Introducing Our New Youth Pastor

I am beyond proud to introduce the church family to our new youth pastor — and my middle daughter! As you may all know, we’ve been without a youth staff person since Eva Englert-Jessen left us last Easter. To be honest, we’ve had a dearth of applications and interested persons since then.

Then Chloe showed some interest, and I encouraged her to submit her resume. Since the Staff-Parish Relations Committee made its decision a few weeks ago, Chloe has started making plans.

Here’s a brief introduction to Chloe in her own words:

Hello! My name is Chloe Magruder. I am currently studying at the University of Texas at Arlington for a degree in English and I will be graduating this May with a teaching certificate.

I am looking forward to helping the youth of the church grow in their faith and leadership in the community. Growing up, I was a member of two very amazing youth groups, with leaders and students who helped me understand myself and my faith. All of my middle and high school years, I spent a week at Bridgeport Camp and Conference Center worshipping and creating friendships that will last me a lifetime. I am now a volunteer every year and have gained countless skills to lead a small group of humans that want to further their relationship with God.

Being a part of a youth group was such a large part of my teenage years and I want to be able to give our youth the same opportunities that I was blessed with, and more.

While I serve as the youth pastor, I would like to focus on the individual development of each youth in who they are before they are sent off into the world post-graduation. I am looking forward to getting to know every single person in this church even more and working to make our youth feel at home at Kessler Park UMC.

To reach Chloe Magruder, you can contact her at chloe@kpumc.org.

Kessler Park United Methodist Church Parents Day Out

Rev. Kay Ash

In order that you may come to know who represents the hands and feet of Christ on a daily basis with our littlest disciples at KPUMC PDO, please see the photos and read the brief biographies of staff below:

Nichole Gresham

I am the Director of the most amazing program! I have dedicated many years, tears, tons of love, lots of laughter, complex problem solving, hardcore team work, mind numbing hours, countless supply runs, and barrels and barrels of coffee to this wonderful program that has changed my life. I am going to tell you a little about how this is not just a job for me.

 This is my heart happiness and one of the biggest motivators of my life. I immediately fell in love with every child and parent, and that has not changed to this day. This is no exaggeration… the parents and children fill these halls with love; if you are here during drop-off or pick-up, you will feel the energy. The ground floor vibrates with tenderness, warmth and an intense feeling of deep affection. The parents have shown so much recognition to me as well as to the teachers. They know that their children are loved and they insist on being helpful. You may not know this, but everything except the walls and floors (and some of the furniture) have been donated from these loving families. So, you may understand why I fell in love with this place so easily.

 I drive over 2 hours a day to be here as I live in Lake Dallas where I am a mother of 2 amazing children. My daughter, Daijah, has volunteered at PDO since she was 6. Now, she insists that PDO will be her job when she grows up. She also helps me as I am a personal assistant and babysitter for many of our current and past PDO families. My son Elijah, age 14, is in his first year of high school, and he is striving to be an engineer when he grows up. He is one of my biggest motivators for picking child care as my career path. He has special needs and struggled in his child care. I had to advocate for him through many, many ARDS, IEPS, and tears. As a result, I want to help each child and their parents through any struggles they may encounter. I am very thankful for this opportunity to work with the church and to guide the teachers. I am very proud of my whole team and their attention to each detail of each child really shines. Everyone on this floor truly loves these children. PDO is not just a job to me, it is a huge part of my center which includes God, my husband, my children, and PDO. Thank you for taking the time to get to know a little about me.

Jasmine Jackson

I am the teacher for the 6-14 months class. It is an absolute privilege to be a part of your children’s lives in such a special way with the PDO program. Every single one of your little ones has touched my heart in their own extraordinarily unique way and I look forward to watching each and every one of them grow and mature. I love watching how their minds work as everything starts to click into place at such an early age...it really is truly remarkable and I thoroughly enjoy every moment! Thanks parents for allowing me to nurture your children’s growth and development and please know that each and every one of them has a special place in my heart :)

A little about me-I am born and raised in Dallas, I grew up as an only child and am now married with 5 kids ranging from 17-6. I live in Flower Mound and I was a Private Aviation Designer in my past life and a stay at home mom for 6 years. I feel truly blessed to be doing something that I love that also allows me the opportunity to continue being there for my family as well. 
During the hours I am not working (because with 5 kids there really is no “spare time”) I am usually running someone to a practice or game :) and I and my family all serve in the children’s ministry at our church on Sundays. 

