Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church
Staff & Leaders

  • Rebecca Kirkpatrick

    Rebecca Kirkpatrick
    Associate Pastor for Adult Education and Mission

    Rebecca grew up in Pittsburgh as a member of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church where her faith was shaped at an early age. It was here, where her parents have been active members for over 40 years, Rebecca began to understand the connection between faith and mission and where she first sensed a call to ministry. As a church youth, she traveled to Malawi and learned to value international ministry, especially mission done in partnership. After graduation from college, she entered seminary. She was called to Sunnyside Presbyterian Church in South Bend, Indiana where she served as an associate pastor for ten years. At Sunnyside, one of her responsibilities was for education for all ages. Rebecca recalls how as she grew into her calling as a minister she found a passion for intergenerational learning, a focus that she continues to nurture. During her time as a seminary student, she met her husband, Joshua Yoder, also a theology student. In addition to serving a congregation in Indiana, Joshua holds a doctorate in New Testament studies from The University of Notre Dame. Rebecca, Josh and Owen served as mission co-workers with Presbyterian World Mission and The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt from 2013 - early 2015. Rebecca relates how she and Josh began to discern a calling to international service and through much prayer, conversation and leaps of faith, came to live, work and study in Egypt. During their time in Egypt, Rebecca has instructed Masters of Divinity students in theological English, overseen the development of online courses, been an interpretation resource for U.S. supporters and congregations, and hosted visiting groups engaging in mission partnerships. The Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick began her ministry with us on July 1, 2015.

  • Rachel Pedersen

    Rachel Pedersen
    Associate Pastor for Children and Family Ministry

    Rachel joined our staff in August 2014. Rachel is a lifelong Presbyterian–baptized in Newport News, Virginia, raised in Idaho, and privileged to have served the church in Ghana, South Africa, New York City, Princeton and most recently in Bloomington, Indiana. She studied International Relations at Carleton College in Minnesota and completed her Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary. Moving from a life-long passion to walk with children in their faith journey, she completed her certification as a Christian Educator in 2012. You might just see her out walking her standard poodle, Basil.

  • Kellen Smith

    Kellen Smith
    Associate Pastor for Youth, Their Families, and College Ministries

    Kellen A. Smith is from Delray Beach, FL, and a graduate of Florida State University, where he completed his B.A. in Humanities (Magna Cum Laude). He is a May 2011 graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, and he began his ministry with us as our Associate Pastor for Youth, Their Families, and College Ministries in the summer of 2011. Prior to seminary, Kellen served as College Intern for Youth Ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Delray Beach, FL, and Director of Youth Ministries at First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, TX. During seminary, he worked as Congregational Life and Pastoral Care Seminarian at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, NJ. He completed his Clinical Pastoral Education at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital and has served with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, working with ministries that reach those in need. Kellen enjoys taking walks with his wife, Sarah, and their energetic yellow lab, Tannis.

  • Richard Wohlschlaeger

    Richard Wohlschlaeger
    Interim Associate Pastor for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care

    On November 2, 2014, Session unanimously approved a contract with Richard (Dick) Wohlschlaeger, our new Interim Associate Pastor for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care. Dick retired in October 2013 after 20 years as pastor of Swarthmore Presbyterian Church. While a parish pastor, he found himself more deeply drawn to pastoral care and counseling and used his continuing education time for training as a counselor, becoming a certified marriage and family therapist through the Council for Relationships. For the last few years he has had a professional relationship with BMPC as a marriage and family therapist at the Middleton Center, seeing clients on his day off from Swarthmore. Since his retirement a year ago, he and his wife Kathy moved to Newtown Square, and have made BMPC their church home, worshipping with us regularly.

  • Agnes Norfleet

    Agnes Norfleet
    Pastor / Head of Staff

    The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet, who prefers to be called “Agnes,” began her ministry with us on February 3, 2013. Referring to herself as a “prenatal Presbyterian,” Agnes grew up on the campus of Union Seminary where her father, an ordained minister, served as business manager, and her mother, a trained Christian educator, wrote children’s books and church school curriculum. Agnes is a graduate of Davidson College, and she earned a M. Div. from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Va., in 1986 and a D. Min. in Bible and Preaching from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga., in 2001. Ordained in 1987, she has previously served as Associate Pastor for Community Ministry at Central Presbyterian, Atlanta; Pastor at North Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Ga., from 1992–2005, and at Shandon Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC, from 2005–2012. Agnes loves the church and while preaching and administration are her primary roles at BMPC, she has a special interest in outreach and mission, Christian education for all ages, and young adult ministry. She is a recognized preacher who seeks to proclaim the gospel with clarity, creativity and relevance; an accomplished teacher who engages with Biblical scholars and theologians; and a compassionate pastor who has 26 years of experience of journeying with others through joyful, sad and difficult seasons of life. She serves the Presbyterian Church (USA) as a Trustee of Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Va., is an Associate Editor of “Journal for Preachers,” has been a frequent guest preacher for denominational conferences, and is the author of numerous articles and published sermons. Agnes’ family includes her husband, Larry Arney, an architect who currently works with Project HOME, a Philadelphia non-profit organization working to alleviate homelessness; and two sons: James, a junior at Tulane University, and Winston, a freshman at Rice University.