Rev. Phil Woodson

Lead Pastor

Pastor Phil began his appointment at Stilwell UMC in July, 2023. Originally from Virginia, Phil was an elementary school teacher for 9 years before answering God's call to pastoral ministry in 2016. Pastor Phil is passionate about ecumenical ministry and fostering meaningful relationships between the church and the local community. Phil and his wife, Ellen, have been married for fifteen years and they have three wonderful boys, Cooper (11), Peter (8), Jack (5).

Molly Shalz

Office Manager

Molly joined us in July 2025 with a varied background in church administration, marketing, event planning, and volunteer coordination. She attended MWSU in St. Joseph, MO. She is a strong advocate for animal welfare and domestic violence. She is also an avid runner and would eventually like to train for a full marathon! Coffee is life! Molly has two teenage sons and a preteen daughter so she has her hands full when she's not at work. She is excited to help the church support the community in new ways by using all her God-given skills.

Marissa Foran

Director of Family & Community Ministries

Although she was born in Ohio, Marissa has lived most of her life in Florida before moving to Kansas! Marissa graduated with degrees in Youth Ministry & Communications with a minor in Psychology from Florida Southern University and can't wait to do more work with youth and children's ministries here in Stilwell! She loves to play sports (and snow sports) and go on adventures, especially in cold weather!

EB Barnhart

Band Leader

EB has been serving as bandleader at Stilwell since October 2022. Originally from small-town Iowa, EB left the Midwest to study music composition, audio engineering and jazz piano at the U. of Miami and Florida Int’l University. It was in South Florida where EB was led to serve churches and mission organizations in their music ministries. He participated in team building, worship planning and leading for several denominational and cross-cultural contexts in Florida, Atlanta, and South Carolina before moving to Kansas City in summer 2021.  EB is delighted to be back in the Heartland and enjoy a good tenderloin sandwich now and then.

Blair Walker

Choir Director

Blair is a graduate of William Jewell College, and is currently in the process of getting his Master of Arts in Teaching. He enjoys any form of music making, and spends his time directing musicals as well as singing in Cardinalis, a professional choir located out of Liberty, Missouri. The work that he does in the church is something that fulfills him every week, and he looks forward to making music with the church every Sunday.

Jim Lawson

Technology & Broadcast Minsitry

Jim has been working in Audio/Video at SUMC since 2011. He has a Music Education degree from the University of Nebraska. Jim has worked with many, well known performers, through the years, such as Sonny & Cher, Wayne Newton, Buddy Rich, Clark Terry, Debbie & Pat Boone. While working as an engineer in recording studios, he also performed on several tracks. Jim says it has been a pleasure working with 5 different pastors at SUMC.