Clergy
Rick McPeak, Senior Pastor
Rick McPeak is the Senior Pastor of St. Paul’s Free Methodist Church and an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Greenville College. He has resided in Greenville since 1978 interrupted only by a four-year pastoral appointment in Seattle, Washington and an excursion into the Alaskan family business in 1980. He has been a faculty member at Greenville College since 1994.
Dr. McPeak took his degree in Historical Theology from St. Louis University in 2001. He holds an undergraduate degree in Biblical Theology from Aldersgate College. He maintains a passionate interest in Art, Psychology, Ecclesiology and Community Studies. He has studied Community Psychology formally at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and informally wherever he goes. Recently he and his wife Sara (a nurse administrator) have traveled to Rwanda making contacts with government and church officials to explore how their interest in community might take on a global orientation.
Rick and Sara have three grown children and five grandchildren, all under three and all living in Greenville. Number six is on the way!
Brian Hartley, Preaching Pastor and Celebrant
Brian T. Hartley serves as one of the preaching pastors at St. Paul’s and helps give oversight to services of worship. The Rev. Dr. Hartley also chairs the Department of Philosophy and Religion and is Dean of the Chapel at nearby Greenville College. The recipient of the Princeton preaching fellowship in London, England, as well as previous pastor of Free Methodist churches in Toronto, Canada, and Stillwater, Oklahoma, he also has received several awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a published author in the field of liturgical history, and was most recently Scholar-in-Residence at the Institute for Ecumenical Research at St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN.
Ruth Huston, Preaching Pastor and Celebrant
Ruth, an ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church, assists the congregation by occasionally preaching and celebrating the eucharist. Ruth’s vocation includes participating in life together with her son, Peter, and her husband, Richard, professor of history at Greenville College. She also serves as adjunct faculty in the Philosophy and Religion Department at Greenville College. The Hustons delight in international cooking, sharing food at table with friends and traveling in Latin America.
Matt Bernico, Sexton
Matt serves as the sexton at St. Paul’s. His primary duties are to maintain care of the property, 
facilitate the services of daily prayer, and offer hospitality to church members and visitors. Matt’s desire to be sexton stemmed from the desire to experience the liturgy of everyday life in the church. Matt is a senior Philosophy major and hopes to apply his skills during his service as sexton. Upon completion of his degree, Matt hopes to seek out higher education in the form of a Masters degree. When Matt is not secluded in his cell at St. Paul’s, you might catch a glimpse of him riding around the town of Greenville on his bicycle or working at the Greenville College ITdepartment on the square.
Joe Noble, Pastor of Music
Joe is the coordinator for the music ministry of St. Paul’s, including the music for the Sunday morning worship service. He also sings a Call to Worship at Morning Prayer and leads the congregation in the Gloria Patri. Joe came to Greenville College in the Fall of 2002 as an adjunct professor in the Music Department. Presently, Joe both conducts the Greenville College/Community Chamber Orchestra and the Greenville College Chorale, and teaches private voice lessons.
Ben Wayman, Pastor of Church Administration and Development
Ben works alongside the clergy and lay leadership to oversee and develop a faithful ministry in step with St. Paul’s sacramental philosophy. He is also a PhD candidate at Saint Louis University, where he is studying the theological interpretation of Scripture in Early Christianity. Ben is married to Michelle and has three sons. Together, they enjoy walks and worship, slides and swings, friends and food. An ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church, Ben holds degrees from Greenville College and Duke Divinity School.