Some of the things I do with the children at PDO on daily basis: weekly Bible story, colors, shapes, counting (English and Spanish), singing Nursery Rhymes, animal sounds, textures and smells, letter and number recognition, reading books, fine and gross motor skills, and ASL signs for infants and toddlers.

Emily Ulman

I am so excited to have joined the PDO team this year as an assistant to Miss Stephanie and Miss Jasmine! I was born and raised in San Antonio before moving to Austin to study journalism at the University of Texas. During college, I was a nanny and worked with a local elementary school helping children who read below their grade level to catch up to (and often surpass!) their peers. 

I currently live in Stevens Park Estates with my fiancé and our two loveable yet high maintenance rescue dogs, Bennie and Duncan. During my free time, I enjoy reading, taking the dogs to the park, and biking around the neighborhood. I love kids and feel so lucky to get to know you and the precious children through PDO!

Stephanie Dominguez

I am lead teacher for the 14-21 months class assisted by Emily. I am also a mother of 2 daughters, ages 5 years and 16 months. I am teaching abc’s, letter recognition, numbers (Spanish and English), colors, and shapes. I am also teaching my students to throw away their napkin after snack and to also pick up after their self after playtime, and sharing. We do a lot of circle time and reading, along with some of our favorite songs. My absolute favorite is craft time. I love to get my hands messy with fun and creative crafts with my students. It’s such a joy to have my kids run to me once they see paint and glitter with their hands out ready to paint. We are learning so much here in class and taking it all home to parents. 


A little about me: When I am not working, I am a full time mom, I attend all of my daughters cheerleading practices and competitions (her biggest fan), I DIY craft projects at home, and I spend a lot of time with my family. I have such a big family and I love to spend any down time I have with them. I also babysit for some of my students and it’s the best to get to see them outside of class and meet some of their siblings or one on one time. 


I have enjoyed every moment here at PDO. I love my coworkers and I have the best students and parents! Thank you to parents for trusting me every day with your child! It truly means everything to me.

Ashley Gonzales

I am the lead teacher in the 21-28 month old class, assisted by Maylee Castillo. 


In my class we’re working on our alphabets, numbers and learning how to express our feelings verbally. My kids enjoy circle time. We sing songs and learn about colors, animals, our names and age.


I enjoy working with children; I believe they teach us just as much as we teach them. 
When I’m not working, I love the time spend with my daughter and husband. I truly do enjoy watching my daughter grow and learning new things with her. I love taking my daughter on Target runs and, of course, grabbing a cup of coffee from Starbucks.

Marivel Mancera

I am lead teacher for the classroom 28 months plus and Elizabeth Dominguez is my assistant. We have a lot of fun in the classroom with the kids when we do different crafts, play outside, and read different stories in the classroom. We are learning about shapes, colors, the alphabet, numbers, and identify their names. I love each of the kids in my class because they are all unique in their own way; they make me smile every day and are very loving.

When I am not working, I like to spend time with family and friends. I enjoy watching Netflix and going to the park when it is not cold. I do not have kids of my own, but I love playing and drawing with my nieces. I love going to Mexico at least once a year to visit my grandmothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins! I have babysat some of the kids in my class and I love to see them outside the classroom. I have been at PDO for about 3 years now. I am thankful for being part of PDO and enjoy all the fun times we spend together.

Elizabeth Dominguez

I am the Teaching Assistant for the 28 month plus class. Before becoming an assistant for PDO at Kessler Park, I was a PDO parent! My son started the 14-21 month class and made his way up to the 28 month plus class. I still remember his first and last day at PDO, and I was so blessed that my son had the opportunity to have had such wonderful teachers and friends. The love and care made me want to be part of the PDO program. I believe that every child is unique and capable of everything and that is why I want to thank the parents for allowing me to assist in your child's growth development.

Maylee Castillo

I am the teaching assistant for the 21-28 month class with Ms. Ashley. I am currently a student at UNT Denton studying Political Science. I’m 19 years old and I’m the youngest of 4 siblings.

