Ed was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan. He graduated from Kalamazoo College with a degree in Physics in 1993. Prior to being called into full-time ministry in 2002, his diverse work background included: Range and Wilderness Management on Colorado’s Rio Grande National Forest, care of emotionally impaired youth at a residential facility, and information technology consulting services with several large consulting and software companies.

Ed met his wife Amy, a Physician Assistant, in Atlanta. They were married in 1997 before starting a family together. They now have three children: Noah, Grace, and Evan.

In 2001, Ed responded to a call to ministry. He attended Emory’s Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, and was appointed to Rush Chapel UMC in Rome, Georgia in 2002. There, he helped the church to begin an inter-church short-term mission program to sites such as Montana’s Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Costa Rica, Mississippi, and a number of local projects assisting individuals and ministries to those in need. He also focused his attention on establishing a youth program and providing pastoral care to members of the church and the community.

Ed graduated from Candler in 2006. He and Amy decided to move nearer to Amy’s parents, who live in Chapel Hill. Ed transferred into the North Carolina Conference in May, and was appointed as an associate to Benson Memorial in June. As Associate, Ed will be assisting with all pastoral functions, while focusing on Outreach, Witness, and Youth ministries.

E-mail: epriestaf@bm-umc.org