Staff

Ryan has been the Lead Pastor of Lebanon First UMC since December of 2017.  He has served in churches in the Middle Tennessee area since 1998.  Ryan grew up in Cookeville, graduating from Cookeville High School in 1991.  He is also an alum of The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, graduating with a BS in Education.  He has his Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary.  Ryan is married to Heather.  Heather is the director of the nonprofit, Blessed Earth Tennessee (www.blessedearthtn.com), an organization that exists to helps Christians understand their biblical call to care for creation.  They have one son, Tyler, and his “brother” Commodore the dog.  Ryan enjoys playing and watching sports and spending time on the lake.  He also roasts coffee in his spare time. 

When people begin attending FUMC, they often ask Bucky how long he has been here, but they are usually surprised when he answers, “All my life!” He was baptized as an infant, attended Sunday School, Confirmation, and UMYF, all in this church.  He and his wife, Kathy, met here and got married in our sanctuary and his daughter and their three grandchildren were all baptized here.  So, needless to say, Bucky has been around here a long time.

Previously, Bucky owned a shoe store in Lebanon, but twenty years ago, made the decision to sell it, and was offered a position on staff.  Having always sensed God’s call in his life, he knew this was where God was leading him.

That original position has evolved over the years, and today, his title is Minister of Discipleship. He was also ordained in the UMC in 2009 as a deacon.  Bucky takes seriously Jesus’ call to “make disciples for the transformation of the world” and so he wants to see that every member has the opportunity to grow as a disciple and to minister with others beyond the walls of the church.

For relaxation and renewal, Bucky enjoys gardening, reading, watching movies, listening to many different genres of music, traveling and spending time with family and Tennessee football.

Rebecca Dixon was born and raised in Lebanon, Tennessee. She received her degree in Elementary Education and taught in the Lebanon Special School District for 15 years. Rebecca is married to Dave, her college sweetheart, and has two children, Hugh and Nola.

Rebecca loves teaching, learning, worshiping, and fellowshipping with the children at Lebanon First United Methodist Church. She is a lifelong member of LFUMC and considers it her home away from home. Rebecca desires to create a Children’s Ministry in which the children will feel at home here at church too!

Cori was born and raised in California.  She and her husband, Chris have lived in Lebanon since 2002 and have four children - Mitchell, Cameron, Casey and Maggie.

Cori has worked in the church office since 2013 and enjoys working with the Adult Ministry, planning adult trips, and coordinating monthly Young at Heart luncheons.  Cori has a heart for listening, serving, and loving our congregation here at Lebanon First United Methodist Church.

Mandy has been involved in church ministry her whole life, but she is most passionate about working with teenagers. She has more than 10 years experience leading youth ministry in the local church, both as a volunteer leader and as paid staff.

A graduate of both the Youth Cartel/Youth Ministry Architects' Youth Ministry Coaching Program and the TN UMC Smaller Church Youth Ministry Initiative, Mandy thrives on continued learning and growth in her faith and leadership.

She has a master’s degree in corporate communication a minor in leadership. She and her husband, Alex, have three young children: Atley, Alton and Ainsley. She enjoys running, boating, playing tennis, and scrapbooking.

Pam has worked at FUMC since August of 2011. Her responsibilities include overseeing the Prayer Ministry and all aspects of congregational care, as well as preparing Orders of Worship for Sunday services, special events, funerals, and graveside services. She also maintains all the membership records.  Pam considers her work as more than a clerical position; she is blessed to have the opportunity to serve her church family as a staff member.

Cori was born and raised in California.  She and her husband, Chris have lived in Lebanon since 2002 and have four children - Mitchell, Cameron, Casey and Maggie.

Cori has worked in the church office since 2013 and enjoys working with the Adult Ministry, planning adult trips, and coordinating monthly Young at Heart luncheons.  Cori has a heart for listening, serving, and loving our congregation here at Lebanon First United Methodist Church.

Lucinda S. Sutton has been a member with us at Lebanon FUMC since 2011. Despite her history as a self-published author, professional editor, longtime teacher/volunteer, and unabashed fangirl and blogger, many in the community still know her better by her alias: Trinity, Micayla, and Jaden's Mom (she is mostly okay with this).  

Lucinda came to us from the VBS department at the United Methodist Publishing House where she had a hand in the creation, development, and editorial work of curriculum and products for Cokesbury's 2017-2020 VBS curricula, as well as other pieces for Abingdon Press.  While her professional background also includes work in the fields of marketing, purchasing, organizational management, warehouse operations, and even food service, her love and gifting for the spiritual act of administration in service to God and the church has drawn her to join the amazing staff at Lebanon FUMC.  For all of this, she is profoundly grateful.

Originally from Ohio, Erin moved to Nashville following graduation from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.  She moved to this wonderful town of Lebanon almost 25 years ago after marrying her terrific husband, Jason.  Jason was born and raised in Lebanon and most of his family still resides here.  They have been blessed with an amazing daughter, Emma, who is a nursing student at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.   They enjoy doing things with their family and friends, and in the summer, they try to get in lots of pool time and outdoor activities!

Erin and her family have been attending FUMC for almost 20 years.   She has strong family ties to the Lebanon FUMC Preschool program.  Her mother-in-law taught here and her daughter, Emma, attended the program.  Erin started here as the PreK-4 teacher and now is the director.  

Tanja moved to Lebanon in 1987 following her father’s retirement from the Army. A graduate of Lebanon High School and Cumberland University, she taught for Wilson County Schools before starting a family with her husband, Chris. They have two daughters, Jenna and Julia.