Meet Our Clergy & Staff
Senior Pastor
Rev. Wren Clanton
It is Wren’s calling and passion to encourage others on their spiritual journeys as a pastor and spiritual guide. She grew up in Talladega, AL, home to NASCAR and the Alabama Institutes for the Deaf, Blind, and Multiple Handicapped.
She left home at the age of fifteen to study, explore, and grow. Travels and education led her to various foreign and domestic sites of training. After finishing a Master’s Degree at Yale Divinity School, Rev.Wren’s first appointment as a United Methodist Pastor was back home in Alabama in 2009 where she was ordained an Elder in 2012. She served as an associate and administrative pastor for a large Methodist congregation and received an appointment to Valley in 2017.
Personal interests include photography, Feng Shui, reading, the Enneagram, and dream analysis which also serve as jumping-off points for helping guide others.
She’s married to Ethan and is a proud mama to Foster and Bouldin. They are proud to call Huntsville, AL home.
Want to connect? Check out RevWren.org
Associate Pastor of Outreach and Development
Rev. John Bailey
John is one of the most engaging, passionate, and welcoming Biblical preachers and educators you will ever encounter. He developed his deep love for scripture and storytelling at the feet of his mother, a devoted Sunday school teacher at their local church, and his assurance of God’s abiding presence from his father who served as a doctor in Birmingham, AL where he grew up.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Gordon College in Boston. After a career change, he accepted a call to full-time ministry graduating with a master’s degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in Lexington, KY, and was ordained a Deacon in the North AL United Methodist Church.
For twelve years John served as a mission mobilizer in two large congregations in North Alabama. In this capacity, John has overseen the distribution of millions of dollars given to missions and has facilitated hundreds of mission trips. John is the author of Journey to a Better Way, a Wesleyan Perspective on Doing Mission Better and Mission Rehab. In addition to writing, he serves as a consultant with congregations in developing missional strategies and he leads seminars on capacity-building mission efforts.
He’s married to Laurel and they have two incredible kiddos, Olivia and Graham. John has an abiding love of nature and finds his greatest inspiration and solace in being outdoors.
Check out John’s reads: https://www.johnfobailey.org
Pastor of Liturgical Arts
Rev. Aynslee Moon-Smithee
Aynslee is an artist, mother, teacher, and licensed local pastor at Valley UMC.
For her, creating art is a means of contemplation and an avenue for reaching out and inviting others into an exploration of scripture and the liturgical life of the church. She is inspired by many things: nature, the human form, songs, dreams, stories, and her children, to name a few. No matter the subject, she uses the language of design, focusing on composition, color interaction, mark-making, and the dance of light and shadow.
She works in multiple media, including oil paints, charcoal, watercolor, and micron pen. Aynslee has a B.F.A. in painting from the University of Mississippi in Oxford and an M.F.A. in painting from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She teaches at the University of Alabama in Huntsville along with her ministry at Valley.
She’s married to Jacob Smithee and they have two of the cutest kids you’ll ever meet: Sophie and George. They have two Labradoodles (i.e. giant fur babies), Poppy and Chloe
Interested in experiencing Aynslee’s art? Check out https://www.aynsleemoonartist.com.
Associate Pastor of Youth Ministry
Rev. Annie Deaderick-Bush
Annie began at VUMC in July 2023. She has jumped into youth ministry with vigor and deep intention. She is gifted at communicating with youth parents, the ministry team, and coordinating the many facets and logistics of ministry. She has also joined the preaching and worship leadership rotation to great applaud.
Annie attended the University of Florida, where she obtained a degree in Entomology and Nematology. She then attended seminary at Emory University, where her favorite class was Old Testament. In addition to serving as Valley’s Youth Pastor, she also currently serves at a small congregation in North Huntsville called Lakewood UMC as the lead pastor.
She loves to garden both veggies and flowers. She also loves to cook and has an extensive collection of fun aprons since she’s a mess in the kitchen! You can also find her listening to bluegrass and folk music or playing the banjo.
Annie is married to Taylor, and they have two kittens, Briar and Bramble, and an 8-year-old tarantula, Clara.
Missions Minister
Nathan Barnett
Nathan is a gifted and humble leader. Always seeking ways to engage the larger community, he empowers the congregation to serve in meaningful and truly helpful ways.
He has an A.A.S. in Architectural Design and Drafting from Calhoun Community College and works with a local Architectural firm. His avocation is as a minister at Valley, and he’s a Candidate for Ministry with the North Alabama Conference.
