A born and bred Methodist, Gary and his family have participated in Christian Ashrams since their children were young.  Gary has recently retired from many years of pastoral service but continues to serve in a variety of ways including working with United Christian Ashrams.  In addition to his pastoral service, Gary enjoys his life with Sybella, his wife of 40+ years. They both enjoy music, especially singing, and then pursue divergent interests: she loves to garden, and he relishes woodworking.  

Rev. Brian Matthews was raised in the big town of Muskogee, Oklahoma, and yes, if you are a Merle Haggard fan, he’s proud! If you’re not a Merle Haggard fan, you should be! 

Brian was involved in the life of the church from his earliest days and credits his youth director and youth group for helping mold him into the person he is today. Brian did his best to run from God, but finally relented and entered seminary in 1999. He graduated from Phillips Theological Seminary in 2004, was commissioned and later ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church. After two years as an Associate Pastor in his home church, Brian served as lead pastor of several churches before being appointed to First UMC Ada in 2016. 

Brian celebrates 25 years of marriage to his best friend, Shannon, in May 2024, and they have a 20-year-old son, Noah. At age “almost 50” Brian excels at  channeling his inner child. In his spare time Brian loves following the exploits of his beloved Oklahoma Sooners and Chelsea Blues, as well as playing golf and hanging out with Shannon, and sometimes Noah.