Ms. Gail and Ms. Beverly
Ms. Gail Quick and Ms. Beverly Ketner are our Preschool Teachers! They lovingly plan lessons and share their knowledge with the children enrolled in our Preschool at Maggie Valley UMC.
Rev. Cole Altizer
Pastor Cole is originally from Charlotte, NC where he was born and raised. He moved to the mountains in 2007 to attend college at Brevard College. He met his wife, Lindsay Altizer, playing tennis at Brevard. Cole and Lindsay moved to Tuscaloosa, AL where Cole worked and they both received Masters degrees.
Pastor Cole started ministry in 2014, serving a church in Fayetteville, GA while attending seminary at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. In 2016 the Altizer’s moved back to the mountains to serve two churches in Rosman and Brevard, NC. Cole’s most recent appointment before Maggie Valley UMC was in Charlotte as the Associate Pastor for Providence UMC’s Contemporary Worship service.
Cole and Lindsay are thrilled to be living in the mountains of Western NC again. They feel like Maggie Valley is home. They are hopeful and excited for the ministry in Haywood County and beyond as they serve alongside the folks at Maggie Valley UMC.
Cole and Lindsay welcomed son James in 2021! They love to play golf, tennis, hike, and play with their dog Aly and cat Raya. Pastor Cole is passionate about being the church in a world that needs the great news of God’s love for all people.
Belinda Marr
Belinda Marr is the MVUMC Administrative Assistant. She has served as the Childcare Director at Long’s Chapel UMC from January 2020 until November 2021. She retired from the Haywood County School System in December 2019 after 32 years of service. She has a Master’s in Elementary Education and Administration from Montreat College.
Belinda is married and has two daughters, Mekayla and Tracy. Her husband Steve, is an accountant at Western Carolina University. Some of her favorite things to do are hiking and spending time with their dogs, Chloe, Izzy and Daisy. She has recently started doing some crafting and making wreaths.
We welcome Belinda!
Pavel Wlosok
Pavel Wlosok is the Music Director & Pianist at Maggie Valley UMC. Pavel is a Czech-born American pianist, composer, arranger, educator, mixing and mastering engineer, and photographer. He received his classical education in piano performance and contemporary composition at the Janacek Conservatory of Music in Ostrava and Janacek Academy in Brno, and obtained his bachelor and master degrees in jazz studies at the University of North Texas (aka UNT) in Denton. Since August 2002, he has been the full time instructor of the Jazz and Commercial Music and Audio Production program at Western Carolina University, in Cullowhee, NC. In 2016, he was awarded a full professorship by the University of North Carolina board of trustees.
While at UNT, he served as pianist-arranger for the One O’clock Lab Band (4 CDs, including one featuring Kenny Wheeler as soloist); as solo pianist for the UNT Wind Symphony (CD “Luminaries”); and frequently tours both Europe and North America. In June of 2007 WCU’s Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet performed Pavel’s original commissioned piece “Five Miniatures for Brass Quintet” at Carnegie Hall, New York. Pavel is the recipient of the IAJE Gil Evans Commission in jazz arranging and composition for the year 2000.
Since 2012, Pavel has released ten CD albums as a leader featuring world- class musicians including tenor saxophonists Bob Sheppard, Rick Margitza, Joel Frahm, drummer Ed Soph, guitarist Paul Bollenback, and Grammy-Award- winning saxophonist Donny McCaslin and drummer John Riley, and since 2006 has led the Wlosok/McGuirk/Riley jazz trio whose latest double-CD album “Never Too Old For Love” featuring vocalist Carly Johnson came out in March 2020 on Prague’s LH Promotion label. Since Fall of 2023, he has also been the pianist and choir director at Maggie Valley United Methodist Church in Western North Carolina.
In addition, Pavel is known for his audio recording, mixing, and mastering skills combining technologies of analog reel-to-reel tape and outboard gear with the industry standard Avid ProTools HD system. On occasion, he also enjoys shooting portraits and landscapes with his Nikon-based photography equipment.
Pavel maintains a busy international performing schedule and enjoys living in Western North Carolina near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with his wife Andrea, three daughters Victoria, Natalia, Karolina, and King Charles Cavalier dog Charlie. For more info, feel free to visit his website at https://pavelwlosok.com/.
Janice Rogers
Janice Rogers is our church organist. Playing since the age of 10, she has been a church musician her entire career. She plays the piano and organ and sings. Born in Haywood County, she returned in 2008 to live here permanently. Janice plays the organ every Sunday at the 11 o’clock service.
Rev. Mike Shirley
Rev. Shirley brings decades of church experience to MVUMC and will serve part-time as our new Assistant Pastor. Rev. Shirley will be responsible for working alongside Pastor Cole in general pastoral duties. He will serve in Sunday morning worship and help with the organization of the church as well. Mike will serve as the “pastor in charge” while Pastor Cole is out on Paternity Leave this summer. We are incredibly grateful for Mike and look forward to what God will do in and through he and Sue.
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