Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene

Our Leadership Team

The staff and leadership here at The Woods is comprised of men and women who love, care and pray for every person in the church. If you have any questions for any of our staff, feel free to reach out by email or call our church office.

You can contact the church office at office@wwnaz.org

or call (785) 273-2248.

Dr. Michael DeHaan - Lead Pastor circleemail

Pastor Michael De Haan has been on staff at The Woods since September 2015. In 2016, Michael and Pastor Holmes began a 5 year leader-shift transition. Michael studied Youth and Family Ministry at MidAmerica Nazarene University. He earned his M.Div and D.Min from from Nazarene Theological Seminary. Previous to The Woods, Michael was a youth pastor in Moravia, IA and Overland Park, KS and a Chaplain Assistant in the IA Army National Guard. Michael and his wife Amber were married in 2005 and are the parents of Ryann, Ethan, Brooklynn and Alexander.
Blake Owings - Family Pastor/Students circleemail

Pastor Blake Owings has served as the Youth Pastor at The Woods since April 2021. He graduated from MidAmerica Nazarene University in 2017. Before coming to The Woods, Blake was the youth pastor in Coffeyville, KS. Blake and his wife, Maddie were married in 2017 and have 2 sons, Forest and Fox.
Jared Ritchey - Hospitality Pastor circleemail

Pastor Jared Ritchey is the Hospitality Pastor, serving our congregation by seeking to help you feel like you can call the Woods your home church, rather than just feeling like you attend. Prior to that, he served as one of the campus ministers at the Montara Initiative. He has held a Minister’s License with the Kansas City District since July of 2021, and is currently studying with Nazarene Bible College as a part of their Ministry Preparation Program. He has been married to his wife Jessie since 2014. They have three children: Aurora, Andromeda, and Ransom, whom they homeschool.
Bill Ritchey - Montara Pastor circleemail

Pastor Bill Ritchey ministers at our Montara House of Hope - along with his wife Nell. He has been a Nazarene since 1988, holds a BA in religion, and has been an ordained elder since 2001. Previously he served as Chaplain at rescue missions for many years, pastored at Holton Nazarene Church, and was a certified Alcohol & Drug counselor. He has a heart for those who seek freedom from addiction.
Wally Fisher - Project Coordinator/Groups circleemail

Wally Fisher has enjoyed the privilege of actively serving in many capacities at Wanamaker
Woods Church Of The Nazarene for more than 31 years. Upon retiring from over 40 years of
teaching in public education, he now has the opportunity to be on staff, where he serves in any
capacity to enrich the lives of others to strengthen their walk through Know-Grow-Serve-Share.
He and Peggy have been married since 1974 and recently discovered the joy of travel. Most
importantly he spends much of his time with his three cherished children, their spouses and
especially the five grandchildren.
Kim Rogers - Administration/Treasurer circleemail

Kim Rogers has been serving at The Woods since January 2022. However, she has been a member here since 2012. She graduated from Washburn University in 1994. She was the Quality Assurance Manager to a non-profit here in town before joining our team. She is the mother of 3 children and a grandmother of 2.
Dr. L.D. Holmes - Emeritus Pastor circleemail

Dr. Holmes was born in Portland Oregon. He has been married to his lovely wife Jolene since they met as teenagers in Hastings Nebraska. They have two lovely daughters, & five beautiful granddaughters. He holds four earned college degrees, (AA-BA-Th.m Th.D.) Dr. Holmes served as Senior Pastor of Wanamaker Woods from 1985-2022. He enjoys playing golf, reading, and especially spending time with his family.
Jerry Schmid - Pastor of Operations circleemail

Pastor Jerry Schmid has served at The Woods for many years in many roles. He and his wife have 2 daughters and several grandchildren.
Traci Carson - Media circleemail

Traci has served at the Woods for many years. She produces our weekly WIBW broadcast and serves alongside many areas of ministry designing and editing Media content.

Our Beliefs

Click here to access the manual of the Church of the Nazarene.

At our church, you will hear the word “gospel” repeatedly because it is the most important truth that we can know and experience. The gospel is not merely a message that needs to be shared with non-Christians, but also with Christians. It is not something that mature Christians move on from, but rather something that they move deeper into. The gospel is the lens in which we should view theology, ministry, and all aspects of life.

The Apostle Paul defined the word “gospel” concisely in 1st Corinthians 15:3-5 when he wrote, “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” Simply put, the gospel is all about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, and the implications it has for us.