Our Ministers
Pastor – Rev. Brooke A. Scott (she/her) is originally from the Philadelphia area. She is a Black, cisgender, queer-identified Presbyterian and is beginning her first ordained call as both the part-time pastor of Church on Main and as the Presbytery’s organizing pastor in Wilmington stationed at Hanover Presbyterian Church. In the Spring of 2020, she completed a dual degree program, receiving both her MDiv (Master of Divinity) and MSW (Master of Social Work) from Duke Divinity School and the University of North Carolina, respectively. Her social work experiences include case management, mental health/suicide prevention, and homeless intervention. Brooke is passionate about helping people heal religious trauma. She also believes in using faith to liberate and empower historically marginalized communities, as well as transform unjust systems. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, writing, listening to music and podcasts, collecting vinyl records, practicing yoga, and traveling.
Temporary Part-Time Pastor – Rev. Dr. Anne Ledbetter (she/her/hers) was born and raised in Louisiana. She lived in Texas 20 years where she studied religion and philosophy, graduated from seminary, and gave birth to three children. The family moved to Delaware in 1994 when Anne accepted a call to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington where she worked until 2013. She is now an empty nester in Spring Arbor in Middletown and serves as Chaplain at Heron Point, a retirement community in Chestertown, Maryland. Anne leads Community Yoga at Church on Saturdays and spends her spare time reading, biking and traveling.
Ecumenical Minister in Residence – Rev. Dr. Peter J. Paris (he/him/his) is an ordained Baptist minister who holds dual citizenship with Canada and the United States. He is a retired professor of Christian Social Ethics at Princeton Theological Seminary. He has lectured and preached widely in Canada, the United States, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Brazil and India. He has published several books including “Black Religious Leaders: Unity in Diversity” and “The Spirituality of African Peoples: The Search for a Common Moral Discourse,” and he currently serves as Editor of the “Religion, Race, and Ethnicity” series at New York University Press. Peter and his wife Adrienne Daniels live Middletown, DE, and he serves as the Ecumenical Minister in Residence at Church on Main, providing wisdom and guidance for our community.
Administrative Assistant- Sam C.
Our Church would like to welcome and introduce a new administrative assistant. She will be working closely with Pastor Brooke Scott in order to keep the church organized and on track with scheduling and other things as events take place. You might see her and her son around some times doing things for the church. Sam’s first job is a teacher she works with students who are Deaf and hard of hearing in a school district in Delaware. She is a passionate and hard working individual who is excited to be part of the church!
Board Members
We are governed by a Board elected by Members of Church on Main. Each Board member serves a 3 year term, with 2 consecutive terms possible. As of summer 2021, our Board members consist of:
– Teryl Price (Term 1, 0/3 yrs completed)
– Heather Wray (Term 1, 1.5/3 yrs completed)
– C Adrienne Daniels – PCUSA Elder (Term 2, 2/3 yrs completed)
– Rev. Dr. Peter J. Paris (Term 2, 2/3 yrs completed)
Our Board is led by:
– Rev. Brooke Scott, Pastor
– Rev. Dr. Anne Ledbetter – Temporary Part-Time Pastor
Our Board works closely with:
– Rev. Dr. Tracy Keenan – New Castle Presbytery Missional Presbyter
– Ken Jones – Treasurer
Our Guest Preachers
Church on Main uses a rotating preaching schedule, so you’ll almost never hear from the same preacher 2 weeks in a row. In addition to our Ministers, here are some of the people whose preaching we’ve been blessed by!
Salina Brett (she/her/hers) is a transgender woman who came out openly to the world at New Castle Presbyterian Church in 2017. Prior to that, she served several churches and denominations across the county in just about every capacity, as well as ministering in song and message to the elderly and ill in nursing homes. She is now powerfully called to be an inspirational voice of Divine Love at a national level to all, but especially for the LGBTQ+ community. She was Secretary of LGBT Equality Alliance in Chester County, PA, and currently serves as a deacon for New Castle Presbyterian Church. Salina professionally teaches young adults how to safely operate the nuclear reactors at Salem, NJ and lives with Rosie, her reclusive hedgehog, in New Castle, DE.
Rev. Dr. Tracy Keenan is the Missional Presbyter of New Castle Presbytery. After having pastored four churches in both Pittsburgh, PA and Columbus, OH, she came to New Castle Presbytery because she was inspired by our emphasis on helping churches live courageously into their calling. She is the primary staff person for the Ignite Committee and presbytery mission partnerships. Tracy graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and McCormick Theological Seminary (D.Min. in Preaching). She has served on presbytery Committee on Ministry, interfaith ministries, conflict resolution resourcing, and with homeless/marginalized communities. Tracy and her husband, the Rev. Jim Mehler, have two grown daughters. She plays the piano, writes music, rides a Harley, and looks for the joy.
A native of Grasonville, MD, Demetrio Beach (he/him/his) spent over twelve years in faithful ministry with the United Methodist Church. He studied at Wesley Theological Seminary in DC and has a passionate love for Christ, the church and the world.
Rev. Ryan Scott (he/him/his) has lived in Middletown with his wife, daughter, and two cats since 2012. Delaware is the 10th state he’s lived in, but one of the few to really feel like home. Ryan has a history degree from Eastern Nazarene College and a Master of Divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary. He has worked as a pastor and in various non-profits and was ordained by the Church of the Nazarene in 2010. Ryan is author of The Sinai Experiment and is the national columnist for D3hoops.com. He loves watching sports, overanalyzing movies, and attempting to stand on the highest point in every state. Ryan and his family live in Middletown Village where they strive to be good neighbors and build community. He’s passionate about helping people think through what it means to live out Christ’s love in the world. He writes regularly at onemorething.blogspot.com.
SueAnn Shiah is a Taiwanese American musician, filmmaker, community organizer, and emerging theologian specializing in identity formation, racial justice, gender, and sexuality. Her first feature length documentary HuanDao follows her journey of discovery, identity, and belonging in a two week bike trip around Taiwan. She released her debut solo album of reclaimed hymns, “A Liturgy for the Perseverance of the Saints” in June 2018. In addition to her own creative and theological works, she collaborates with other artists and musicians in a variety of capacities as an artist manager, producer, audio engineer, songwriter, and creator of liturgy. She has a B.B.A. in Music Business with a Production emphasis and a Chinese minor from Belmont University and is currently attending National Taiwan University pursuing a Masters of Arts in Musicology.