Staff
Rev. John Taliwaga
Directing Pastor
Pastor John M. Taliwaga is a native Filipino born on June 16, 1977. He is married to Mary Rose M. Taliwaga, a Filipino Deaconess and Kindergarten Teacher. They are blessed by God with 3 children: Merry Deborah Gratia M. Taliwaga, Jedidiah Reign M. Taliwaga, and Cornelius David Blessing M. Taliwaga. In 2000, John started his ministry as Candidate to the Ministry. In 2001, he became a Certified Local Pastor. In 2007, he was ordained as an elder. The Lord blessed him as an appointed District Superintendent from 2011-2016.
John's passion in service was not confined inside the district, it was extended to a special ministry. From 2015-2017, he was commissioned as a military officer in the Chaplain Service of the Philippine Air Force. During this time, there was an internal arrangement with the Bishop to supervise the district and have ministry in military service. But after two years, John resigned from military ministry service because it was hard for his family to be separated.
In 2017, John was re-appointed by the Bishop to Tarlac City UMC as the Senior Pastor. He has been appointed to different UM churches since 2001. Most of these appointments have been in large churches with a multicultural set-up. He shared ministry to fulfill the flagship program of their conference: “Know Jesus Christ and to make Him Known”. They were able to introduce the beloved church to the society by confessing “A Mega Faith - Mega Church”. It was also a great opportunity and joy to be elected as the principal delegate to the General Conference in 2016 and in 2019.
John is friendly, teachable, and flexible. He is dedicated to the ministry of the Lord. He loves building strong relationships and working in a group, as he believes good results are fuitful through cooperation and unity.
Education:
Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics, 2001; Tarlac Agricultural University Philippines
Master of Divinity, 2004; Wesley Divinity School- Wesleyan University Philippines
Doctor of Missiology, 2021; Philippine Christian University
Charlee Thornton
Secretary
Charlee Thornton is from Trilla, Illinois, and is attending Lakeland College online. She loves spending time with her 3 dogs and 6 cats. In her free time, she runs her small business, Handmade Haven, where she sells her items on her online pages and sets up at local craft and vendor shows with her grandmother, selling sewn and crocheted projects. She also runs a dog care business, where she watches and takes care of dogs in her community. She loves learning new crafting techniques and traveling with her boyfriend, Gavin.
She loves it here at Centenary United Methodist!
Malia Stephens
Bookkeeper
Malia Stephens is from St. Elmo, Illinois and has been married to her husband, Art, for over 24 years. They have 4 children and 5 grandchildren. After 25+ years, Malia happily retired from the Illinois Department of Corrections. In her off time, you can find her spending time with her family, going on Mission trips, traveling/exploring new places and meeting new people, she has many hobbies, and her newest passion has been taking and painting pictures of the places she's been.
She is excited to be a part of the staff here at Centenary United Methodist Church.
Jerry Starner
Organist
Serving as our organist is Jerry Starner of Effingham. She also serves as one of the organists at St. John's Lutheran, Effingham. Her training started at age 6 with piano lessons, continued with singing in Mrs. Cathleen Cranalall's Aufillerettes, started band in 4th grade, had musical training under Mrs. Donna Kerley, and continued in high school band under direction of Marilyn Bennett. In later years she performed with the ladies singing group, "Voices Unlimited," also under the direction of Marilyn Bennett. Jerry has always enjoyed sharing her music and encourages all parents to offer their children music lessons to enable them to express their talents and build their confidence. She was from Farina originally but has lived in Effingham for over 40 years. She has 3 children, 12 grands, and 3 great-grands. Jerry thanks God every day for her musical training through the women listed above and cannot imagine life without music. She feels closest to God when playing music!
Amanda Moloney
Choir Director
Handbell Choir Director
Our hallelujah and handbell choirs are directed by Amanda Moloney. Amanda is the current Taylorville junior high school music teacher. You may have also seen her performing with numerous groups in the area throughout the years. Amanda is also a sought after adjudicator for many music festivals. The experience she brings to Centenary truly adds harmony to our worship services. Not to mention annual Christmas and Easter performances, and our spring tradition: Bagels & Bells.