Meet Our Pastors & Staff
Pastor Alyssa Beadle
Lead co-pastor
Pastor Alyssa grew up in a Nazarene Church in Princeton, Indiana. She attended Trevecca Nazarene University where she received her bachelor’s degree in social work. She spent two and a half years as a missionary in Anapolis, Brasil to help plant a Nazarene church. While on the missionfield, God would call her to pastoral ministry, and then to marriage. In March of 2020 she moved back home to Princeton, Indiana and married Tyler just 6 months later. She finished seminary classes and her and Tyler began living out their call to pastoral ministry. In November of 2025, they began pastoring here at Fort Smith First Church. She loves leading people into a greater intimacy with God and teaching people how to make His Presence primary in their life.
Pastor Tyler Beadle
Lead co-pastor
Pastor Tyler is a second-generation preacher from Mount Pleasant, Texas, who joined the Church of the Nazarene in 2017. Tyler is a graduate of Nazarene Bible College and Awakening School of Ministry. He’s called to “lead God’s people with joy and love” and he’s passionate about coming alongside people who hunger for God’s presence and believe in city-wide transformation. He has a background in theatre and music performance, loves serving people with disabilities, and has a heart for marginalized outcasts and underdogs. Tyler takes the mission of God seriously, but not himself. He loves coffee, Bob Dylan, and the Indiana Pacers. He is the world’s foremost Pokémon expert, and he drinks kombucha like a good Nazarene should.
Vasti Durand
Worship Pastor
“Meet Vasti Durand, our worship pastor. Vasti is a graduate from MidAmerica Nazarene University, where she got her degree in Worship arts. She is married to Peyton Durand and has a dog named Titus. She holds a district license and is working diligently towards her ordination. When not enjoying coffee with her friends or taking her dog on walks, Vasti dedicated herself to guiding young people on their spiritual journey, encouraging them to embrace love, faith, and hope in Christ.
Peyton Durand
Youth Pastor
Meet Peyton Durand, our dedicated youth pastor with a profound passion for teen ministry. He is a graduate of MidAmerica Nazarene University and is married to Vasti, with whom he shares a dog named Titus. Peyton holds a local ministerial license and is currently working towards obtaining a district license. He enjoys the outdoors, music, and reading, and he actively participates in Sunday morning worship by playing the piano and singing. Additionally, Peyton possesses a strong commitment to outreach efforts within the community.
Shelly Hosier
Children’s Director
Shelly Hosier is a locally licensed children’s minister and working on ordination. She has served in children’s ministry since 2000 and became director in 2007. Shelly is married to her high school sweetheart, Clarence. They have two daughters and one son-in-law: Lacy - married to Josh - and Emma. Children’s ministry is a great joy for Shelly.
Evangelist in Residence
Bracken has been in ministry for 30 years, with experience in the United Methodist Church, Wesleyan, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Assemblies of God, and has found his home in the Church of the Nazarene. He and his wife Greta have a son Michael and all of them serve in various ministries of First Church.
Bracken is a transplant from Nebraska and enjoys gardening, reading, and the trips and travels that he takes with his family.
Bracken’s passion is to reach people who have no experience or bad past experiences with religion in order to help God to heal and build them up in who God created them to be, His Precious Children. Bracken loves people, and the harder to love they feel, the more he wants to show them that they are loved by their Father.