Senior Pastor
JOHN L. FARTHING
Born in Altavista, Virginia, our senior pastor, John L. Farthing, spent his high
school years living in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. Graduating from
Suitland Sr. High school in 1965, he studied for two years at the University
of Maryland before transferring to the University of Tulsa, where he received
the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1969.
During his two years of study at Perkins School of Theology (SMU), John served as pastor to United Methodist churches in Kingston and Woodville, Oklahoma. Transferring to Duke Divinity School in 1972, he served the Bethel, Hebron, and Union United Methodist Churches north of Burlington, North Carolina, until 1974, when he was awarded the degree of Master of Divinity at Duke Divinity School. John completed his Ph.D. at Duke's Graduate School in 1978, specializing in the History of Christian Thought (with a special emphasis on medieval and Reformation theology).
In 1978, he joined the Religion Department at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, where he is Professor of Religion and Classical Languages. Under appointment to both Hendrix College and Greenbrier's First United Methodist Church, John continues to teach a variety of courses focusing on the history of Christianity and on classical (Greek, Latin) language and literature.
He is married to Norma Tio Farthing, head of the Academic Advising Center at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, who frequently teaches in the Religious Education program at our church. John and Norma have four children and two grandsons, all living in Arkansas. While teaching at Hendrix College, John has served United Methodist churches in Plumerville and Springfield (1979-1984), Mayflower (1984-1988), and Redfield (1991-1999). He became the United Methodist pastor in Greenbrier in July of 2002.
Associate Pastor
Millie Bryant is a native of North Dakota. After high school, she attended the University of Arkansas for three years and then moved to Kansas and graduated from Kansas State University. It was at Kansas State that she worked towards her Masters Degree. Later, when God called her into the ministry, she finished her graduate degree at Shalom Bible College in Arkansas.
Millie taught high school in, Pennsylvania and Arkansas. Her areas of specialty were Spanish, English and Social Studies. She heard God's call during that time and entered the ministry where she has served as Pastor of Gum Springs, a small church in rural Arkansas and Friendship United Methodist. Today she is the associate pastor of Greenbrier First United Methodist Church in Greenbrier, AR.
Millie is married to Jay Bryant. Together they have three sons and one daughter. They live in Morrilton, AR. Millie also works with recovering drug and alcohol addicts at New Beginnings in Houston, AR.