We believe our Mission, moving forward, is to plant and to nurture
Spirit-filled relationships in God through Christ-centered Prayer,
Fellowship, Discipleship, Worship, and Service.
GROWING WITH GOD
S I N C E 1 9 0 9
GROWING WITH GOD
S I N C E 1 9 0 9
We believe our Mission, moving forward, is to plant and to nurture
Spirit-filled relationships in God through Christ-centered Prayer,
Fellowship, Discipleship, Worship, and Service.
Our Leadership Team
The staff and leadership here at Young Harris Church of Athens is comprised of men and
women who love, care and pray for every single person in the church. If
you have any questions for any of our staff, feel free to reach out and
email them or call our church office to speak with them. You can contact
the church office at yhadmin@yhmumc.com
Rev. Dr. Luis Ortiz - Senior Pastor
Pastor Luis was born and raised in Ohio. One of his most memorable employments there was being the private chef for Don King, the Boxing Promoter. He accepted Christ in 1984 shortly before moving to Georgia. In 1990, he accepted the call to ministry. Pastor Luis received his Bachelor's Degree in Sociology with a minor in Psychology from Piedmont College. Then received his Master of Divinity with a concentration in Biblical Studies at Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta. He has served as Senior Pastor in all his appointments. Pastor Luis was ordained as Full Connectional Elder in the North Georgia Conference in 2015. He received his doctorate degree from Regent university in Christian Leadership and Renewal.
Assistant Pastor Reverend Angela Baza - Hispanic Ministries Pastor
Rev. Baza is from Peru. She has lived in Athens for 22 years, enjoying family and friends. She loves being part of the Methodist church because she has an opportunity to join families and friends, sharing and learning from each other. Testifying who we are within the body of Christ.
Daniel Self -Director of Music
Daniel is a performing arts professional with the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department specializing in community theatre and music direction. In his work with ACCLS he serves as the program leader for Athens Creative Theatre where he coordinates both educational and performance programs for the citizens of Athens and the surrounding areas. Daniel is thrilled to be serving as the director of music at Young Harris where he can continue to bring his passion for collaborative music making to the members of the music department.
Alyssa Cagle - Accompanist
Pianist Alyssa Cagle is an incoming
master’s student in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of
Georgia’s Hodgson School of Music where she also holds an assistantship
in Aural Skills and Music Theory. A student
of Dr. Grace Huang, Alyssa regularly performs in recitals and
masterclasses and is a prizewinner of the 2022 Fletcher and Nell Morris
Piano Competition at Samford University and the 2021 Robert G. Edge
Piano Competition at UGA. Recent appearances include Hodgson
Hall, Ramsey Hall, and Edge Hall at UGA; the Piedmont University
Conservatory of Music; Canton Arts Center; and the Falany Performing
Arts Center at Reinhardt University. Alyssa frequently collaborates with
other instrumentalists, vocalists, and choirs, and
is in demand as a collaborate pianist in both classical and sacred
settings. Alyssa additionally teaches private lessons, maintains an
active involvement in MTNA, and has presented at the GMTA State
Conference and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy.
Alyssa’s primary teachers include Dr. Grace Huang and Marissa Woodall.
Alyssa is a summa cum laude and highest honors graduate with degrees in
Biology and Music from the University of Georgia’s Morehead Honors
College.
Karen Harpole - Church Administrator
Heather Hogan- Youth Director
Blaine Jenkins- Children's Director
Alex Barlowe - Audio/Video Director
Brittany M. Bone - Media/ Communications Director
Our Beliefs
This congregation has been, is, and believes she is being sent out to
cultivate, nurture, and harvest with God for His Glory! We are called
to share the Love of God with anyone and everyone! We believe that this
is our task: to Grow with God by making disciples of Jesus Christ, to
care for people, to be God's witness to people, and to serve God and
God's people accordingly. We believe we are being sent into the world
to do this. We believe Athens is the starting place that we do this,
but we believe God is not calling us only to Athens, but, instead to
both Athens and beyond We believe Young Harris Church of Athens to be our
home, our base, from where God is sending us out in ministry and
mission. We love this congregation, but it is not the end all, be all.
It is God's and not ours to hold.