Melinda Shunk has been named as the new Arkansas Conference Children’s Ministry Coordinator beginning August 1, 2018. The Rev. Jim Polk, Conference Director of Connectional Ministries, in speaking of her said, “Children are and have always been a vital part of the church, and having a strong ministry to support the spiritual growth of our youngest disciples is an imperative. We are fortunate to have Melinda in this position, and I am confident that she is the one to guide our conference children’s ministry into the future.”
In her position, Melinda will be responsible for promoting and strengthening the Children’s Ministries of the Arkansas Annual Conference by leading the Conference Children’s Council and District Children’s Coordinators to resource local church children’s ministries and leaders.
Melinda, her husband Neal and their four active teens moved to Hot Springs in 2016 for Neal’s work from Seattle, WA. The family soon became active members at First United Methodist, Hot Springs. Melinda is a 1995 graduate of University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Elementary Education and Speech Communication. Melinda worked in the public schools in Colorado and Iowa until 2003. In 2004, she felt the call to ministry at Faith Lutheran Church as the Early Childhood Ministry Coordinator and then as Children’s Minister until 2014. She is currently working part-time as the Coordinator for Children’s Music and the Arts at Hot Springs First United Methodist Church.
When asked what she thought about her new position, Melinda said, “I am so excited to be part of the Children’s Ministry Conference team and look forward to supporting all the wonderful people who make Children’s Ministry happen in the state of Arkansas. God has big plans for the Arkansas Conference as we work to help the youngest disciples to know, love, and serve God in our communities.”