Come home to LaFollette Methodist Church
The Team
Who We Are
Minister
Rev. Dr. Chris Stanfield
Chris served as our pastor from 2013 - 2021. He currently serves a congregation in Knox Co., but has offered to pastor our Church also.
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Chris is a former US Navy Chaplain, served two decades as an elder in the United Methodist Church, and is currently a clergy member of the Global Methodist Church
Church Administrator
Drema Pyles
Drema Pyles, our Church Administrator, comes to us with a background in office administration, graphic arts and the medical field. Originally from Gary, McDowell County, West Virginia, she moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1989 to provide better opportunities for herself and her daughter, Jeniffer.
Before joining the staff at LaFollette Methodist Church, Drema worked at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio and here at LaFollette Medical Center.
Married in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Drema and husband Dave (Ohio native), celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in March, 2023. They moved to LaFollette in November 2019 and both are semi-retired.
Drema’s hobbies are reading, traveling to the nearest beaches and enjoying time with Dave, their dog Poppie, and grandson Dylan.
Church Custodian
Ed Hatfield
Lay Leader
Tommy Robards
Pianist
Glenn Rasmussen
Glenn Rasmussen was born in a small mission hospital in western Ethiopia. At that time
his father was a minister working in Sudan. His earliest memories of music are singing hymns and choruses with his siblings around the piano. He began piano lessons at age eight.
When he was 11 years old his parents took him and his siblings back to Ethiopia. This
time his father was a medical missionary.
After a 4 year stint the family moved back to the United States where Glenn entered 10 th
grade in Carthage, NY.
At that time Glenn decided to pursue music as a career and began serious lessons with a
teacher at Syracuse University.
After graduating from high school Glenn attended Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory
of Music in Baltimore, MD. He earned his Certificate in Piano Performance in 1974.
Two years later he entered The Juilliard School in NYC and graduated in 1980 with both
Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance.
In 1982 Glenn met and married his wife of 39 years. Their son was born the following
year and the young family moved to Ojai, CA where Glenn taught music at the Thatcher
School.
In 1986 they relocated to Knoxville, TN where Glenn taught piano lessons and was the
pianist at Fountain City UMC.
Shortly thereafter Glenn was invited to take over a studio of 49 piano students in
Rogersville, TN - an opportunity he could not turn down.
Thus began 19 years of teaching, performing, tuning pianos, and living a quiet life in a
setting where he and his wife reared their son and daughter.
In 1998 Glenn had the opportunity to tour Kuwait, Bahrain and the Azores, playing for
US troops stationed there, as a member of Country Plus, a band of musicians from
Rogersville.
In 2007 Glenn and his wife moved to Bradenton, FL so their daughter could attended the
IMG tennis academy.
Glenn was blessed to become the pianist and music director at Faith UMC in Palma
Sola, a position he held until 2015 when he and his wife retired.
They moved back to Tennessee and began a new life in Harrogate.
In September of 2023 Glenn accepted the offer to become the pianist for LaFollette
Methodist Church.
Song Leader
Ric Miller
I have been married to Karen Stout for 37 years. Karen is the daughter of Jack and Grace Stout and was raised in the Lafollette Methodist Church.
I started singing in the Lafollette Church Choir when I was about 16, after starting to attend the UMYF with friends from school. I was on staff of the LaFollette United Methodist Church for 19 years as Youth Director from 1991-2010.
Karen and I had many, many GREAT experiences and had the opportunity to work with some wonderful parents and volunteer workers through that time. BUT THE KIDS, they were AMAZING. I still consider myself one of the trully BLESSED to have had the chance to possibly have been a christian witness to many young hearts.
I am very Happy and feel very Blessed to be able to fill the position of Interim Choir Director for however long the church needs me and it is in GOD's plan.