Faith Staff

Meet our New Pastors!

Justin Snider

Miriam Snider

Pastor Justin Snider grew up in Tuscola, Illinois while Miriam grew up in a small town near West Lafayette, Indiana. Miriam and Justin met while students at Greenville College in Illinois. While at Greenville, they ran Cross Country and Track & Field and did a radio show together. They married in 2002 and moved to Champaign, IL. It was then that they joined the United Methodist Church (Champaign First UMC) and started in the ordination process. The next year they moved to Durham, NC to begin divinity school at Duke Divinity School. Since then Miriam and Justin have added new members to their family. They have a son named Sam (16). Sam enjoys running cross country and playing in the marching band. They also have a daughter named Katie (12). Katie enjoys singing and running track. Miriam and Justin also have a dog named Penny.

Pastor Miriam has served in local church ministry for 19 year in a variety of contexts. She served in a rural area (a two-point charge near Marshall from 2006-2011), then in a university setting (Associate Pastor at Urbana Wesley from 2011-2018) and most recently in a suburban parish (Chatham UMC from 2018-2025).Pastor Miriam brings a vibrancy for worship, preaching, staff leadership and pastoral care. In each of her appointments, Miriam has been effective in reaching and integrating younger adults and families into the life of the church. With an undergraduate degree in Communication: Public Relations, Miriam also brings with her skills for graphics, design and cultivating an effective social media presence. One of the things she is most proud of is leading Chatham UMC through a process of simplifying their administrative structure to better equip and position the church for missional effectiveness. Pastor Miriam has a heart for intergenerational worship, the equipping of lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ as well as coming alongside others in rebuilding faith and practice during and after deconstruction. Pastor Miriam enjoys anything Enneagram and GallupStrengths. Her hobbies include sewing, creative projects, hiking, reading, and travel.

Pastor Justin is in his 19th year of full-time parish ministry. He began in July of 2006 as the pastor of Emmanuel and Zion UMCs near Marshall. From 2011 to 2018 he served as associate pastor at St. James UMC in Danville. Since 2018 he has served as an associate pastor at Springfield First. He has a heart for spiritual formation, prayer, teaching and preaching, Christianity and mental health, laughter, and the equipping of lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ who are growing in faith. Justin graduated from Greenville College in 2002 with a double major in religion and communication. He is a 2006 graduate of Duke Divinity School where he earned his Master of Divinity degree. He was ordained an elder in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference in 2010. He has completed a certificate in religious fundraising, and has served on the teaching faculty of the Licensing School for the annual conference for the past six years.