Pastoral & Educational Staff
Rev. John Leggett 
Senior Pastor & Head of Staff
Reverend John Leggett, a lifelong Presbyterian, was raised in Tennessee and Texas. He has an undergraduate degree in English from Bethel College. Later, John earned a Master of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. John served as the pastor of Massanutten Presbyterian Church from 2003 – 2018. John and his wife, Alayne, have three children: Rachel, Sarah, and Aaron. In his spare time, John enjoys hiking and photography.
Read more here.
Rev. Sara Benedetti
Associate Pastor for Faith Formation
Sara attended Hope International University where she received a B.A. in Youth Ministry and Psychology. During and after college she worked at several churches with youth ministry programs, which helped lead to her attending Princeton Seminary, were she graduated with her M.Div. in 2011. Since then she has been ordained and served in Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery where she was the Program Director and Resident Pastor from 2012-2014 at Dwight Mission Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center.
Rev. David Holden
Director of Outreach & Involvement
David has previously served as a local church pastor, a member of the national staff of the United Church of Christ, and a chaplain with Hospice of the Bluegrass. He graduated in 1986 from the University of Maine at Orono with a B.A. in English. In 1990 he received an M.Div from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He is married to the Rev. Bennie Braddick, Pastor of Twin Pines Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, in Lexington. He has two children, Sarah and Lucas, and a step-dog Jack. His interests include drumming, running, reading and technology.
Jackie Graves
Parish Nurse
Jackie earned a BS in nursing from Northern Illinois University and holds a certificate in Parish Nursing from Marquette University. Her career focus has been community health. Jackie is a volunteer for Safe Kids Coalition and is a board member for Interfaith Counseling Center.
Jen Brown 
Director of Children’s Ministry
Jen is a graduate of Transylvania University with a BA in Business Management and Marketing. She has a lifelong history of volunteering, teaching and leading in youth, children’s, and nursery programs and ministries. She has served as WOW Storyteller for 3 years here at Second Presbyterian before stepping into this role. She has three children: Ashton, Christopher, and Ryan who keep her on her toes.
Childcare & Ecumenical Preschool
Kate Owings 
Director of Ecumenical Preschool and Church Nursery
Kate is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She graduated from Kendall College of Art and Design with a degree in Interior Design and a concentration of Early Childhood Art Education. She worked as an assistant to an elementary art teacher in Michigan and later moved to Chicago where she worked professionally as an interior designer. It was there that she met her husband Nate, who worked in the same field as an architectural designer. They have two sons, Milo and Nolan, who attend Cassidy Elementary. Kate and her husband are both artists and enjoy making artwork together in their spare time.
Music Staff
Gary Anderson
Director of Music and Adult Choir
With undergraduate studies from Millikin University and graduate degrees from the University of Illinois, Gary has served as director of music in numerous churches both in Illinois and here in Lexington. In addition he is Professor Emeritus at Transylvania University, Gary is Conductor and Music Director of the Lexington Chamber Chorale, a professional chorus.
Martha Anderson
Organist
Martha is a music instructor at The Lexington School. She is a member of the Lexington Chamber Choral and previously served as organist at First Presbyterian Church. Martha is a graduate of Millikin University. She is married to Choir Director Gary Anderson.
Donna Phillips
Handbell Choir Director
Donna is the Coordinator of Music programs for Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill Kentucky and Director of Music for The Pleasant Hill Singers. A native Kentuckian, Donna is also a graduate of the University of Kentucky with degrees in Music Education and Music Performance.
Jessica Bailey
Children’s Choir Director
Jessica is the director of our children’s choir, Kids for the Kingdom. She is currently a student at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Vocal Performance and Choral Music Education with a minor in Theatre. She has a breadth of Choral and Music Education experience, starting a children’s choir at her home parish in Madison, Georgia and directing a number of Musical Theatre summer programs. Jessica works hard to provide a fun and safe environment for the kids to explore their spirituality through music.
Administrative Staff
Scarlet Hall
Director of Finance and Operations
Scarlet is a Kentucky native who graduated from University of Kentucky with a BA in accounting. She and her husband, Jim, live in Lawrenceburg with their youngest daughter Sidney. They have two older children, Lauren, who resides in Lawrenceburg with her husband Andrew Hays and a son, Austin, who lives in Lexington with his wife Emily. Scarlet and her family are involved members of the First Baptist Church of Lawrenceburg where she and her husband serve as Sunday school teachers for the High School youth.
Shawn Phelps
Secretary
Shawn is married to David Phelps and has two sons, Justin and Kevin, and one daughter, Taylor. Shawn and her family returned to Lexington, her home town, in 1998. She is a member of Southland Christian Church. In her spare time, she likes to travel and spend time with her husband and children.
Rita Wells
Part-Time Secretary
Rite lives in Winchester with her husband and has spent her career as a receptionist, secretary, and legal assistant roles. She brings two decades of knowledge on communication, data organization, and people skills. In her spare time, Rita enjoys watercolor painting and spending time with her grandson.
To contact our staff, please use the form below.
