Meet Our Pastors

Our Lead Pastor Reverend K. Wayne Butler

Reverend Wayne Butler grew up in the Finger Lakes area and has been the pastor of Penn United Methodist Church since 1995. He is married to Molly Butler, a Home and Careers teacher with the Mid Lakes School District and they have two grown daughters, Jessica and Mary Beth.

Wayne is a graduate of Hartwick College with a B. A. in Biology and did graduate work in biology at SUNY Geneseo. in 1982, he graduated from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York. He was ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church in June of 1984 and completed his Clinical Pastoral Education at the Loretto Geriatric Center 1985. Wayne has served churches in the North Central New York Conference since 1978 (Martville, Countryside and Victory, Cuyler and Fabius, and Dryden) prior to his appointment to the Penn Yan church.

In addition to his pastoral duties at the church, he has served as the Chairperson of the Finger Lakes District Committee on Ordained Ministry (dCOM) and as Secretary of the North Central New York Conference Board of Trustees. In the local community, he volunteers at the Yates Cultural and Recreational Council Fitness Center and the Keuka Comfort Care Home, a hospice facility in Penn Yan. Wayne is a member of the Yates County Chamber of Commerce.

Wayne has a keen interest in contemporary worship styles, mission experiences, and guiding candidates for ministry. His primary spiritual gifts are in the area of Administration and Leadership.

Our Associate Pastor of Discipleship Education

Reverend Adrienne Russell

Joining our church family in July 2007, Adrienne Russell brings enthusiasm, new and innovative ideas, and playfulness to the congregation.

Adrienne, the mother of two grown children, and her husband, Gordon, live between Dundee and Tyrone and she has been a member of the Tyrone United Methodist Church for many years. She completed the Local Pastor’s Licensing School in the spring of 2007 and received her Local Pastor’s License at the Annual Conference in June 2007.

Adrienne has an Associate’s Degree in Chemistry and recently completed work on a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services through Empire State College. She is certified by the state in conflict resolution and mediation and works with the family court system in that capacity.

In the church, Adrienne has held a variety of leadership positions including Staff Parish Relations, UMW, and Lay Member to Annual Conference. She has also been a Sunday School teacher, Children’s Church coordinator, and played in the Bell Choir.