Rev. Dr. Ann Laprade
Rev. Dr. Shaw Brewer
Kris Hoxha
Chris Warrington
Max Nolin
Gail Williams
Rev. Steven D. Martin
Dennis Williams
Michael Ross
Interim Pastor
Rev. Dr. Ann Laprade
Rev. Dr. Ann Laprade is a recently retired (she prefers “rewired”) elder in the United Methodist Church. She grew up in Anne Arundel County and at Linthicum United Methodist Church. After, among other things, spending two years in India studying Indian Christian theology and Sanskrit, she returned to graduate from Harvard Divinity School. She then followed a call to serve the local church. She has served 42 years within the Baltimore-Washington Conference, most recently as a district superintendent in the Baltimore area. She has served five appointments to local churches and continues to believe in the local church as a primary expression of the Christian faith and in the value of Christian community. She looks forward to serving with the people of Bethesda UMC as an interim pastor, discerning together how God is calling BUMC in this next phase of the church’s life.
Email:Ann@washmorefeet.org
Minister of Discipleship and Justice
Rev. Dr. Shaw Brewer
Shaw is an ordained deacon in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, UMC. She received a doctorate of ministry in public engagement from Wesley Theological Seminary. Her focus was studying how looking at the Sacraments through the eyes of Paul calls us racial inclusion. She also has three master’s degrees, two from Wesley, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theological Studies, and one from George Washington University, a Master of Arts in Legislative affairs. Her favorite thing to do is hang out with her friends, family, and fellow church members.
Email:shaw@washmorefeet.org
Office Manager
Kris Hoxha
Kris has anchored the staff for close to 30 years and her duties include bookkeeping, payroll, office administration and being the friendly voice of BUMC that most people first encounter. In her life beyond BUMC, she is very active as a Captain of the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad where she is trained to do sophisticated accident and fire rescue and recovery operations. Her other passions include riding her Harley “Road King” whenever the weather allows, playing golf, and skiing.
Director of Music and Organist
Chris Warrington
Chris came to BUMC in April of 2001 as part-time Organist/ Accompanist and was selected to become the full-time Director of Music Ministries in July of 2013. A graduate of Towson University, Chris has been a church organist since 1986, and has served three United Methodist congregations since that time. When not at church practicing or arranging charts for the Praise Band, Chris enjoys bicycling, sailing, working in the yard…just about anything outside! He is the proud father of three children (Stephanie, Scott, & Thomas).
Choral Conductor
Max Nolin
Max was born and raised in Kent, Ohio, where he was involved in sacred and secular music from an early age. He received his master of music degree in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey where he was the assistant conductor for the school’s touring and flagship ensemble, the Westminster Choir. His choral singing experiences with the school included performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Vienna Philharmonic.
Before coming to BUMC, Max was Director of Music Ministries at Community Congregational Church in Short Hills, NJ. In addition to directing the Sanctuary Choir at BUMC, Max teaches vocal and instrumental music to students in grades 6-12 at The Norwood School in Bethesda.
Director of Handbells
Gail Williams
Gail received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota where she studied flute and piano. After attending a year of business school in Mankato, Minnesota, she relocated to Washington, DC where she joined the Bethesda United Methodist Church sanctuary choir, gave flute and piano lessons and joined the Choral Arts Society of Washington directed by Norman Scribner. She sang with Choral Arts for nearly ten years, the highlight of which was the invitation to sing at the Spoleto Festival in Italy. Gail works as Director of Accounting Operations for Bernstein Management Corporation and continues to sing in the Sanctuary Choir. Gail has been the director of Bethesda Bells since 2007.