Dear Central UMC Family:

On behalf of the Staff Parish Relations Committee, I am thrilled to announce that Bishop Gary Mueller has appointed
Rev. Carness Vaughan as the next Senior Pastor for Central UMC effective July 1^st.

Carness is an ordained Elder in the Arkansas Conference. For the past four years, he has been the Senior Pastor at St. James UMC in Little Rock, AR.  He grew up in a Christian home in London, England before moving to Arkansas where he graduated from El Dorado High School in 1988.  He then attended the University of Arkansas where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications in 1992.   During his college years at the University of Arkansas, Carness was very active in the Wesley Foundation and he experienced a call to ordained ministry there. 

Following his college graduation, Rev. Vaughan commenced his pastoral training at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY where he completed a Master of Divinity degree in 1995.  He continued coursework in the Beeson Doctoral Program for Biblical Preaching & Leadership through 1999 and finished all but dissertation. 

Since 1999, Rev. Vaughan has served as the Senior Pastor at First UMC Star City (five years), Asbury UMC in Little Rock (four years), Central UMC in Rogers (nine years) and for the past four years at St. James UMC in Little Rock.  Some of you may also recall Rev. Vaughan’s brother, Clefton, who previously served as an Associate Pastor at Central about a decade ago. 

Rev. Vaughan has noted three major things he values in pastoral ministry:

• The opportunity to preach the Gospel and help people see the Bible become real and relevant in their lives. 
• Getting to know people and walking with people on their journey of discipleship through relational ministry.
• The chance to have a real Kingdom impact on the community and beyond through mission efforts that can make a difference. 

We are so blessed to have Carness and his wife, Ashley, as our next Senior Pastor family.  They have two grown children, Katherine and Jack.   We hope each of you will reach out to welcome Carness and embrace him and his wife as they transition to their new home in Fayetteville.  We will be sharing more information about Rev. Vaughan and his family in the weeks ahead.

God bless each of you,

Blair Johanson

Chairman of the Staff Parish Committee

From the Desk of Rev. Carness Vaughan

Dear Central Family,

I am thrilled to be joining you this summer as your new Senior Pastor. My wife and I were first introduced to Central 30 years ago when we were in school at the University of Arkansas.  We attended both Central and Wiggins UMC (now your Genesis Campus), and we were extremely active at the Wesley Foundation, so this really feels like we are coming full circle. I can’t wait to walk alongside you as together we fulfill the mission that God has for us in making Christ central to life, both for us and for those around us.

Ashley and I spent nine years living in Rogers, so we already know how amazing Northwest Arkansas is; we can’t wait to get back! However, there is much to do between now and July, so we would covet your prayers during this time of transition.  Specifically, would you be willing to pray:

• For peace in the midst of the anxiety that comes with moving.
• For the congregation of St. James. This was not a move I was looking for or anticipating, so it has come as quite a shock to them.
• For me to be able to finish well at one church while attempting to begin well at the next.
• For the Holy Spirit to be at work throughout this entire process.

Please know that as I am asking you to pray for us, we are praying for you in the coming months as you say goodbye to an amazing pastor in  Dr. Jan Davis, who has faithfully led you on your journey the last five years. We look forward to getting to know all of you and continuing that journey together. Until then, take care and God bless!

Together on the Journey,

Carness