Amanda Dean is a pastor, wife, mother, and lover of God and people. Amanda describes her vocational calling as helping people live more fully into who God created them to be. She has a heart for serving God by serving others. Amanda is passionate about preaching, engaging in holy (and sometimes hard!) conversations, and connecting with people where they are and as they are.

Amanda earned her Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School and was ordained in 2012. Since then, her ministry journey has included a range of responsibilities—from campus ministry and nonprofit leadership to senior and associate pastoral roles in multi-generational congregations. She is a collaborative leader who values teamwork in fulfilling God’s mission in the world.

Family:

Amanda grew up in The United Methodist Church in her hometown of Kingsport, TN. Her parents, sister, and their spouses still reside in Northeast Tennessee. She currently lives in Chattanooga with her husband, Justin Steinmann. Justin works for the City of Chattanooga as the Director of Administration for Waste Water Services. His career in City Government has led him to hold positions in the cities of Chattanooga, Auburn, Alabama, Kingsport, Tennessee, and Holly Springs, North Carolina. Justin's siblings and their families live in Chattanooga. Justin and Amanda have three nieces, three nephews, and four godchildren.

Amanda and Justin married in May of 2014 and welcomed their son, Owen, into the world on November 29, 2016. At the age of 3 months, Owen was diagnosed with an extremely rare and aggressive brain tumor. Owen's diagnosis led them to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where Owen received world-class treatment. Sadly, after 3 and a half months of treatment, Owen passed away at home in the arms of his parents. Amanda and Justin are passionate about honoring their son's brief and beautiful life and raising awareness about pediatric cancer research. They love talking about Owen and have found strength in sharing his story with the world. Their faith in Jesus and the promise of eternal life, along with the love and support offered by their family and the church, have given them peace in the midst of the storms of life.

In February of 2023, God began redeeming Amanda & Justin’s story by expanding their family through adoption. Their sons, Ray (9) and Ryder (8) have lived with them since November 2023 and have brought such joy and blessing to their lives. Ray sings in the Chattanooga Boys Choir and Ryder loves to play soccer. As a family they love to travel, explore National Parks, play board games, engage in epic Nerf Gun battles, and spend time outdoors. They are eagerly awaiting the finalization of their adoption in the Spring of 2025.

Brian gets excited seeing people joining God in his great work. Brian’s walk with Christ took a radical step when as a high school student, he decided to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. In 1985 while on a Walk to Emmaus he heard the call of God to “Feed my flock.” Four months later he started his first job working in the United Methodist Church and continues today.  

Brian grew up in Cleveland, TN where his parents still live. He is a self-proclaimed nerd who has a Chemical Engineering degree from Georgia Tech. After a survey of pastors asking which seminary does the best job teaching the Bible, Brian listened to their unanimous opinion and went to Asbury Seminary. The nerd in him was not satisfied with a master’s degree so he went back and completed a doctorate there as well. Brian’s mid-life crisis meant that he needed more than a 3,000-gallon koi pond. You can now find his six-foot saltwater aquarium in his office where he can often be found.

DeAnne and Brian had their first date in 1986 and were married in 1987. They have three adult children; and one perfect grandson.  DeAnne teaches at Hixson Elementary School. In their off time you can find these two enjoying God’s amazing world. Whether they are staying in tents or fancy resorts, DeAnne and Brian love to travel. In 2022 they completed DeAnne’s bucket list of going to all 50 states. No matter where they go, they rejoice that they can “exalt the name of God together.” 

Contact Pastor Brian at:

423-443-9917

drbrianburch@burks.org

Rev. Leslie Daniels, Associate Pastor, came to Burks UMC in July, 2022, having served Churches both in the North Georgia and the Holston Conferences. Her original call to ministry was working in cross-cultural ministries, and later in life, to ordained ministry in the UMC. She attended Texas Woman’s University for a BS in Nursing, then Fuller Seminary for a MA in Cross-cultural studies, and finally Asbury Seminary for her MDiv.

Leslie’s passions in ministry: include missions/outreach, (recently prepared and led a team of 11 Youth, and 13 Adults to Costa Rica for Mission), preaching, and helping others grow in their faith/discipleship.

Leslie is married to Bob, and they are very proud of their 3 daughters: Shanna (married with 2 children), Annabelle (living in Houston), and Kaylee who is 17, is home-schooled and attends Hilger Higher Learning in Chattanooga.

Leslie’s hobbies include watching her daughters dance, gardening, and riding bikes with Kaylee.

