Pastoral & Educational Staff
Rev. John Leggett 
Senior Pastor & Head of Staff
Pastor John P. Leggett began his ministry with the people of Second Presbyterian in January of 2019. Prior to moving to Lexington, he most recently served as the pastor for fifteen years of Massanutten Presbyterian Church in Penn Laird, VA. He is married to Alayne, and together they have two daughters (Rachel and Sarah) and a son (Aaron). An English major with a degree from Bethel College, he also completed the Master of Divinity at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, as well as Master of Theology in Preaching and Worship from Princeton Theological Seminary. John enjoys hiking, photography, and writing, and maintains a blog at www.johnpleggett.com.
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. 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-Murphy 
Director of Children’s Ministry
Jen has been Director of Children’s Ministry at Second since August of 2016. Prior to that she served here as the WOW Storyteller for 3 years. She has a lifelong history of volunteering, teaching and leading in youth, children’s, and nursery programs and ministries. She is married to Gary Murphy and their blended family includes six children: Ashton, Christopher, Ryan, Brayden, Teagan, and Ellie – as well as Cleo the cat and Teddy the dog. Jen is a graduate of Transylvania University with a BA in Business Management and Marketing. She loves reading, the beach, and traveling to new places.
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
Dr. 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.
Sarah Murner
Children’s Choir Director
Sarah Murner is a junior at the University of Kentucky studying Choral Music Education. Born and raised in Versailles, she is looking forward to working in Lexington with Second Presbyterian’s Children’s Choir. Her other interests include baking, traveling, and music theory. She hopes to pursue a Master’s in Choral Conducting after completing her Bachelor’s. Sarah is most excited to help teach the children of Second Presbyterian about God through music. “O come let us sing to the Lord.”
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.
To contact our staff, please use the form below.