His hobbies and interests include design, exploring others’ religions and cultures, traveling, jazz and punk music, mission work (local and international), woodworking, Liverpool FC, horticulture, church and religious history, filmmaking, and conceptual photography.
Nathan is married to Sarah. They have a son named Silas and a dog named Rocco.
Musical Arts Director
Matthew Gardner
A native of Huntsville, Matthew is a gifted educator and worship leader. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music, Concentration in Vocal Performance, from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and his Master of Music in Choral Conducting at Louisiana State University in New Orleans.
Matthew teaches full-time at Austin High School in Decatur, AL. He has a knack for bringing vocal performance to life in truly inspiring and soul-stirring ways. He is a kid at heart and loves engaging ALL ages in choral and musical arts.
He is married to his beloved Miriam and has a lab that doesn’t know he’s not a human.
Emeritus Music Director
Elizabeth Stephenson
Charismatic, fun, engaging, and inspiring are just a few of the words that congregants use to describe Elizabeth.
From singing opera at the MET in NYC to leading award-winning shows through decades of work as the Choral Director for Grissom High School at Huntsville City Schools, to serving for nearly three decades as Music Director at Valley, Elizabeth has a plethora of skills and gifts. With her radiant smile and warm welcome, she makes everyone feel as though they have found a home.
Elizabeth’s tenure at Valley continues as an honored and active member of the church and the liturgical leadership of Valley.
Volunteer Organist & Certified Spiritual Director
Dan Miller
A Hoosier by birth, Dan’s Bachelor of Science degree is in Organ Performance and Choral Music Education from Indiana State University. The oldest of five children (the youngest of whom is a set of deaf twins), he was inspired to earn an M.Ed. in Deaf Education at Western Maryland College. He served in a variety of settings beginning in the classroom with the Alabama School for the Deaf in Talladega, AL. He worked his way into postsecondary Disability Support Services, heading up the first-of-its-kind program in the southeast at Jacksonville State University.
Throughout his career in education, he’s served in an avocational role as Music Director and Organist for a variety of protestant and catholic churches for over six decades. Now in retirement, he shares his gifts and talents with Valley.
Spiritual formation work (e.g. Walk to Emmaus, The Upper Room Academy for Spiritual Formation, and Spiritual Direction Training) taught Dan to appreciate various worship forms and alternate musical styles.
In 2015, Dan was a pilgrim to the Isle of Iona, Scotland where he was greatly inspired and influenced by the spirit of Iona, known as a “thin” holy place featuring religious Celtic music. Since 2017 he has continued to volunteer in the liturgical arts to help others express thoughts, evoke feelings, and prepare body, mind, and spirit to gain a more harmonious existence with the HOLY.
Children's Ministry Coordinator
Kimberly Smilie
Kimberly is a twin and was born and raised in Alabama. She was brought up in the United Methodist Church and then practiced Catholocism for 15 years. In 2018, she and her husband Andrew moved back to Huntsville and found Valley through its summer Music & Arts Camp and returned to the United Methodist Church.
She went to university as a competitive collegiate swimmer and still loves the water! Currently, she teaches swim lessons to all ages and loves every second of it.
Kimberly is involved in Valley’s Prayer Shawl Ministry and is delighted to be coordinating the Children’s and Youth Ministry – her true calling. She’s a proud mom of three gorgeous boys, James, John David, and Thomas.
Office Administrator
Mary Krell
After several years as a stay-at-home mom, Mary was looking for ways to give back to the community. She found that opportunity in 2012, when she became Valley’s Finance Secretary, adding on Office Administrator responsibilities in 2016.
She and her husband, Tim, celebrated their 24th anniversary in 2021. They are blessed with a daughter, Rachel, who has two rambunctious “fuzzy brothers,” a yellow lab named Charlie and a Shetland sheepdog named Cody. In her spare time, Mary enjoys gardening, cooking, needlework projects, and puzzles.
Communications Secretary
Emily Bains
Born and raised in Huntsville, AL, Emily returned home after adventures in Birmingham and Virginia. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UAB and worked as a cardiac nurse before becoming a stay-at-home parent.
She has led the community in multiple volunteer capacities and brings with her a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and grace.
She enjoys reading, running, quilting, and hiking. She’s married to David, and they have two kids, Amelia and Owen, and a dear rescue dog, Presley.