Pastor Heim grew up northeast of Fort Wayne near Harlan, Indiana.He graduated from Leo High School in 1972, and from Indiana-Purdue University, Fort Wayne in 1976 with a B.S. in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing.In 1982 Dave graduated from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity.He was ordained a full elder in the North Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church in May 1984.Dave has served full time in North Indiana since 1982.Dave was an Associate Pastor at Valparaiso First UMC 1982-1986; Associate Pastor at St. Joseph UMC, Fort Wayne 1986-1989; Pastor at First UMC, Elwood 1989-1993; Senior Pastor at Osceola UMC, Osceola1993-1998;and Senior Pastor at Gethsemane UMC, Muncie1998-2003.Dave was appointed Lead Pastor at First UMC Warsaw in June of 2003.Dave has been married to Hope Osborn, a Dental Hygienist, since July 1977.  Hope and Dave have three adult children, Christina Laux, who is married to John Laux and lives in Warsaw; Aaron Heim who lives in Evansville and is a student at the University of Southern Indiana; and Nathaniel Heim who lives with Hope and Dave and is a student at Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne.  Dave and Hope have a home in Winona Lake which they share with their son Nate, and two dogs, Jill and Edmond. 

Pastor Ream grew up north of Fort Wayne in Grabill, Indiana where he graduated from Leo High School in 1991.  After marrying Melissa in 1995, Pastor Ream earned a Bachelor's of Science in Medical Technology at Indiana Purdue at Fort Wayne.  He worked for several years at Parkview Hospital.  During that time, Melissa and he were very involved at Leo United Methodist Church.  Through their participation in a Disciple Bible Study, Tom's call to ministry was discerned and he enrolled at United Theological Seminary where he earned a Masters of Divinity in 2002.  Pastor Ream was ordained an Elder in 2006 and has served appointments in the North Indiana Conference (Trinity UMC - Lafayette, Brushwood, and First UMC - Warsaw).  Pastor Tom and Melissa have two daughters, Kathryn and Anna.  Pastor Ream enjoys a variety of activities, including outdoor activities, reading, cooking, and family time.  He has worked with youth in summer camping and is the host pastor of the Connection Campus for First United Methodist Church.

Pastor Michael Lawson grew up in Frankton, IN and is a 1996 graduate of Frankton Jr./Sr. High School. In 2001 he graduated from Ball State University (Muncie, IN) with a B.A. in Religious Studies and Classical Languages. While at Ball State, Michael was actively involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and served on the student exec board as Evangelism Coordinator. Michael graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmore, KY) in 2005 and served as the senior pastor of Montpelier First UMC for two years. While at Asbury, Michael worked to coordinate artists and theologians for discussions on the fine arts and theology. Michael was commissioned in June 2007 and serves as a probationary elder in the North Indiana Conference and serves Warsaw First UMC as the pastor of youth and young adult ministry. Michael has also started a youth website called say what warsaw(url listed above) where youth can go to ask questions and michael will answer them!

Michele Carter, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, has joined the staff at First United Methodist's new Counseling Connection, as the Director of Counseling. Michele has worked as a licensed therapist for 20 years in various capacities. Prior to moving to Warsaw six years ago, Michele worked for 11 years as the Director of Counseling at Evangelical Children's Home in St. Louis, Missouri and then had a private practice for five year in Waterloo, Illinois.  Michele's expertise includes individual, pre-marital, marital, and family counseling and her years of experience include counseling clients of all ages with a variety of concerns such as:  post-traumatic stress disorder; physical and sexual abuse; depression; anxiety; ADD/ADHD; relationship issues; family dysfunction; and marital discord.

Alan Chambers has been on the music staff at First United Methodist Church since August 1993.  He began as a choir accompanist (4 years), then added directing the chancel choir (3 years) and handbells (10 years).  Alan was instrumental in developing and launching Contemporary Worship at First U.M.C. and has directed the praise team, On a Wing and a Prayer, since its inception in the Fall of 1997.  In Fall 2004 be became the church's principal organist as well.  Alan holds a Bachelor of Music degree from DePauw University (1982) and a Master of Arts from Ball State University (1986), and has professional experience as a conductor, musical director, singer, keyboardist, actor, arranger and teacher.  He has sung in several professional groups in Chicago, and has worked for many theatre companies in Indiana and Illinois including the Wagon Wheel, Enchanted Hills, Round Barn, Canterbury and as Assistant Conductor and Accompanist, and was Co-Director of the Warsaw Community Choir for 3 years.  Alan has taught music at Manchester College since 2003 including applied voice piano, music theory, Manchester Choral Society, Chamber Singers and Cantabile Women's Choir, and frequently accompanies the A Cappella Choir.

Scott Avery has been a member at First United Methodist Church since 1986, and began directing the Sanctuary Choir at the church iin 1994.  In 2004 he added directing the Ginn Handbells to his list and also regularly on the praise team.  Scott earned his degrees in music from Northern Michigan (BMusEd 1978) and Ball State Universities (MM in Choral Conducting 1985), studying with the distinguished Dr. Douglas Amman in both locations.  With 30 years of choral music experience, he recently completing a 2 year term as President of the Indiana Choral Directors Association.  With Scott as the head of the Warsaw Community High School Choral Department for the last 19 years, his choirs have toured Canada and New York City, where they sang in St. Patrick's Cathedral.  They have also sung with The Lettermen and placed among Indiana's Top 10 high school choirs (I.S.S.M.A.).  Scott served as Co-Director of the Warsaw Community Choir for 3 years, and as Choral Conductor for the Indiana Ambassadors of Music for 6 years.  He has enjoyed being baritone soloist for the Bay de Noc Choral Society, Marquette Choral Society, Muncie Symphony Orchestra, and Warsaw Community Choir, and is a frequent clinician at choral festivals.

Ann Baker was born and raised in Etna Green and Bourbon, Indiana. She moved to Fort Wayne to attend International Business College and to begin her career in the administrative professional field. She worked 25 years for Lincoln National Corporation followed by a few years as office manager for a small, private investment company. Her most recent position was with a private non-profit organization that works with children with learning disorders. Ann was very active with Fort Wayne Bethel UMC as their financial secretary and as chorister for their traditional service. She was also a member of the Chancel Choir and Bells of Praise. Before moving back to the Warsaw area, she served in many leadership roles with the Fort Wayne Central Lions Club and the District Lions. Ann spends her free time reading, gardening, and spending time with her family.