First United Methodist Bella Vista Staff

Pastor Allen moved here from El Dorado First UMC in El Dorado, Arkansas. He has been married to Consuelo, affectionately known as Conny, for the past 17 years. Although they don’t have any human children, they do have a 14-year old miniature poodle fur baby named Henry.

Pastor Allen’s educational background includes attending Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa; Arkansas Tech University, Russellville, Arkansas; & Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky. He also completed the Emotionally Healthy Leadership course in 2024 at Perkins School of Theology - Spiritual Director training & Adaptive Leadership.

One of his biggest passions is cooking. He loves to experiment with new things and recipes. He enjoys fishing, both fly fishing and regular. He would love to start playing golf again. He likes being outdoors: hiking, biking, and camping.

He is most excited to get to know the people of FUMC Bella Vista and explore together how they can become a welcoming presence in the community. One thing he loves to do is become involved not just in his local congregation but also in the greater community through civic organizations. He looks forward to learning more about the hopes and dreams of the congregation for the future as

Amy and her family relocated back to Northwest Arkansas in October 2015 after spending 3 years in South Carolina. They are happy to be back in Bentonville and FUMCBV. Amy and her husband, James, have had great opportunities to move around the country starting in Colorado. They met while attending Adams State University where Amy earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. Montana, Vermont, Arkansas, and South Carolina have all been home over the years and Amy has worked in as many different areas as places they’ve lived, taking time off when son Alec was born. Then she spent time volunteering in the elementary schools with Alec and daughter, Jenna. When the Gilmores lived here before, Amy worked in the Finance Office, so is familiar with a lot of the comings and goings on and people at FUMCBV.

Andrea Fobes is a long-time Bella Vista resident by way of Northern Virginia. Before that, she grew up in Texas. She has been our secretary for 3 years now.  In addition to tackling that role, she also took over the Director of Communications duties two months after she started. She has plenty of experience in a church office having served at another church for almost 10 years in various capacities. Andrea has been taking care of her mother, Laura, for more than a decade who lives with her here in Bella Vista. She loves the Lord and working at FUMCBV!