Before he retired, Rev. Dr. Paul L. Escamilla served as senior pastor in seven congregations, and also taught at Perkins School of Theology at SMU. He currently leads spiritual life retreats for clergy and congregations. Paul grew up in the Christian Ashram movement, and has served as Bible teacher at ashrams nation-wide. He has written several books, including Longing for Enough in a Culture of More and True When Whispered: Hearing God’s Voice in a Noisy World. He and his wife, Liz, have three grown children; they make their home in Houston, within range of their three young grandchildren.

Raised in Muskoge, Oklahoma, Rev. Brian Matthews was involved in the life of the church from his earliest days. He did his best to run from God, but finally relented and graduated from the Phillips Theological Seminary with a Masters in Divinity in 2004. He has served in various congregations in Oklahoma and has been the Lead Pastor at First Methodist Church in Ada, Oklahoma since 2016.  Brian excels at channeling his inner child, and has been happily married to Shannon for over 25 years. They enjoy hanging out with their grown son, Noah.