Pastor Kenn and Melody Barton are excited about coming to serve Lewistown-Trinity UMC. Kenn and Melody were high school sweethearts on Long Island, New York. Kenn is the son of a Methodist pastor, one of four boys raised on the east coast. After completing his BA in Elementary Education at Ohio Wesleyan University in 1980, Kenn pursued a professional acting career in NYC.
When the waitering became a burden and was uncertain, Kenn began working as an accounting clerk on Wall Street for the commodity traders at Chase Manhattan Bank. He received the call to ministry in 1995 and enrolled at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH in the fall of 1996. Kenn completed both a Masters of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Religious Communications Degrees in June 2001. As an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church since 2004, Kenn has served the West Ohio conference in three appointments over the last fifteen years.
He and Melody have raised three children. Their oldest son, Wil, is finishing his undergraduate degree at Ohio State University and lives in New Albany, Ohio. Their oldest daughter, Margaret, is married and lives in Trenton, Ohio. She has a six-year-old daughter, Alexis, with a second grandchild for "Poppie and Gee" due in December. Their youngest daughter, Heather, is also married and lives in Liberty, Indiana. Kenn and Melody begin the "empty nest" stage of life with their move to Lewistown and look forward to meeting and working with everyone in the church and community. Pastor Kenn will be leading worship beginning July 3rd.
