Rev. Dr. Ruth Ragovin

Senior Minister

Rev. Dr. Ruth Ragovin moved to Murray in February of 2009 to serve as senior minister at First Christian Church.  She has previously ministered in California and Tennessee.  She received her B.A. in religious studies and health studies from the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario.  Following a year of graduate studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat in Munich, Germany, she enrolled at Drew University where she received both her Masters and her Ph.D. in thological and religious studies.  In addition to pastoral ministry, she also is a trained spiritual director, and has a number of scholarly publications.  She is married to Rev. Russell Ragovin, also a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister, and has one daughter, Rachel, and two grandchildren, Eliana and Isaac. 

Mark Dycus

Minister of Music

Mark Dycus joined the staff of FCC Murray in August 1999.  He is a native of Paducah and received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Murray State University.  He earned a Masters Degree in Church Music from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and spent 15 years in full-time church music at churches in Georgia, West Virginia, and Ohio.  In the summer of 1995, Mark and his family moved to Murray where he assumed the position of director of choral activities at Calloway County High School, a position he still holds.  In addition to music, Mark enjoys fishing, weight training, and cooking.

Katelyn Crane

Administrative Assistant

Katelyn joined the staff at FCC in July 2021. She is mother of one 11 year old son, Xavier and enjoys caring for her family's homestead in her down-time.

Elena Roberts

Director of Youth Ministries

Terry Hart

Sunday School Superintendent

Allison Willis

Children's Worship Director

Allison Willis joined the staff of FCC Murray in May 2018 and will be overseeing the Worship and Wonder program on Sunday mornings.  Born and raised in Murray, she studied biological psychology at the New College of South Florida and went on to earn her Masters in clinical psychology at Murray State University. She has been trained in the Montessori-inspired Children's Worship and Wonder technique and understands the uniqueness and significance of the way children are encourage to engage their imaginations and curiosity as they make important stories from the Bible their own. Allison is married to Dwight Willis and they have an 8-year-old son, Sam. 

Jennifer Donnelly

Children's Worship Director

Jennifer Donnelly, a trained Worship and Wonder leader, has been working with the children of our church for a number of years.  She delights in seeing the children grow in their faith as they wonder about the many stories in the Bible, incorporating them as their own. She was raised in Calloway County and graduated from Murray State University with degrees in both mathematics and Spanish.  She has worked as an adjunct at Murray State teaching math and owns her own Pet Sitting service called Home Pet Care. She has three children: Rose, Luke, and Millie. 

Alyssa Daughrity

Children's Worship and Wonder Leader 

Alyssa was born and raised in Murray and has been attending First Christian Church for as long as she's been alive. Her family has attended this church for years and the tradition has continued as as has grown up in the church. Currently, she is a junior at Murray High School. When  not in school, you can find her at one of her sports practices; she is a member on both the varsity volleyball and girls’ basketball team. Alyssa's other extracurriculars include being a member of the speech and debate teams, Future Business Leaders of America, math club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Beta Club, and the National Honors Society. Outside of extracurriculars, she also enjoys hunting, babysitting, hanging out with friends, attending youth group get-togethers, working with the city parks, and  traveling. Being able to help with Wonder and Worship is exciting for Alyssa because one of her passions is working with kids, so being able help them to learn about God and navigate their faith journeys means a lot to her. Alyssa is thankful for this opportunity to help with Wonder and Worship and excited for the future of her time working with the program. 

Emily Dawson

Children's Worship and Wonder Leader 

Emily was born into this church through her grandfather, Reverend Dr. David C. Roos, and raised through it with the help of her mother, grandmother, and aunt. She was baptized in April of 2012 by her grandfather in this very church. Each week growing up, she would attend church with many family members followed by Sunday afternoon lunches. Emily graduated from Murray High School in 2021 and is currently attending Murray State University as a major in Exercise Science. She is a member of the BCM at Murray State, where she joined my FFG Bible Study Group. Emily is very excited to be a new part of the FCC Staff and can’t wait to spend more time worshiping with the children! 

Lisa Allen

Nursery Director

Lisa Allen started working in the FCC nursery in 1993. As a professional teacher, she has her Bachelor's degree from Murray State University. She has also completed her Masters in Reading and Writing. 

Aimee Bailey

Church Custodian