Pastoral & Educational Staff
Rev. Dr. Tom Groome
Interim Pastor and Head of Staff
Reverend Dr. Tom Groome is a lifelong Presbyterian. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA in 1998 and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia in 2003. Tom began as Interim Pastor/Head of Staff at Second Presbyterian in June 2017. Before his arrival in Lexington, Tom served the First Presbyterian Church of Tupelo, MS from 2006-2017, and the Covenant Presbyterian Church, Spartanburg, SC from 1998-2006. He served a one year term as Moderator of St. Andrew Presbytery for 2013.
Rev. Groome was raised in Vicksburg, MS and graduated from LSU in 1980 with a B.S. degree in Marketing, which is also where he met his wife, Leslie. They have three grown children; Rebecca, who is married to Anthony and lives in Temple City, CA, Thomas, who is married to Lindsey and lives in Tupelo, MS and Anna who is married to Josh, and lives in Augusta, GA with their two children (Benjamin and Abigail). In his spare time Tom enjoys spending time with immediate and extended family, reading, and woodworking.
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.
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 Second Presbyterian Ecumenical Preschool, Parents Morning Out, and 2Pres Church Nursery and Childcare
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 moved to Lexington in 2011 for Nate to pursue his masters at UK and they loved Lexington so much that they decided to stay and make their life here! She has worked at Second Presbyterian Church as the nursery and childcare director since 2015 and also as the 2 year old lead teacher at Ecumenical Preschool. Previously she worked at Immanual Baptist as a teacher. She also volunteers in local elementary schools in their after school art programs. Her two sons, Milo and Nolan, each attended Ecumenical Preschool and are now students at Cassidy Elementary. Kate and her husband are both artists and enjoy making artwork together in their spare time. In addition to her director responsibilities, Kate plans to implement a new art program for Ecumenical Preschool in the 2018-2019 school year where she will serve as the art teacher for the preschool.
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.