Pastor Ash Harmon
Rev. Ash Harmon is a licensed local pastor of the United Methodist Church. He began his work in ministry in 2015 while serving in the laity at First United Methodist Church of Farmersville. After receiving a license for Pastoral Ministry, he was appointed in 2017 as Senior Pastor of Celeste First United Methodist Church and Kingston United Methodist Church in East Texas. He has previously served the North Texas Conference as a member of the Congregational Assessment, Response, and Transformation (CART) team under the Center for Leadership Development. He is a fifth-generation Methodist minister, serving the Church along with his mother, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather. His preaching style is that of a storyteller and evangelist.
Rev. Harmon is also a Texas Peace Officer with over 20 years of law enforcement experience, currently serving with the Community Independent School District Police Department. He has served as a Sergeant with the Collin County Constable’s Office, Precinct 1; Hunt County Constable’s Office, Precinct 4; the West Tawakoni Police Department; and Chief of Police with the Josephine Police Department. His assignments have included patrol, criminal investigation, civil process, court security, and police administration. He is also a state-certified Police Instructor and Mental Health Peace Officer and has provided police chaplain services to citizens and first responders in Collin and Hunt Counties.
Born in Dallas, his family later moved to a small farm in the Farmersville area in 1984. After graduating from high school, Rev. Harmon served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed in San Diego and Camp Pendleton, California. When he returned to Texas, he attended the police academy at Eastfield College (now Dallas College Eastfield Campus) in Mesquite where he would later serve as an instructor. He has studied Psychology and Peer Counseling at Texas Tech University, Police Administration at the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas at Sam Houston State University, and Local Pastor Course of Study (COSS) through SMU-Perkins School of Theology.
Rev. Harmon is the author of the book Fingerprinting Faith: 52 Faith Lessons from an American Cop, as well as other various literary contributions. He has four children: Jacob, Ashlyn, Mason, Walker, and grandson, Odin Michael (who passed away in 2020). In his spare time, he enjoys reading, traveling, hiking, mountain climbing, sports, music, community activities, and cooking.