Tom Vansant

R St. Luke UMC and Dale Street UMC in June 2005.  Tom oversaw the difficult transitional time of merging the two churches and the subsequent closing of the St. Luke building.  One of the reasons that the merger went so smoothly was due to Tom’s leadership.

Tom attended high school in Kansas City, Missouri and attended the University of Missouri —Rolla for three years, seeking a degree in Civil Engineering.  He ended up at Southwest Missouri State University , (now Missouri State University), graduating in 1982 with a BS in Economics.  In 1985 he enrolled in Perkins School of Theology but completed his studies at St. Paul’s School of Theology in 1989, obtaining a Masters of Divinity, with an emphasis in Youth Ministry.

While going to school, from 1978 to 1989, Tom also was a commissioned officer in the US Army Reserves, work with the Office of Creative Ministries as workcamp coordinator, was a peer minister at the University of Rolla Wesley Foundation and a part time youth pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Kansas City.

In 1989, Tom was ordained a Deacon in the United Methodist Church and was appointed Associate Pastor at Ashland UMC in St. Joseph, MO.  In 1991, he was ordained Elder and appointed Campus Minister to the Wesley Foundation at Central Missouri State in Warrensburg.  In 1995, he was appointed Associate Pastor to Wesley United Methodist Church in Springfield, MO.  Tom served at Wesley until receiving the appointment to Dale Street in 2004.

Tom and his wife, Suzy, have 6 children:  Lainie (a Senior at Drury), Robbie (a Sophomore at Missouri State University.  Robbie runs the projection system during worship.), Daniel (12^th Grade), Nellie (7^th  Grade), Stella (3^rd Grade) and Gigi (1^st grade).  The household also includes various numbers of dogs, cats, and birds.

Juan Bello

Rev. Juan Heriberto Bello, his wife of 21 years, Doris Carmen Bello, and their three children, 18-year-old daughter Melannie Andrea and 11-year-old twins, Juan Carlos and Emily Elizabeth, came to Pathways UMC in July 2009, when Juan assumed his new position of Associate Pastor for Pathways and Pastor of La Trinidad.

          Juan took the long road around to Springfield.  He was born in Santiago Chile, September 12, 1965. and came to the USA, December 24, 1979, at the age of 14.  After graduating from Longwood High School in Yaphank (Long Island) New York, he served in the Marines from 1983-1989 and received an honorable discharge.

Juan served and helped found the First Methodist Pentecostal church (Naciones Unidas) in Queens NY.  While there he served in the following positions:  Director and teacher of the Children's ministry, Youth Leader, Bible Study teacher, Deacon and Associate Pastor.

          The Bello family moved to Missouri in June of 2004 and Juan served as the Hispanic Ministry Director and a Licensed Local Pastor for Church of the Shepherd from 2005-2008.  While still a member of Church of the Shepherd, Juan served at Scruggs United Methodist Church in Saint Louis in 2006 and as a local Pastor at Christy Memorial United Methodist Church.  Juan was licensed as a Local Pastor in 2007.  He came to us from Shaw United Methodist Church where he was assigned in August of 2008, serving as a Local Pastor at Nuevo Espiritu IMU.

          Juan’s older brother Josue Antonio Bello is a licensed Pastor for Assemblies of God, his older sister, Susana del Carmen Bello, works for American Airlines and his younger sister, Sandra Elizabeth Flores is married to Elias Robinson Flores and they both are pastors at INUC (Iglesia Naciones Unidas en Cristo), the church Juan served in New York.