Founding Committee Members

Welcome to Mountain Spirit MCC Church, where we strive to create a warm and welcoming environment for all who walk through our doors.

Christine (she/her) majored in music at Erskine College in Due West, SC, and also studied music at Lander University in Greenwood, SC, where she majored in English and graduated with a certificate to teach secondary education. Singing is part of the fabric of her being, and her passionate portrayal of lyrics evidences her specialty in English. Christine finds joy in nearly every kind of service, but none is greater than the joy she feels in revealing the Holy through singing, and encouraging others to participate. 

 Joan (she/her) was an aerospace engineer before entering the ministry. She retired from active MCC ministry after pastoring in Boston MA and Hendersonville NC. Joan helped organize clergy in support of marriage equality in Massachusetts, and also did doctoral study on the effects of religious trauma on queer folks and queer congregational dynamics. She is a first soprano with Womansong of Asheville and is Co-Chair of PFLAG Hendersonville NC. 

Paul (he/him) graduated from Cumberland College in December 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. Paul then worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a Radionuclide Chemist for 12 years before going to Mercer University in Atlanta Georgia for his PharmD. and graduating in 2007.  He has experience working as a Retail Pharmacist / Pharmacy Manager in Virginia and North Carolina.  Paul opened Asheville Mountain Pharmacy in December 2018.  Paul first MCC experience was in Richmond, Virginia, then when Husband and he moved to Asheville, North Carolina in September 2011, Paul got involved with Sacred Journey MCC in Hendersonville, NC and served as Organist/Pianist and then served 3 years on the Board.  Paul enjoys hiking, taking in all the beautiful scenery the area has to offer and practicing piano and organ. 

Erik (he/him) has his Masters in Zoology doing behavioral research in primates.   He has however had a long career in retail IT from small regional grocers to international retail companies.   He sings second tenor with Asheville Gay Men's Chorus and does all things IT for Mountain Spirit.