Leadership
Our Pastor
Rev. Dione Corsilles, Pastor
Rev. Dione Corsilles is an ordained elder in the Pacific Northwest Conference. He was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Dione completed a Degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington and completed his Master of Divinity Degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. He has served as Pastor of a United Methodist Church in Seattle and as a Chaplain at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Dione has deeply valued his experience in the Upper Room’s 2 year Academy for Spiritual Formation and it’s focus on holistic spirituality.
Rev. Dione loves learning about cultures, experiences and contexts that shape one’s perspective. He values openness, difference and diversity, believing we are called to be open to difference, open to others and open to God’s work in the world. In his spare time he loves playing sports, watching musicals and having quality family time with his spouse, Sarah, and three children.
Joyce Hopkins, Organist
Joyce joined the music team at Sumner UMC in 2013 after substituting in area churches for many years. An organist since age 14, she continues to study privately with Joseph Adam, Director of Music at St James Cathedral in Seattle. In addition to music, Joyce enjoys photography and volunteering as a historical interpreter at Fort Nisqually in Point Defiance Park in Tacoma.
Michelle Thurman, Church Council, Chair
Michelle comes from a long line of midwestern Methodists, but grew up in Southern California. Her home church there was a small UMC very similar to Sumner UMC in many ways. She lived far away from her own family and her church family filled that void. Her faith grew through Sunday School, youth group, church camp and Chrysalis.
Between then and now, she has attended churches of different denominations in Western Massachusetts, Australia, Northern California and Pennsylvania. Michelle and her husband Walter moved to the area in 2003 when she started practicing Family Medicine on South Hill. They joined Sumner UMC shortly thereafter, and have been involved with the music ministry, youth group and a long term Bible study. They have been raising their 3 daughters, Zoe, Alexa and Willa in this church and look forward to many years to come.