First UMC Staff

  •        Pastor Kuensik Lee

                Senior Pastor    pastor.k@columbusfumc.com

    Personal Interests:

    • Spending time with family
    • Traveling
    • Reading
    • Playing sports and jogging

    About Me:

    I am very passionate about sharing the Word of God as I believe that the Bible is the living Word of God. My calling is to teach, serve, and lead people towards a connection with God and the growth of their faith. I believe that the church is a community of love and support and that we should share God's love with each other while building relationships and ministering to all those in need.

     

    I am thrilled to be a part of Columbus First United Methodist Church and its ministry. I firmly believe that God has great plans for this church, and I am eager to see what will happen through us, the church family, and this wonderful ministry. I married Rev. Seulki Choi (or Rev. Sarah Choi, who is a provisional Deacon at the Great Plains Annual Conference), and we have one daughter (Vivian Lee) and one cat (Hart) in my family.

  • sarah borgman

    christian education director

    sarah.borgman@columbusfumc.com

    Sarah is our Christian Education Director including Youth Ministry. She was born in York and went to Doane College. Her first teaching position brought her to Columbus in 1992.


    She immediately joined the church.  Sarah and her husband, Scott, were married at First UMC in 1994.  
    Sarah lives in
    Platte Center with her husband, and three children. 

     

    Sarah loves working with the youth and children of the church. During a typical Wednesday night youth group 40-50 people come share their faith in God at the Outreach Center.

     

    Sarah would love for you to come check out the youth, Sunday School, and the church. Ask about Bible Study opportunities or how you can volunteer in the many aspects and programs of the church.


     

  • rEx Hash

    DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH CENTER & MINISTRIES

    rex.hash@columbusfumc.com

    Rex was raised in Genoa and attended CCC-Columbus and UNK to receive his degree in Music Education.  Additional Master's Degrees in Music Education and Educational Administration were earned from UNL.  

    Rex's work experience include nearly 20 years as an educator and administrator, plus many successful years in retail and upper retail management / training and in sales. 

    Rex is married to his wife Kathy and together they have two sons James and Kenneth plus 5 grandkids.

    Rex's faith journey started as a teenager and has expanded throughout his work and life experiences.  Rex comes to us from the Federated Church and is excited to share his faith journey with everyone as he oversees the Outreach Center, Community Partnerships, Facilities and assists with Sunday Services and Care Team visits.

    Rex enjoys all kinds of music and is a Husker, Royals, Chiefs and Vikings fan.

  • Lisa Nielsen

    coordinator of Communications

    & laity development

    lisa.nielsen@columbusfumc.com

    Lisa grew up in Columbus, attending First UMC from Kindergarten through 12th grade. 

    She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she received Bachelor of Journalism and Master of Arts in Mass Communications degrees. While in Omaha, she discovered her “inner nerd”, receiving Master of Arts in Theatre and Master of Science in Elementary Education degrees, both from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. 

    She loves the fine and performing arts, reading, watching TV, and entertaining her two

    feline fur babies: Lucy and Liam.


     

  • Sue Overturf

    Business Coordinator

    sue.overturf@columbusfumc.com

    Sue began serving as our Business Coordinator in July 2023. She follows her dedicated predecessor, Sharon Zobel, who served for 30+years. Sue and her family moved to Columbus in 1979 after being discharged from the United States Marine Corps. Her parents and two younger sisters had moved to Duncan a few years before. Family is one of Sue’s first loves, so coming to Nebraska was only natural. It has been home for the past 44 years.

     

    Sue and her husband, Jeff, have seven adult children, fourteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and a 3-yr old German Shepherd named Doc. Their children and grandchildren can be found in Washington, Minnesota, Kansas, and Pennsylvania. They are blessed to have families living close to home, also. Jeff and Sue enjoy road trips, especially on their Honda Trike. It was originally a two-wheeler, but as age crept up on them, it was converted to a three-wheeler. Nebraska early mornings are beautiful.

  • elisha maxwell

    custodian

    Elisha Maxwell, our Custodian is originally from Sunset, Arkansas where he grew up with 11 siblings. Elisha, a resident of Columbus for the past 25 years, is married to Christina. They have two children together, a handsome son and a beautiful daughter.

     

    Elisha enjoys fishing a lot!  He also likes other sports, especially basketball and spending time with his family.

  • martha davidson

    parish nurse

    jdavidson6@neb.rr.com

    Martha Davidson is our volunteer parish nurse.  She has a heart and passion for helping people physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and even financially.  She helps to organize and to implement the caring ministries of our congregation with the Healthy Congregation & Care Team.  

  • REV. Seulki Choi

    slhoho87@gmail.com

    Rev. Seulki Choi, an independent contractor serving as the intercultural family ministry coordinator on the clergy / congregational excellence team at the Great Plains conference.

    As a support specialist in rural children's ministry at the Great Plains Conference, she helped rural children’s ministers in Kansas and Nebraska.

    She earned a bachelor's degree in social work from Seoul Women's University in 2011 and interned at the institution of child abuse prevention in South Korea for a year. She also holds a master's degree in divinity from Drew Theological School, which she earned in May 2022.

    Rev. Seulki has a great passion for children and family ministry and has been a leader in programs both in South Korea and UMCs. She currently resides in Columbus, NE, with her husband Rev. Keunsik, who is the lead pastor of Columbus First UMC, their ten-year-old daughter (Vivian), and their seven-year-old cat (Hart).