Outside of work and school, I am usually writing, reading, or volunteering. I also enjoy going to concerts or shows for local musicians, since music is one of my passions. My favorite thing about being a part of PDO is seeing the excitement in the children’s faces when they learn something new and when they are excited to come to school. Small breakthroughs with them are the best part of working here.

KPUMC PDO is so lucky to have such an amazing team of teachers and caregivers! If you are on the KPUMC campus Monday through Thursday during the day, stop by our classrooms and bless our teachers as they care for the children. Further, please pray for our Parents Day Out program, especially the children, as we continue to develop in new and exciting ways.

The Love of Christ

by Kurt Maerschel

The year has come to an end. The frantic days of Christmas are behind us. The relatives and friends were fed and presented with gifts. Now the new year is here and with it many of us think what has been in 2018 and what will be coming in 2019.

Taking stock in the “success” or “failure” of the past year is pretty common for us humans. After a “bad” year we want to think: “The next year can only be better.” and after a “good” year we think: “This was a great year; I can’t wait to see what the next year has in stock for me.” In reality we never know what the next year will bring. Sometimes a “bad” year might be followed by a “worse” year. At other times, when we don’t have hope of things going better, we are surprised by things we never expected to happen and the year might turn out to be wonderful.

I have been through all of these scenarios, and I am sure pretty much everyone who is reading this has been there as well. But if we don’t know what is going to happen in the future, what is it then we ought to focus on?

A very good friend of mine reminded me recently of the concept of viewing life as a “pilgrimage.” In this metaphor the pilgrimage does not only consist of easy travelling experiences but is characterized by the struggles such as bad weather, difficult terrain, storms, rain, heat, drought, falls and setbacks. For the pilgrim, these hardships are an integral part of the journey and help him/her to reach the sacred center he or she seeks. In our life journey these hardships, which are largely outside of our control, can serve to strip the ego of the illusion that it is in charge and make space for the true self to emerge. If we approach our life journey with this realization in mind we can use the curveballs life throws at us to truly discover ourselves. This is usually not an easy undertaking, but it is often accompanied with experiences of high stress, sleepless nights, uncertainty, loneliness, depression, doubts and fear.

Unfortunately, some people will never overcome these feelings and will be broken through these experiences. Others will become bitter and cynical, never to be reconciled with the world around them. I myself have been at these crossroads and can attest to the difficulty in navigating these stretches of our lives. But if this is all so difficult, how can we ever navigate the pilgrimage of our lives? you might ask.

It is through the eternal love of Jesus Christ which enables us to make it through these trying times. While we don’t know what the next year will bring, we do know as children of God that Jesus’ love for us is without limit, neither in space or time. If we are desperate and ask for comfort, it will be given. This is what we can know with absolute certainty about our future. This is the message I want to leave with you as we set out into this new year of 2019.

Psalm 136
God’s Work in Creation and in History

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
 for his steadfast love endures forever.

2 O give thanks to the God of gods,
 for his steadfast love endures forever.

3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

4 who alone does great wonders,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

5 who by understanding made the heavens,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

6 who spread out the earth on the waters,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

7 who made the great lights,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

8 the sun to rule over the day,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

10 who struck Egypt through their firstborn,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

11 and brought Israel out from among them,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

13 who divided the Red Sea in two,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever;

16 who led his people through the wilderness,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

17 who struck down great kings,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

18 and killed famous kings,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

20 and Og, king of Bashan,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

21 and gave their land as a heritage,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

22 a heritage to his servant Israel,
 for his steadfast love endures forever.

23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

24 and rescued us from our foes,
 for his steadfast love endures forever;

25 who gives food to all flesh,
 for his steadfast love endures forever.

26 O give thanks to the God of heaven,
 for his steadfast love endures forever.

One last footnote from Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak: “If you make good experiences on your pilgrimage, share thanks for them with the Lord as well. Jesus wants to be part of your entire life and celebrate the joys with you as much as he is always with you during the dark episodes of your life.” Fort hose of you who can’t get enough of the Psalms, please read Psalm 18. It is another one of my favorite Psalms and carried me through dark times.

If you have questions about this article or need guidance on your pilgrimage, please feel free to talk to me in person, by email or by phone: kurt@kpumc.org or 972-835-1909.