Our Team

John M. Willingham
Interim Senior Pastor/Head of Staff

Born in North Carolina, the Rev. Dr. John M. Wellingham grew up in the Presbyterian Church in the United States, one of the predecessor denominations of the PC(USA). The son of a pastor and a high school English teacher, he was shaped in enduring ways by both their faith and their professions. John cherished life as a preacher’s kid and delivered his first sermon as a high school senior on Youth Sunday. After earning a degree in economics, he accepted a position with the Bell System, initially envisioning a corporate career. Eighteen months later, however, it became clear that he was vocationally misplaced. Nurtured by a Presbyterian congregation near his office, he began to sense a call to ordained ministry and enrolled at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1983, shortly after the reunion of the denomination. Even on the most challenging days of ministry, he has never second-guessed that call.

Over the course of his ministry, John served three congregations of varying sizes in three different states. In each setting, he prioritized strong preaching and worship, Christian education, pastoral care for all ages, active community engagement, and service to the wider church. He worked intentionally to create safe and respectful spaces for congregations to engage difficult and timely issues, even amid disagreement. While not always easy, he believes this work is essential to connecting God’s living Word with an ever-changing world.

For the past 38 years, John has been supported and inspired by the love and wisdom of his wife, Lori. Together, they have two adult children. Their family has grown to include their children’s spouses and four grandchildren, who bring them great joy. With both families living nearby, John and Lori delight in every opportunity to spoil their grandchildren.

After retiring in 2023 following 36 years of active ministry, John did not anticipate serving as an interim pastor. Once again, however, God had other plans. His deep respect for Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church led him to begin a conversation with the Interim Pastor Search Committee, and through that process, he sensed a strong alignment between the congregation’s needs and his gifts.

John is humbled and grateful for the clear leading of the Holy Spirit in his call to serve as Interim Senior Pastor and Head of Staff. He looks forward to walking alongside the congregation as together they prepare for and welcome their next installed pastor.

Andy Greenhow
Associate Pastor for Youth and Their Families

Andy grew up in West Chester, PA, and attended Wayne Presbyterian Church as a young person. After college in Canada, Andy moved to New Orleans, LA, as a long-term volunteer working to rebuild houses destroyed by the floods following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. While there, he met church groups – and their pastors – from all over the country, and he was moved by the commitment of these people of faith to care for their neighbors in need. It was hearing their stories over two years that led him to hear his own call to attend seminary and pursue a ministry vocation.

While at seminary, Andy attended Broad Street Ministry, a worshiping community with a spin-off hospitality program for vulnerable adults. Through various positions there, eventually serving as pastor, Andy was able to refine his call to work with individuals and within communities experiencing profound and ongoing trauma.

Andy served in administrative positions at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Even as the Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Board of Directors, Andy took every chance to accompany seminarians wrestling with deep questions of vocation and especially with students struggling with complex trauma.

Andy is the proud spouse of the Rev. Dr. Karen Rohrer, associate academic dean at Princeton Seminary. His world revolves around her, nieces Emilia and Romy, and rescue dog Polly Pocket.

Melanie Hardison
Associate Pastor for Congregational Care

A lifelong Presbyterian and seasoned pastoral caregiver, the Rev. Melanie Hardison brings deep faith, a compassionate heart, and a rich diversity of experience to her ministry. Nurtured by congregations across the South and Midwest, Melanie’s vocational path has included denominational leadership in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), chaplaincy and counseling, and congregational ministry.

Before coming to Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Melanie served as Pastor for Pastoral Care at Village Presbyterian Church in the Kansas City area, where she led a multifaceted care ministry and supervised clergy, staff, interns, and lay leaders. Her work has ranged from strategic planning to deeply personal moments of pastoral care.

Melanie holds both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Louisville Seminary. She brings over 500 clinical hours of experience as a therapist, completed a year-long residency as a healthcare chaplain with specialization in adult and pediatric trauma, and is certified in Prepare/Enrich premarital counseling and suicide awareness and prevention.

Whether leading worship, creating innovative adult education classes like “The Gospel According to Ted Lasso,” or guiding a spiritual pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain, Melanie blends intellect, imagination, and faithfulness in all she does.

Outside of ministry, she’s a joyful home cook, passionate gardener, hiker, reader, and national park enthusiast. On a whim, she once bought a four-pack of Jumbo Pink Banana Squash seedlings that produced 56 squashes weighing about 20 pounds each—sharing them with neighbors, friends, and the church food pantry. It’s a fitting story that captures her humor, humility, and generous spirit.

Rebecca Kirkpatrick
Associate Pastor for Adult Education & Mission

Rebecca grew up in Pittsburgh as a member of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church where her faith was shaped at an early age. It was here, where her parents have been active members for over 40 years, Rebecca began to understand the connection between faith and mission and where she first sensed a call to ministry. As a church youth, she traveled to Malawi and learned to value international ministry, especially mission done in partnership.

After graduation from George Washington University, and McCormick Theological Seminary, she was called to Sunnyside Presbyterian Church in South Bend, Indiana where she served as an associate pastor for ten years. In seminary, she met her husband, Joshua Yoder, also a theology student. Joshua holds a doctorate in New Testament studies from The University of Notre Dame.

Rebecca, Joshua and their son, Owen, served as mission co-workers with Presbyterian World Mission and The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt from 2013 - early 2015. While there, Rebecca instructed Masters of Divinity students in theological English, oversaw the development of online courses, offered resources for U.S. supporters and congregations, and hosted visiting groups engaging in mission partnerships.

Rebecca began her ministry with us in July 2015.

Rachel Pedersen
Associate Pastor for Children & Family Ministry

A cradle Presbyterian, Rachel was baptized in Newport News, Virginia, raised in Idaho, and has served the church in places as far as Ghana and South Africa. She was privileged to have served as a student minister at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. Before arriving here, Rachel was an associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, Indiana. She studied International Relations at Carleton College in Minnesota and completed her Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Moving from a life-long passion to walk with children in their faith journey, she completed her certification as a Christian Educator in 2012. You might just see her out walking her standard poodle, Basil. 

Rachel began her ministry with us in August 2014.