John is a native Kentuckian and truly loves Lexington and Southern Hills UMC. John is married to Julie and they celebrated 27 years of marriage in 2024. They have a son, Emory, who is attending the University of Kentucky. They also have a daughter, Elise, who is attending the Southern Hills Early Learning Center for preschool. John received a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Kentucky University. He continued his education at Asbury Theological Seminary receiving a Masters of Divinity degree as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree in homiletics and historical theology. John has way too many hobbies, some of which include woodworking, photography, astronomy, playing electric guitar, and amateur radio. The Hatton’s are dog people – they have a Golden Retriever named Arwen who they spoil. John also LOVES coffee. There isn’t a latte he hasn’t enjoyed!

Parker primarily serves with our spiritual formation, Alpha, and college ministries as well as preaching on select Sundays. He and his wife Emily are from Cape Girardeau, Missouri but have come to view both Lexington and Southern Hills as home. In his spare time, he enjoys a range of hobbies such as cooking, baking, reading fantasy novels. His latest fixation has been learning how to barbecue with his new smoker. Parker is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Theology and Biblical Literature. He continued his education at Asbury Theological Seminary where he received his Masters of Divinity and Masters of Theology in Biblical Studies. Parker continues to participate in academia by presenting research at regional and national conferences for Bible Scholars. He and Emily have a cat named Zelda and have just welcomed their first child to their family.

Julia was born in Lexington, KY and grew up going to Southern Hills UMC. She was very involved and would attend the Guatemala Mission trips each year beginning in 2009. She met her future husband, Dalton Moore, through those mission trips while serving together. Years later they reconnected, got married and currently have two brother cats named Bowie and Bennett and a dog named Sammy. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, horseback riding and music. She has recently started diving into the world of homesteading, and is eager to begin gardening, canning, and cooking. She is so happy to be back at Southern Hills and seeing familiar faces.

Sandra serves as the interim Chief Operating Officer at the Church. She joined Southern Hills with her parents, Al and Barbara Torstrick, over 50 years ago. She and her husband Brad were married at Southern Hills and baptized and raised their 3 sons at Southern Hills.  They have 6 grandchildren, ages 2 to 11 years old. She is former owner of Al Torstrick Insurance Agency and works part time for her son, Robbie and niece, Ali. Sandra loves playing bells in the Carillon Choir, spending time with friends, attending UK sports events, vacationing with the family and watching the grandchildren play soccer, baseball, basketball and swim. She loves Southern Hills and feels blessed to work with the staff and congregation.

My family and I have been lucky enough to call SHUMC “home” for the past 16 years. During the past 10 years, I’ve been on staff at the church, working on technology as well as numerous other things as needed. Before SHUMC, I worked as an Electrical Engineer for Lexmark for almost 17 years. Many of you know how I’ve spent the past four years – in a battle with pancreatic cancer. I have been through multiple rounds of chemo, surgery, and now a clinical trial at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville. I am thankful for the prayers and support during this battle. I am so blessed to be walking around today. I don’t take a single day for granted. When I’m not making trips to Nashville for my clinical trial, I enjoy camping, hiking, cooking, coin collecting, reading, and tinkering with tech gadgets. You will often see Robby and my wife, Jenn, at the back of the sanctuary with me on Sunday mornings, helping with the technology tasks during the service. My daughter Ruth, is in her final year of school at Western Kentucky University. I am incredibly proud of my kids; they have had to endure so much over the past few years while both Jenn and I have battled cancer. We recently moved to Northern Madison County and enjoy the beautiful sunsets and surrounding countryside. We live with our two dogs, five chickens, and all of Robby’s pets in our new home in the country.

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Born in Chiapas, Mexico, Liliana came to the United States 24 years ago. She has a 23 year old daughter, Emily, and a 19 year old son, Felipe.  She also has 2 granddaughters.  Before serving here at Southern Hills, Liliana was employed at a factory for seven years.  Prior to that, she loved working in a local nursing home, as she has a heart for serving people.
In her downtime, Liliana enjoys spending time with her mom, doing cookouts, making desserts, and exploring the natural wonders of Kentucky, like the Natural Bridge, and swimming in the lake.

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