Passionate about building relationships, celebrating people’s unique stories, and helping people discover their God-given gifts and abilities, Rev. Jess Horsley comes to Platte Woods UMC having served in the St. Louis area in full-time ministry since 2009. A lifelong United Methodist raised in rural Iowa by a nurse mother and a farming father, Pastor Jess discerned a call to ordained ministry after years of eclectic jobs: high school English teacher, professional film critic, action figure & video game reviewer, and machine gunner in the United States Marine Corps.

Pastor Jess enjoys watching movies (especially sci-fi and horror!), reading comics (make mine Marvel!), collecting sneakers, getting tattooed and encouraging and empowering others to unleash their love, presence, power and knowledge to change their lives – and the lives of others – for the better!

Married for 20 years to his high school sweetheart Shelly, who works for Sisters Floral Design Studio in St. Louis, Jess and Shelly have the pleasure of parenting Amelia (12), a musician and empathetic soul; and Warren (8), a dancer who loves video games. Together, their family cares for Samson, a rescue cat who has a love/hate relationship with the outdoors.

Rev. Dr. Choongho Kwon will join PWUMC as an associate pastor. He completed his doctorate of ministry from Candler School of Theology in 2017.

Choongho comes to us from Avondale UMC, where he served as pastor the last five years. He has been in ministry more than 20 years and has extensive experience in the areas of Intentional Faith Development and Congregational Care.

Choongho comes to PWUMC with his wife, Hannah, and his two teenage sons, Samuel and Stephen.

Misty serves as the financial manager for PWUMC. She enjoys working with people through her background in accounting. She also enjoys lake time with her husband, Bill, and daughters.

 Rachel serves as an administrative associate at PWUMC, focusing on database management and accounts payable. She has attended Platte Woods for over 30 years and is now raising her 2 children here with her husband Adam. Rachel loves watching baseball and can often be found out at the K cheering on the Royals!

As an associate pastor at PWUMC, Choongho leads our adult learning ministry. Learn more about Choongho in his bio at the top of the page.

Molly finds her passion in developing safe and inclusive space for all people to feel loved within/where all people can feel loved. She joins us here at Platte Woods UMC following her time as a Youth and Children’s Director in Maryland. Molly grew up in the United Methodist Church where she first discovered her love for God. This led her to pursue a career in vocational ministry at the Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. There, she spent all her time either working with campus ministry organizations or volunteering with local churches in growing their youth ministry programs. After the pandemic sent her home her senior year, she used that as an opportunity to expand her experiences and went to serve the youth and children in Ashton, Maryland, just outside of D.C. She moves back to the KC area with a renewed passion to facilitate the creation of safe spaces for people of all backgrounds and age groups. She is especially excited to use her experience to welcome and connect everyone to a child-like joy that is to be found in growing one’s relationship with God. If you would like to reach out, Molly’s coffee mug collection, fully stocked snack drawer, affinity for Grey’s Anatomy and propensity for sharing pictures of her very cute cat will surely put you at ease.

Vicki serves as director of Counseling. Vicki brings 25 years of counseling experience to her ministry, and her passion is helping others heal past hurts. She enjoys being GG (Goofy Grandma) to two energetic grandchildren.

Mandy serves as Director of Kid Connection and brings her love of kids and heart for Jesus to everything she does. She is married with two adult kiddos and enjoys family time, sewing and crafting, as well as active pursuits such as running and bike riding.

Janessa joined PWUMC as our Director of Student Ministries in 2019. She is a lifelong Methodist who previously attended and worked in student ministry at Kearney UMC.

Miranda serves as a Sunbeams and PDO associate at PWUMC. She has worked with the children of the church for more than 20 years. She graduated from Missouri Western State University with an elementary education and early childhood degree, and received her master’s degree in education from Webster University. She enjoys scrapbooking and spending time with her husband, Jason, and two daughters.

 Mike serves as a member of the Facilities team at PWUMC. He is a U.S. Army veteran and has a passion for helping others. He enjoys the cinema, music and gaming of all kinds.

Kirk is joining the team as Technical Director, overseeing the church’s technical production needs and volunteers. He brings his knowledge of music, recording, and an array of experiences to his role at the church.

 Mat Thornton is our worship director, overseeing all aspects of weekend worship. As a musician and as a leader he brings a lively spirit to this community. Mat has a passion for connecting with people and growing with them in faith. One of his greatest joys is worshiping in new and creative ways with others, especially with his talented wife, Andrea.