Leadership
& Staff
Our church is led by a pastoral team of four plus our music & arts minister, parish associates and administrative staff.
Officers
& Governance
The Kirk’s Governance structure assigns governance and ministry decisions to appropriate bodies and staff.
Ministry Teams
& Committees
A Ministry Team is a group of individuals with a shared call to particular forms of service to the mission of the church.
our pastoral team
Learn About Our Pastoral Team
Lynn has most recently been the Interim Pastor at Saint Andrews Presbyterian, Raleigh and previously at Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian, Chapel Hill. She has served several other congregations and has been an active member of New Hope Presbytery. Lynn attended and received a Doctorate of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Reverend Lynn Stall’s extensive experience equips her well to lead the Kirk through the next phase of our transition to identify a permanent head of staff. We are excited and thankful to welcome Lynn to the Kirk.
Stephanie is Associate Pastor for Christian Education and Mission. She has been at the Kirk since 2003 and was ordained in 2005. While she moved many times in her younger years (Oxford, England; New Mexico; Illinois; Texas; New Jersey; and Louisiana). She claims Louisiana as home, though she has now lived in North Carolina for longer than anyone else.
She received her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Religion from Wake Forest University and her Master of Divinity from Princeton Seminary. During her time at the Kirk, Stephanie has gotten married to James “Jim” Machado Workman, another Presbyterian minister. Together, they have a very active and adorable son, Clinton, and a rescue dog named Sandy.
Melinda Merkley King is our Associate Pastor for Congregational Life and Discipleship.
She is originally from Delaware and still returns to the First State to visit friends and family. She is a 1991 graduate of James Madison University and a 1995 graduate of Union Presbyterian Seminary.
Since her ordination, Melinda has served churches throughout central North Carolina as solo pastor, director of youth ministry, stated supply associate, and supply preacher. Melinda is married to Brian King, and they have two sons, Oliver and Isaac. Melinda’s favorite things include good books, good food, good times with family and friends, and Jazzercise.
Her mission statement is “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”
Jordan is the Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults. She received her Master of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary in 2014 and has a passion for building relationships within the Church and the world.
Jordan received her undergraduate degree in both Music Performance and Music Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a native of the Triangle, having grown up in Raleigh, and now lives in Durham. Jordan is married to Marc, a professional guitarist in the area, and finds great joy in cooking, being outside, and playing with their cats.
After being away from his home state over twenty-years, Dr. Larry Abernathy was called to serve as the Director of Music Ministries and Arts at the Kirk in January 2010. Prior to being called to the Kirk, he served Reid Memorial Presbyterian in Augusta, Ga. He has served congregations in Columbia, SC, and Petersburg, VA. He has one son, Lawrence.
Larry’s education includes a DMIN degree from Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA, a Master of Music degree from Southern Seminary, Louisville, KY, where he was awarded the performance award in organ performance, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Wingate University. He has had post-graduate studies in Organ Performance and Choral Directing at the University of South Carolina and Peabody Conservatory.
His choirs have recorded for the Georgia Public Broadcasting Network and been invited to sing at Westabou Arts Festival and at the yearly Lessons and Carols service with the Augusta Collegium. The Kirk choir has been invited to lead in worship at Montreat Summer Worship. In addition to presenting in the public school system in SC, and serving as clinician at handbell festivals, he has served as a presenter for LOGOS Systems Associates for several years.
Dr. Moon Choi joined the Kirk staff in 2016. A native of South Korea, he is a pianist, organist, and collaborative musician. He earned a master’s degree at New England Conservatory of Music under Professor Victor Rosenbaum. At the Conservatory, he received multiple scholarships and won the conservatory’s honors piano competition. Granted a full scholarship, he earned another master’s degree in Collaborative Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at Michigan State University. Since coming to the USA, he also studied Organ under Dr. Tom Handel, Dr. David Lynch, and Mr. Christopher Jacobson at Duke Chapel.
As a solo recitalist and guest artist, Dr. Choi has enjoyed an active performing career throughout the United States, South Korea, Russia, and Italy. He performed at Jordan Hall in Boston and was invited to perform in the Carnegie Weill Hall in New York City.
Dr. Choi was a pianist for the Korea National Opera and performed more than 50 concerts with their artists. He worked as staff pianist for the New England Conservatory in Boston and he was invited to be an instructor for young musicians at the Iksan Art Center in South Korea.
Previously, he served as pianist for the First Presbyterian Church in Holt, Michigan, and as Music Director and Organist for the University Baptist Church in Lansing, Michigan. Now, he serves as Associate Director of Music and Organist at the Kirk.
