Our Team

 

Rev. Morie Adams-Griffin


PASTOR

Pastor Morie is the pastor of both St. Paul’s and Covenant United Methodist Churches in Helena.

Born and raised in Great Falls, MT, Morie graduated from Great Falls High School, and enrolled in Montana State University in civil engineering.  However, Morie responded to his call into ministry and switched majors.  He then transferred to the University of Montana where he graduated with his Bachelors degree in Sociology (with a Philosophy minor).  While in college he began dating and then married his long time friend, Erin.  After they both graduated, they moved to Berkeley, CA, where Morie attended the Pacific School of Religion and earned his Masters of Divinity degree.

Morie was ordained a Deacon in the Yellowstone Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2002 and then an Elder in 2004.  Morie served in the following places in Montana before arriving in Helena in July, 2025:

  • First UMC (Great Falls)—1.5 years

  • Westside UMC (Great Falls) and Sun River UMC—2.5 years

  • Living Waters UMC (new church plant in Belgrade)—9 years

  • Whitefish UMC (Whitefish)—10 years

Morie enjoys golfing, paddleboarding, hiking, connecting with friends, dancing, cards, board games, and spending time with his family.

 

Jennifer Ruggles


CHILDREN’S MINISTRY COORDINATOR

Jennifer is the part-time Children’s Ministry Coordinator.  She is responsible for children ages birth to 11 years old at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.  Jennifer oversees the Godly Play program during the 10 o’clock church service and Vacation Bible School in the summer.  

Jennifer is a daughter, sister, wife, dog parent, airline employee, aunt, musician, and sailor.  She sings with her parents’ band.  Both of her sisters have twins!  She’s the proud aunt of two sets of twins and two dogs.  Her friends, cousins, and husband’s family are huge Minnesota Vikings fans.  She is obsessed with all things purple.  Skol Vikings!  She loves to spend her summers with her parents and her dog, Coco, sailing and paddle boarding at Canyon Ferry Reservoir and on Puget Sound in Washington.

 

Keeley Kingsbury

OUTREACH & EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Contact Keeley.

Keeley takes the lead on creativity at St. Paul’s. She creates our service bulletins, produces the E-blasts, manages our social media platforms, and fashions flyers. Keeley is always generating ideas to try out at staff meetings and has a heart for ministry. She's looking forward to learning about St. Paul's and using that to guide her in crafting outreach and education opportunities for all.

A graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University with a degree in environmental science and art, Keeley is her own unique intersection of science and art. Growing up in Florida, Keeley had her eyes set on the rocky mountains from a young age, and moved to Helena in 2011. Keeley is mother to two amazing young kids and her ideal day is spent following them on adventures in the mountains.

 

Shawn Mitic

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY & SOUND

Shawn Mitic is the Director of Technology and Sound for the St. Paul’s Methodist A/V Team. Shawn organizes and handles everything involving the A/V Team and enjoys everything music & sound.

Shawn is from Clearwater, Florida and was a part of the Seminole Singers, competing in The Heritage Festival. He played in the Seminole Orchestra, who played at Carnegie Hall and operated the sound board for the high school and local plays.

On Shawn’s off-time he enjoys hanging out with his two dogs, bird and cat as well as a plethora of other animals. He enjoys anything involving sunshine or being outdoors along with a passion for mechanics, electronics, fishing/hunting as well as trying to get back into playing piano and cello.

 

KATIE SMITH

OFFICE & FACILITIES COORDINATOR

Contact Katie.

Katie takes care of everything related to the facilities, including coordinating projects and maintenance, booking events, scheduling room usage, and planning church functions. As the Facilities Coordinator, she oversees all activities inside the building, making sure that health and safety standards are met and arranging for repairs with external vendors when needed. 

Katie first came to Montana to work seasonally in a campground in Helena. Once she moved here, she continued her 30 year career in social services, from which she has since retired. She has four grown children and seven grandchildren; three of her grandchildren live in Florida. Katie is an avid gardener, inside and out, and a “pet mom” of four dogs and three cats. In addition to gardening, Katie enjoys spending time with family, antiquing, and reading. Her interests widely range from history to architecture, decorating, design, nature and, of course, human nature.

 

Liz Adler


CHOIR DIRECTOR

Liz is the Choir Director for the Chancel Choir at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. She is responsible for choosing the music that is sung by both the choir and the congregation. Alongside St. Paul’s talented Fay Buness (Pianist/Organist), and musically gifted members, Liz helps to lead the choir in lifting the spirits and opening the hearts of all who come to listen and worship.

When not "living and breathing" music and theatre, she enjoys being with her family, bonfires, star-gazing, grilling, and meeting new people. She loves sharing her passion for music - she truly believes that music has the power to change lives. 

"Music gives a soul to the Universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." - Plato

 

Sharon


MAINTENENCE TECHNICIAN

As St. Paul’s Maintenance Technician, Sharon does all kinds of jobs, big and small, that keep St. Paul’s running smoothly and looking lovely.

Sharon lived in Cape Cod, Massachusetts until 2003 when she moved to, and fell in love with, Montana.  Sharon grew up learning many different trades from carpentry to plumbing and graduated from high school with an apprenticeship in electrical.  Sharon enjoys being outdoors, working with anything to do with yards.  On her downtime, Sharon enjoys taking her best sidekick, her dog Jury, for rides and walks to the lake.