sharing the Gospel in our ever-changing world, ways that will help people to know God’s grace and mercy, especially as it is
Our Staff
Katerina Scott
Church Secretary
Katerina grew up in Golden, Colorado. She holds an undergraduate degree in physics from the Colorado School of Mines and a Masters in Apologetics from Houston Baptist University.
Katerina is married to Gary Scott, a native Oklahoman. They moved to Midland in 1998 and have endured the ups and downs of the oil industry ever since. They have two grown sons, David and Daniel. For relaxation Katerina likes to read, solve Sudokus, and work jigsaw puzzles.
Alta Striggles-Lee
Pianist and Choir Director
Alta is our incredibly talented and incredibly busy pianist and choir director. We are blessed to have her commute from Plainview every Sunday to share her talents with us.
Alta is married to Dawn Lee. They have an adorable little boy, Malachi.
Our Church Leaders
Sometimes it is hard to know who to talk to if you have an idea or question. Hopefully this information will help point you in the right direction.
Church leaders work with the pastor in planning and implementing of our programs of worship, mission, outreach and nurture. Church leaders provide the administration of the church. They envision, plan, implement and annually evaluate the church's mission and ministry.
The Church Council Chair
The Church Council Chair leads the Cabinet meetings and the annual Church Council meeting.
Our church council chair is Gary Scott.
Worship Coordinator
The worship chair works closely with the pastor to provide a holy worship service focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our worship coordinator is Katerina Scott.
Mission Coordinator
Then mission coordinator oversees our efforts to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to others and to share the love of God with our neighbors.
Nurture Coordinator
The nurture coordinator serves the church community through providing opportunities for education and fellowship.
Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Chair
The staff/pastor-parish relations chair is responsible for administering the relationship between staff, congregation, and district superintendent so that the mission of the church moves forward. Her activities include pastor and staff encouragement, church unity, and staff details (job descriptions, evaluations, benefits, and personnel policies).
Becky Sebree is the chair of SPPRC.
Trustees Chair
The trustees chair has oversight and care of all property belonging to the church (property, grounds, equipment, investments, and resources) so that the ministries of the congregation can be effective.
Jerry Sebree is the chair of our trustees.
Finance Chair
This finance chair guides the church council in stewardship of the church’s financial resources. He proposes the budget; raises, manages and distributes the church's financial resources; and audits the accounts. All this is directed toward supporting and strengthening the mission and ministry of the congregation.
Our finance chair is Gary Scott.
Nominations and Leadership Development Committee
The nominations committee helps church members identify their gifts and strengths and it calls people into leadership and Christian service within the church. The committee also guides the church council on matters regarding leadership in the congregation.
The pastor is the chair of nominations and leadership development.
The members of this committee are:
- Rev. Blake Durham
- Katerina Scott
- Becky Sebree
And some other useful information...
Safe Sanctuary Policies: As followers of Christ, our calling and our mandate include providing safe sanctuary for God’s people. Our church must be a holy, safe and protective community for all of God's people.