Our Church Leadership

At Ramah, we value our staff and the important roles they play in directing us to Christ.  Please feel free to email them.  All Ramah staff have emails ending in @ramahchurch.org.  Their email prefixes are indicated in parentheses after their name and title.  This is done to help lower the amount of automated spam in their boxes.

 

Pastor Kurt Johnston - Pastor

Reverend Johnston came to Ramah as the new pastor in 2010.  Most recently, Rev. Johnston served in Salem Presbyterian in Lexington, NC.  He also served at Gilwood Presbyterian and Mallard Creek Presbyterian.  Kurt received his Masters of Divinity from Union Seminary in Richmond, VA.  Rev. Johnston's wife, Abby, is an assistant district attorney in Surry County.

 

Staff

Suzanne Russell, Administrative Assistant Suzanne joined Ramah Church in August, 2006. She has a degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University in Massachusetts.  While living and working in MA, she met her husband John.

Suzanne is a native of Pennsylvania but has lived in the South over 19 years with her family.   With two sons  playing high school  and college sports,  the Russell family can be found at fields or in basketball gyms when not at the office.

 

Ginny Sumner, Director of Ramah Preschool 

Ginny Sumner has a liberal arts degree, with an emphasis on education and business, from Florida International University.  When she was little, she loved to line up all 23 of her dolls and "teach" them.  Now, she gets to be a part of many young lives each day and loves every minute of it. 

She met her husband, Jay, on a flight to Charlotte.  He convinced her to marry him and leave sunny Florida to live in Huntersville.  "After all," he said, "you can always snorkel in Lake Norman."   Their daughter Katie was born in 1992 and Mike followed in 1993.  Ginny and her family enjoy hiking and camping.
 

P.S.  Ginny never did or will snorkel in Lake Norman.

 

Tim Ward, Music Director Tim grew up in eastern North Carolina in a small community called Rockfish, in a large family of five children.  His mother taught him to love classical music,  playing Beethoven symphonies for him on a regular basis. After earning a B.A. degree in music from St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Tim was awarded a graduate assistant-ship from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.  Tim enjoyed those college years, singing in choirs large and small.  After moving back to North Carolina, he and his wife Shannon started building their family and now have three children.  His wife and children continue to be a wonderful source of inspiration and encouragement.
Tim joined Ramah as music director in 1996, and he is more convinced every day that the human voice is the perfect instrument for the worship of God."