About
Meet the Staff
Jared Priset
Pastor Jared started serving Aurora UMC on July 1st, 2010. He grew up in Buffalo, NY and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Roberts Wesleyan College, located in Rochester, NY, in 2003 with a Bachelors of Science in History and Criminal Justice. Pastor Jared then went on to service as a Police Officer in Fairfax County, VA (outside of Washington D.C.) from July 2003 – July 2007. As a police officer he was awarded a Meritorious Action Award and MADD award for his service. After his 4 years of service in law enforcement he moved to Ashland, OH and attended Ashland Theological Seminary from September 2007 – June 2010. He graduated with a Master of Divinity degree. Throughout his final two years of law enforcement and his three years in Seminary, Pastor Jared worked as a Youth Director at Rosemont Alliance Church in Rosemont, MD and at Christ UMC in Ashland, OH. Pastor Jared has been married to his wife, Meredith, for seven years and they have a daughter named Maggie and a son named Elias.
Pastor Jared is excited about serving at Aurora UMC and working in the Aurora community to bring the love of Christ to anyone and everyone. He has a passion for seeing people come into a reconciled relationship with Almighty God through the person of Jesus Christ. Whether he is working with children, teenagers, or those advanced in years, Pastor Jared’s prayer and heart’s cry is to teach others about the Christian faith.
Rob Sicker
Rob Sicker received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Kent State University. He taught at the Conservatory of Piano and was organist at the New Life UMC in Columbus. He attended the Ohio State University as a French major.
Upon relocating to Aurora with his wife Catherine, he became organist at the Aurora UMC and has been the music director at various times. While completing his master’s degree in French literature, he was a substitute teacher in the Aurora City Schools. He then taught French at Kent State.
He continues to teach private piano lessons in the area.
Thelma Dunaitis
From October 1994 to March 2007, Thelma served as secretary and bookkeeper for Aurora United Methodist Church. She is delighted to be back at Aurora UMC, providing clerical support to the pastor and members as we reach out to our community with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Thelma grew up in the college town of Ypsilanti, and graduated from the University of Michigan in neighboring Ann Arbor. Some of her favorite authors are Dorothy Sayers, Diane Mott Davidson, C.S. Lewis, and Elisabeth Elliot. She has been married to Randy for 36 years, and they are the parents of two grown sons. Randy and Thelma are avid square dancers who spend much of their time visiting various clubs in the Cleveland area. They enjoy traveling at every opportunity, and have visited most of the 50 states.
Ra and Kay Walker and Becky Walker
Ra, Kay, and Becky Walker are the custodians at Aurora UMC. They have filled this position for over six years. Even though this is the case, they have been members of Aurora UMC for over forty years and have a heart for this church. Ra states, “making the church look good” is a top priority for him. Ra, Kay, and Becky have a passion to see the church facility maintained well so it can be used in the most effective way possible for worshipping God, church ministries, and community organizations. Ra and Kay have three grown children (one being Becky), six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
What We Believe
What we believe as United Methodists
We believe that God is understood in three distinct forms. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are commonly used to refer to the threefold nature of God. Sometimes we use other terms, such as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.
We believe in one God, who created the world and all that is in it. We believe that God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the universe. We believe that God is loving and that we can experience God’s love and grace.
We believe that Jesus was both fully God and fully human. He lived as a man and died when he was crucified. We believe that Jesus is divine. He is the Son of God. We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that the risen Christ lives today. We believe that Jesus is our Savior. In Christ we receive abundant life and forgiveness of sins. We believe that Jesus is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our lives after his.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God with us. We believe that the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we stray from God. We believe that the Holy Spirit awakens us to God’s will and empowers us to live obediently.
We believe that God created human beings in God’s image. We believe that humans can choose to accept or reject a relationship with God.
We believe that the church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today. We believe that the mission of the church is to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We believe that the church is “the communion of saints,” a community made up of all past, present, and future disciples of Jesus Christ. We believe that the church is called to worship God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith.
We believe that the Bible is God’s Word. We believe that the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice. We believe that Christians need to know and study the Old Testament and the New Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures).
Adapted from Every Teacher Needs to know About Theology, 2002. Discipleship Resources.
For more information on what we believe as United Methodists check out these two websites:
