Rev. Dr. Mary Brown, Senior Pastor – mbrown@centralumc.org

Mary Wood Brown was born and raised in St. Petersburg, FL in a home full of laughter and competitive spirit.  She was also born and raised by First UMC St. Pete, where she first felt a call to ministry.  Mary responded to that call by telling God she would do anything that didn’t involve public speaking – and every Sunday she smiles when God proves her wrong, again.  

Mary studied English at Emory University in Atlanta, GA and earned a Master of Divinity from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO (with an unofficial minor in snowboarding).  All that schooling meant a lot of summers where she could work at Wilderness Trail, helping youth experience Christ through week-long backpacking trips.  Mary loved working for Wilderness Trail so much that she went on to work there full-time for 7 years and (best of all) married one of her fellow staff.

Mary has been serving as a pastor in the United Methodist Church since 2010 – in Charlotte, Andrews, Sylva, and (now) Asheville, NC.  She has a Doctor of Ministry from Duke Divinity School.  She loves preaching, studying, listening to people’s stories, and watching for where God shows up.  Mary and her husband, Alan, have two children, Eleanor (13) and Reid (10).  

Rev. Luke Lingle, Executive Pastor – llingle@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316

Rev. Ann Henderson Owens, Children and Family Minister – aowens@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316 ext 1308

Ann has been the Children and Family Minister since June of 2018. She serves children from birth, up to 6th grade (confirmation), and their families. She grew up in North Carolina and was the youth intern at Central United Methodist Church from May 2013 – August 2014.

Ann’s goal in working with children is to equip them with the tools they need to problem solve questions of life and faith as they get older. As abolitionist leader and author Frederick Douglass once said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken [adults].”

Rev. Caroline Camp, Director of Youth Ministries – ccamp@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316

Born and raised in many places across North Carolina, Caroline is excited to make the trek back up the mountain to Asheville. She grew up singing, dancing, and acting in the church choir and her high school theater. She loves all things eclectic and silly. She followed family tradition and joined the marching band which gave her amazing travel opportunities in college. Caroline graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was proud to be a Tar Heel at Duke.

In her time at Duke Divinity School, Caroline made many friends and studied hard. She was challenged and celebrated on leadership for the Methodist House of Studies and as co-President of Duke Divinity Pride.

As a lifelong United Methodist, Caroline has served on committees, volunteered on construction and rebuilding projects, and led young adult discipleship. At Central, Caroline is thrilled to return to her deepest love: youth ministry. It was through leading youth group and being a Friend-in-Faith to a young confirmand that she received her call from God to serve the church. Caroline is looking forward to exploring faith and fun with the youth group and with the whole congregation.

Rev. Patrick Neitzey, Minister of Connection & Discipleship – pneitzey@centralumc.org; 828-253-1306

Rev. Lisa Rettew, Minister of Congregational Care – lrettew@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316 ext 1305

Lisa is an Asheville native, with deep family roots in Buncombe County. She came to United Methodism by way of Baptist and Presbyterian traditions, choosing Central UMC along with husband Richard when their first child was on the way. Son Erik is now 29 and lives in Asheville; daughter Marianne is 26 living in Durham, and son Cole, 21, is a senior at NC State. 

A trained professional school counselor, Lisa spent a number of years as a full-time mom, during which time she took Clinical Pastoral Education at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville as a way to “refresh her counseling skills.”  That she did, and also heard God calling her to ordained ministry.  Her path to answering that call was a long and winding one. 

Thankfully, it was full of supportive colleagues, friends and family along the way.  Armed with that support, and her Masters degree in Counseling, Lisa achieved her Graduate Theological Studies from Wesley Seminary through its partnership with Pfeiffer University, logging many a mile on the road to and from south Charlotte. 

Lisa has served as Congregational Care Minister at Central since 2018, first on a part-time basis then becoming full-time in 2023.  In addition to having conversations about connecting folks to giving and receiving support when needed, Lisa is a lifelong Carolina fan and alumna, and will talk UNC basketball practically any time. 

Corey Powell, Organist & Director of Music Ministries – cpowell@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316 ext 1303

Corey Powell has served as Organist/Music Associate since 2005. In addition to Organist he now serves as our Director of Music Ministries. He provides music and direction for the weekly worship services, accompanies rehearsals, and directs the handbell choir.  Corey holds a Master of Music in Organ Performance/Literature from the Eastman School of Music.

Linda Haggard, Director of Choral Music – lhaggard@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316

Hayes Brown, Building Care – maintenance@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316

Ellyn Dubberly, Evangelism Assistant – edubberly@centralumc.org

Ellyn Benson Dubberly is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church serving as leadership development coordinator of the Evangelical Methodist Church in El Salvador. She was commissioned in June 2013.

The Evangelical Methodist Church of El Salvador (IEMES) is a young church community that has recently celebrated 26 years in ministry.  The church is made up of 11 local congregations and 2 developing faith communities.  The IEMES is strongly committed to children and youth ministries.  In recent years the IEMES has ordained four Elders and commissioned its first Bishop, Bishop Juan de Dios Pena-Gallegos.   

The history of El Salvador includes layers of social upheaval that has lasting impacts on the culture of poverty, but its resourceful, resilient people are reconstructing a country committed to human rights, health, and economic prosperity. Through its programs and projects, the Methodist Church has become an expression of social conscience.

Ellyn is a native of North Carolina, where she is a member of the First United Methodist Church of Rocky Mount in the North Carolina Annual Conference. She received a Bachelor of Social Work from Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, and a master’s degree in Christian Education from Pfeiffer University, Charlotte, in 2011. She also holds a United Methodist certification in Christian education and children’s ministry.

Ellyn currently lives in Ahuachapán, El Salvador with her husband, Brian Dubberly and their daughter Camila.

While Ellyn has been involved in missions since her childhood, Ellyn’s interest in El Salvador began with her husband, Brian, who felt called to serve the young church as a long-term volunteer.  Brian began serving in El Salvador as the Volunteer in Missions Coordinator as Ellyn remained in North Carolina completing her studies in Christian Education.  The couple began praying for God to provide a way for Ellyn to also serve in the place where she had received such a warm welcome when visiting Brian.

In El Salvador, Ellyn was drawn in by the way in which the church includes children, youth, and women in worship. There are several women pastors. Young people are actively involved in worship leadership and evangelism. “My heart melted in Communion when all the children were served first, a beautiful reminder of Jesus welcoming children in his arms and blessing them,” she says.

As leadership development coordinator, Ellyn serves the church in two distinct ways.

In the area of Christian Education, Ellyn is working to develop Sunday School Curriculum for children’s Sunday School as well as youth and young adult Sunday school ministries.  In addition to developing curriculum, Ellyn provides training events for local church leaders and support as they lead Sunday School ministries in their local churches.

In the area of English (ESL) Education, Ellyn serves as the coordinating English teacher at the Methodist School in Ahuachapán alongside two co-teachers.  Together, the three teachers serve 500 students grades pre-kindergarten through high school in equipping students with English as a second language.  With a good foundation in the English language, young people in El Salvador have opportunities for future job security, allowing them to provide a healthy living for their families.

VIDEO LINKS:

https://youtu.be/an8z8L1RatQ

Alan Gibson, Church Administrator – agibson@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316 ext 1313

Jan Griffin, Administrative Coordinator – jgriffin@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316 ext 1310

Rachel Harris, Director of Communications – rharris@centralumc.org

Rebecca Levi, Accounting – accounting@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316 ext 1312

David McClure, Building Care; 828-253-3316

Richard Provine, Director of Central Brass – rprovine@centralumc.org; 828-253-3316