Parish Associates & Parish Nurse
Learn About Our Parish Associates & Parish Nurse
Rev. Willem Bodisco Massink, was born in the Netherlands and served his country as an MP in the Dutch Army. He graduated from the State College for Agriculture with a B.Sc. degree in Tropical Agriculture and received his M.Div. from the Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York in 1974.
Willem became pastor of the United Protestant Church of Curacao, the Netherlands Antilles, returned to the USA in 1977 and for the next 30 years served churches in up-state New York and Pennsylvania. He was honorably retired in 2007 from Susquehanna Valley Presbytery. Willem is married to Janet and they have 4 children and 11 grandchildren.
Alice is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and came to North Carolina with her husband John in 2012. While raising her family of four children, she attended seminary at Union (VA), Pittsburgh and San Francisco, earning MDiv and MA (Christian Education) degrees.
She has served the church in Pennsylvania and West Virginia as a pastor, church educator and presbytery staff. She has a background in theater and dance, and now she and John keep busy traveling and doting on their 11 grandchildren.
Troy is a native of Virginia and his wife Lynda is a native of West Virginia. They married in 1973 and have two children and two grandchildren. They have been visiting the Kirk three or four times a year, since their daughter and son-in-law, Stephanie and Neil Horman, joined the Kirk almost 2 decades ago. “We have always felt welcome here.”
Troy received a BA in Philosophy from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1975 and D. Min. from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia in 1979. After graduation Troy was ordained and installed as the Pastor of the three small Presbyterian Churches in southeastern North Carolina; Black River Presbyterian in Ivanhoe, Caswell Presbyterian in Atkinson, and Currie Presbyterian in Currie. He served those churches until May of 1983.
He values the education he received at VCU and UTS but even more what he learned from the people of Black River, Caswell, and Currie who in accepting him as their minister gently taught him what it means to be a pastor.
Since that first pastorate he has served as the Pastor of Northminster Presbyterian Church in Hickory, NC (1983-1989), Rutherfordton Presbyterian Church in Rutherfordton, NC (1989-1999) and St. Giles Presbyterian Church in Orange Park, FL (May 1999-October 2016).
Ron McMenamin, with his wife, JoAnn, retired to North Carolina in 2004 after serving Presbyterian churches in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Missouri for forty years. They met at Ganado Mission, a mission compound on the Navajo Reservation in NE Arizona. JoAnn was working as a Medical Missionary and Ron a short term Christian Educator.
They have three children living in Chapel Hill, Morrisville and Groisse Isle, (Michigan) Ron is a graduate of Dubuque Theological Seminary and the D.Min program of Princeton Theological Seminary. He has additional certification in Church Business Administration.
He has served as Interim Pastor at the Outer Banks Presbyterian Church in Kill Devil Hills, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Cary, White Memorial Church in Johnson County and Trinity Ave. Presbyterian Church in Durham. He has been volunteering as a Parish Associate at the Kirk since 2005.
A parish nurse is a registered nurse who works with a faith community to address holistic health (mind-body-spirit) and provides education, advocacy, resources and caregiving.
Caryn may be contacted at:
nurse@kirkofkildaire.org
Administrative Staff
Learn About Administrative Staff
Ellen is a native of North Carolina. She is a 1986 graduate of the business school at UNC-CH and has specialized in non-profit accounting. She and her husband have two mostly grown daughters. Ellen spends her free time reading, exploring local parks, and taking Spanish classes.
Cyndi joined the staff in August 2015 and is the first person you see when you walk into the church office. She lives in Apex with her High school sweetheart (Chris Wilson), 3 children (Madison, Bryce & McKenna), and 2 dogs. Cyndi loves spending time outside gardening, cooking and watching her kids play softball and baseball.
Joel is our part-time office assistant. On his office days, he is the second person you see when you walk into the church office. Joel is a long-time member of the church and is also great at answering questions and providing encouragement.
Governance & Church Officers
The Governance structure assigns governance and ministry decisions to appropriate bodies and staff, while seeking to be flexible in addressing the changing needs of our congregation.
Our model consists of five primary components:
- The Session
- Committees of the Session
- The Deacons
- Ministry Teams (in some cases incorporating Sub-Teams)
- Staff
The Session is ordinarily composed of the Teaching Elders and thirteen (13) Ruling Elders, including one Youth Elder. Its focus is the larger issues of our church: discerning the mission and direction of the church, establishing goals in cooperation with the Ministry Teams, and participating in denominational issues.
The two standing Committees of the Session are the Personnel and Finance Committees. These two aspects of the church’s life are so interwoven with the policies and actions of the Session that they demand direct Session representation.
In 2020 the Session approved the ordination and installation of individually commissioned Deacons at the Kirk. The Kirk Deacons provide pastoral and congregational care for an initial term of two years and may continue beyond with yearly re-commitments.