Contact Pastor Leslie:

rev.leslie.daniels@burks.org

423.842.4219

When you come through the door you will be warmly greeted and assisted by Brenda!

Brenda Hobbs, Office Manager, is a multitalented individual who is very familiar to the Burks Family. Brenda is a member of both the Chancel Choir and the Burks Band, and was formerly the Hostess at Burks. She was the owner/operator of Brenda’s Elegant Catering for about 20 years, and having retired from that business has moved into the Burks office with her welcoming smile and helpful manner. Brenda is on the Board of the Scenic City Chapter of the Sweet Adelines, and you can see her perform with them around the area. Married to Philip Hobbs, he and Brenda share 4 adult children between them, and are also grandparents. They have an adorable little dog, Nugget, who keeps them company.

Come visit Brenda in the front office at Burks!

Contact Brenda:

church@burks.org

423.842.4219

Birth name: Brena L GiOtis (No middle name, just the letter!) 

Brena was born and raised deep in the heart of Texas. If you hear her talking about “home,” she is talking about Texas! She moved to Tennessee in 2010 with Marriott Corporation, which provided her with a job and the place she met her husband, Jamie Toscani. They have 2 boys, Lexas and Jericho, and live in Soddy Daisy. Prior to Burks, she worked for First Horizon Bank for 6 1/2 years and was in and out of banking and finance since 2006. There is a lot more she would love to tell you about herself so feel free to stop by her office to have a chat. She would love to get to know you. 

Contact Brena:

business.manager@burks.org

423.760.4507

If you have children ages 5 and under, you probably already know this incredible Lady. She is the Director of the Child Development Center (CDC) at Burks. She has been the Director since 2011 and before that was a Pre-K teacher for almost six years. Laura has an Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education from Chattanooga State. She also has her Child Development Certificate from the Council for Professional Recognition Association, TN Early Program Administrator Credential from Tennessee State, and is certified from the Reggio Inspired Classrooms at UTK as well the National Association of the Education of Young Children. Laura has lived in Middle Valley her whole life and married her childhood sweetheart, Robert, at Burks! She and Robert have two sons, Robert and Nickolas, as well as several cat fur babies.

Contact Laura:

cdc@burks.org

423.842.1177

Roy was born in Puerto Rico and raised in the United States and Argentina. His passion for playing the piano increased immensely during his teenage years, and he has always enjoyed making new arrangments of hymns. Roy holds a Masters in piano Performance from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a double majorin Psychology and Music Education from Universidad Adventista del Plata, Argentina. He is also working on finishing his Masters in Clinical Mental Health COunseling from Liberty University.

Roy currently works as an Adjunt Professor of Piano at Convenant College, Accomplist for the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Chorus, and amungs all of that, our own beloved Pianist here a Burks United Methodist Church. Roy has also performed for 3ABN and It Is Written TV Ministries. Roy has recorded a total of 4 sacred music albums. His most recent album, "My Maker and My King" (2023), was recorded with his wife Claudia, who is a soprano. Above all, his desire is to love and glorify God through music and to be of help and service to others.

Bradley is a Chattanooga native and is a sophomore Piano Performance and Pedagogy Major, studying under Dr. Lynn Worcester Jones at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His passion and love for piano has only grown in the past 7 years that he has been playing, and he can't imagine doing anything else! He hopes to one day perform with orchestras in recording movie anf film scores, as a way to combine some of his favorite things into a career. He has loved the experience of playing and performing with the Burks praise band and all the energy that comes with it. Aside from piano, Bradley is also a member of several vocal ensembles on the UTC campus: Chamber Singers, which is the advanced collegiate choir, and Singing Mocs, a collegiate jazz/contemporary a capella group. When he isn't involved in music, Bradley loves to spend time watching movies, reading, playing cards, and staying in the bed too long in the mornings.

David loves to play music of all kinds, but especially rock. Bass guitar is where you will find him most days, but his little secret is that he likes the guitar more.

Originally from New Jersey, but I has been in the area for about 13 years now. David has two children, Nadia (9) and Theo (4), and a beautiful wife Jennifer. He works full-time at the Volkswagen manufacturing plant and has been there for almost 12 years now. His interests and hobbies include music, mountain biking, and motorcycling. Really, anything on two wheels. He also runs a small business on the side, which is mostly lawn service and washing houses, but he is working to grow that business into a bigger, better service to include land clearing and earth moving.