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Ed Priestaf - Pastor

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God called Ed and Amy into the ministry in 2001 while they were attending Marietta First    United Methodist Church in Georgia.  Ed served as a student pastor for Rush Chapel, a small country church in Rome, GA while he earned his seminary degree from Candler at Emory.  He came to North Carolina with Amy and their 3 children in 2006, where he served as an associate at Benson Memorial UMC in North Raleigh, until he was appointed to Ebenezer UMC in 2010.  Their kids are Noah, Grace, and Evan. Amy works full time as a Physician Assistant in labor & delivery triage at Wake Med in Raleigh.

 In these ministry experiences, much of Ed’s focus has been on teaching and on missions.  Ed has participated in or led trips to the Blackfeet tribe of Montana, a small rural church and school in Jamaica, an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, and local excursions to Lumberton, the Food Bank’s community garden, North Raleigh ministries, Stop Hunger Now, and Raleigh’s Clubs in the City.   At Benson Memorial he helped launch an off-campus young adult ministry called “Another Level”, and has been a big supporter and participant in Ebenezer’s Upward basketball and  cheerleading program. 

The pastor and his wife Amy met in 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia.  Amy was working as a Physician Assistant in women’s health, and Ed was a computer systems analyst with a large software company.  Amy was born in Columbus, Ohio, and was raised in Chapel Hill, where her parents still reside today.  Ed was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan until his first career took him to    Atlanta.  He’s worked some interesting jobs: his first paid job was as a parrot in a department store promotion, and he later spent his summers helping his dad in a family landscaping business.  After graduating from Kalamazoo College (thus avoiding altogether the complicated sports rivalries of the ACC) with a degree in physics, he bounced around as a counselor at a   children’s home, a college teacher’s assistant, and a wilderness ranger for the Forest Service in Colorado. He’s found that these life experiences have been used to help him relate to people of many different backgrounds.  

Ed has a passion for making disciples of Jesus who make disciples, for building cross-cultural bridges of understanding, and for helping churches build thriving new relationships with increasingly diverse neighborhoods.

Ed is excited for the transition.  He says, “I’ve begun to hear the stories and reputation of McMannen as a church that has long been a leader in missions of many shapes and sizes.  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us to share together!  McMannen seems to be a    congregation that cares deeply for one another and for its neighbors, a congregation that worships in spirit and in truth and is striving to live out the calling Jesus has placed on their hearts.  These stories have reinforced my awareness that God is bringing us together for      kingdom purposes and God’s glory!”    

Abby Reichard - Director of Programs & Ministries

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Abby Reichard joined our McMannen team on June 15, 2011.  She recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana with her Masters in Divinity.  Abby has spent a year successfully as the Youth Minister of Irvington UMC in Indianapolis.

Abby spent her undergrad at Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio graduating in 2007 with degrees in Christian Education and Art Education.  While in Ohio she worked a year as a Music Minister and Youth Leader and then spent 4 years as the Director of Christian Education at St. John UCC where she served in many capacities similar to those she will be at McMannen.

In recent years Abby has spent time doing Ministry and Mission in   India, Jamaica, Cambodia and Seattle, Washington.  Abby grew up near Buffalo, New York and enjoys hiking in North Carolina after the flatlands of the Midwest.  Abby enjoys vegetarian cooking, singing/songwriting, playing guitar, yoga and being creative.  She welcomes your insights into Ministry and cultivating growth for God’s Church.

Anggie Thompson - Office Administrator

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Anggie Thompson is McMannen's Office Administrator. She is a member of Lebanon United Methodist in Mebane, sits on the Board of Directors of Orange Congregations in Mission (OCIM), volunteers with Relay for Life Hillsborough/Orange, is the leader of the Hummingbirds 4-H Club, is President of the Orange County 4-H Volunteer Leader Association and active with the Cedar Grove Volunteer Fire Department Women’s Auxiliary. In her spare time, Anggie enjoys spending time with her husband Gary, two sons CJ & Cameron and two dogs, Murphy and Lucy.

John Benton - Minister of Music

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John Benton is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his undergraduate degree in piano performance in 2008 and recently completed his Master’s of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in Music Education in the spring of 2011. In addition to working at McMannen, he is the orchestra and choral teacher at McDougal Middle School in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. John looks forward to building upon the rich ministry that this church has sustained for so many years while developing a music ministry that incorporates our youth and young people into worship.

Flo came to McMannen in May 1978 and has an Associate Degree in media technology from Durham Tech. She is married to Robert N. Reaves and they have two children.  Flo is a gifted organist and pianist and her life-loving laughter is often heard throughout our campus.