A Ministry Team is a group of individuals with a shared call to particular forms of service to the mission of the church. Ministry Teams are empowered by the Session to work independently, within policy guidelines, to achieve the goals of the church. Responsibility for the day-to-day business of the church rests with Ministry Teams.
The Staff are guided by individual job descriptions and, as a general principle, serve as mentoring, coaching resources for one or more broad areas of ministry.
The governing year runs from April to March of each year, with the installation of incoming Ruling Elders occurring in March, and their terms of service beginning in April and ending in March.
The fiscal or stewardship year runs from January to December of each year.
John Aman
Nora O.
Tina Steed
Bob Steinfeld
Bill Stokes
Kelly Trimyer
Chris Daniels
Lynne Hicks
Lindsay Ray
Jackson Riley
Patty Snow
Susan Auman
Shirley Church
Emyr Edwards
Brent Mastalli
Anna Shartzer
Ann Branch
Carol Bennett
Barry Harmon
Barney Hale
Hannah Lugiano
Jerry Rankin
Melanie Rankin
Karen Slack
Helen Stanfield
Kathy White
Ministry Teams & Committees
Mission Ministry Team
Ministry Team Leader: Jan Marallo
Ministry Team Members:
Virginia Anthony
Willem Bodisco Massink
Melody Cleland
Barney Hale
Linda Hale
Phillip Hammer
Kelli Jackson
Richard Jackson
Betsey McFarland
Tony Segreti
Wendy Segreti
Session Liaison: Patty Snow
Finance Liaison: Cheryl Porter
Staff Assignment: Stephanie Arnold Workman
Ministry Team Leader: Jan Marallo
Sub-Team Leader: Virginia Anthony & Hal Jordan
Ministry Sub-Team Members:
Barney Hale
Carol Hamilton
Patty Snow
Session Liaison: Joan Humphreys
Finance Liaison: Cheryl Porter
Staff Assignment: Stephanie Arnold Workman
Ministry Team Leader: Jan Marallo
Ministry Sub-Team Members:
Kristin Anderson
Jan Marallo
Estella Morales
Edla Prevette
Gethsemane Soto
Beverly Wait
Marietjie Wessels
Session Liaison: Patty Snow
Finance Liaison: Cheryl Porter
Staff Assignment: Stephanie Arnold Workman
Justice and Equality Ministry Team
Ministry Team Leader: Virginia Anthony
Members: See other tab
Session Liaison: Kelly Trimyer
Staff Assignment: Melinda Merkley King & Stephanie Arnold Workman
Charter/Responsibility
● Develop a church culture that is antiracist, reflective of our community’s diversity, and radically inclusive
- Provide opportunities for church and community members to learn about race and racism and become change agents against racial inequity
Primary Activities
● Provide and promote educational resources for all ages
● Receive and respond to new ideas, resources, suggestions, and concerns from church members
● Create and attend events and forums to discuss racism, diversity, and inclusion and to express solidarity with people all too often denied justice and just treatment
● Work for the eradication of racism from our church, our denomination, our community, and the world
● Identify and ensure implementation of diversity, equity, inclusion training for leaders and volunteers to prepare them to create brave spaces and facilitate courageous conversations
● Conduct a regular survey to seek feedback from church members and other stakeholders (e.g., preschool families) to ensure that the Kirk is a welcoming environment that values every person
● Distribute updates about Kirk commitments and actions to bring marginalized people into the circle
● Partner with other community and faith groups working to resolve racial equity issues
Mike and Virginia Anthony
Chris and Susan Mazarra
Craig and Sylvia Nygard
Bill Sadler and Suzy Monroe
Melinda Merkely King
Jonathan Sherrod
Patty and Katherine Snow
Beth Williams
Betsey McFarland
Helen Stanfield
Amy and Tanyi Tanjong
Byron and Ginger Espino
Caitlin Coats
Carson RFisser
Jan Marallo
Kelly Trimyer
Lynnie Sullivan
Meredith Yuckman
Patricia Neri
Phil Hammer
Victor and Rhoda Chang
Worship Ministry Teams
Ministry Team Leader: Pattie Stephenson
Sub-Team Leader: Barry Harmon
Ministry Team or Sub-Team Members:
Debbie Railton
Carol Wells
Session Liaison: Emyr Edwards
Finance Liaison: n/a
Staff Assignment: Larry Abernathy & Lynn Stall
Sub-Team Leader: n/a
Sub-Team Members:
Pews: Betsey McFarland
Acolytes: Nelda Johnson
Ushers: Rick Washofsky
Flowers: Rena Hatcher
Sound System: Bob Setzer
Sub-Team Leader:
Barry Harmon
Sub-Team Members:
Carol Wells
Sub-Team Leader: Emyr Edwards
Sub-Team Members:
(rotating)
Sub-Team Leader: Pattie Stephenson
Sub-Team Members:
Virginia Anthony
Stephanie Bynum
Pauline Houlden
Liz Pogue
Jan Stone
Sub-Team Leader: Larry Abernathy
Sub-Team Members:
Various choirs as detailed in the Music & Arts brochure
At-Large Members:
Judi Alvis
Camille Cox
Education Ministry Teams
Ministry Team Leader: Stephanie Bentley
Ministry Team Members:
Megan Clark
Patricia Denz
Kat Noland
Lee Anne Ryan
Stacy Taylor
Session Liaison: Jackson Riley
Finance Liaison: n/a
Staff Assignment: Stephanie Arnold Workman
Ministry Team Leader: Kate Frohman & Betsey McFarland
Ministry Team Members – Youth
Barry Harmon
Elizabeth Overcash
Lindsay Ray
Sara Ridings
Faye Ubinger
Ministry Team Members – Young Adults
Patricia Denz
Lindsey Ray
Katie Stephenson
Hayden Stewart
Nicole Stewart
Session Liaison: John Aman & Norah O.
Finance Liaison: n/a
Staff Assignment: Jordan Davis
Ministry Team Leader: Rusty Parks
Ministry Team Members:
John Dreese
Patricia Dreese
Lori Houck
Dot Rascoe
Session Liaison:
Susan Auman
Finance Liaison: n/a
Staff Assignment: Stephanie Arnold Workman
Other Ministry Teams
Ministry Team Leader: OPEN
Ministry Team Members:
Ann Branch
Carol Bennett
Marilyn Caldwell
Megan Clark
Connie Crook
Edie Graham
Carol Hatley
Diane Johnston
Hannah Lugiano
Emily Nail
Pattie Stephenson
Funeral Reception Sub-Team:
Carol Hatley
Frances Milks
Carole Rhodes
Pattie Stephenson
Greeting Card Sub-Team:
Susan Auman
Eloise Kulp
Karen Palmer
Meldie Stewart
Melissa Windley
Session Liaison: Lindsay Ray
Finance Liaison: Judi Nagy
Staff Assignment: Melinda Merkley King
Ministry Team Leader: Steve LaTour
Ministry Team Members:
Tom Bennett
Joel Huenemann
Joe Lugiano
Sharron Scroggin
Bob Starbuck
Lynnie Sullivan
Don Swenson
Rich Woynicz
Session Liaison: Bill Stokes
Finance Liaison: n/a
Staff Assignment: Greg Chartier
Ministry Team Leader: Amy Huenemann
Ministry Team Members:
Rena Hatcher
Linda Menton
Judy Raughley
Marcia & Boyd Schroeder
Lorie Stouthamer
Session Liaison: Bob Steinfeld
Finance Liaison: Judi Nagy
Staff Assignment: Melinda Merkley King
Ministry Team Leader: Virginia Anthony & Stephanie Bynum
Ministry Team Members:
Hope Brown
Carol Christenbury
Melody Cleland
Janice Coats
Allison Connors
Lynn Heckerman
Diane Luparello
Hannah Lugiano
Betsey McFarland
Carol Parks
Debbie Railton
Kat Russell
Penny Shields
Lorie Stouthamer
Carol Wells
Session Liaison: Tina Steed
Finance Liaison: Judi Nagy
Staff Assignment: Melinda Merkley King
Ministry Team Leader: Rena Hatcher
Ministry Team Members:
Maggie Foege
Steve Pogue
Doug Shartzer
Session Liaison: Shirley Church
Finance Liaison: Judi Nagy
Staff Assignment: Melinda Merkley King
Ministry Team Leader: Craig Nygard
Ministry Team Members: Kate Frohman
Session Liaison: Anna Shartzer
Finance Liaison: n/a
Staff Assignment: Lynn Stall
Committees
Committee Chair: Brent Mastalli
Committee Members:
Warren Alvis
Doug Brown
Judi Nagy
Kevin Overcash
Cheryl Porter
Don Stephenson
Chris Taylor
Jeff Tucker
Session Liaison: Brent Mastalli
Finance Liaison: n/a
Staff Assignment: Ellen Chambers
Committee Chairs: Greg Barnes & Ruth Menechella
Committee Members:
Dave Buning
Stephanie Bynum
Emyr Edwards
John Fisler
Liz Railton
Mandy Ritter
Session Liaison: Lynne Hicks
Finance Liaison: Judi Nagy
Staff Assignment: Lynn Stall