Meet the Staff- Summer 2025

As our 2024-25 school year came to a close and we celebrated our students’ journey through Emmaus, we also celebrated 3 of our dear friends and fellow staff members, Caleb, Kristi and Jen moving into new seasons of life. While it’s a bittersweet time for us at Emmaus, we are excited to watch what the Lord is going to do in and through their lives as they embark on new adventures!

We also wanted to take a moment to define the new Emmaus Team by recognizing our current staff! Here’s a little something about each Emmaus team member, from what they do at work to what they’re like in the wild!

Executive Director- Morgan Phaneuf, staff since 2019

Morgan has spent most of her life with either sand between her toes or dirt on her hiking boots—thanks to growing up on the beaches and in the mountains of North Carolina. She met her husband, Justin, at UNC Asheville, and in 2016 they traded pine trees for palm trees and headed south to sunny Central Florida. Not long after, she stumbled upon Emmaus, enrolled in the School of Biblical Studies, and promptly fell head over heels for Scripture. (We’re talking full-blown Bible nerd and proud of it.) That passion led her straight onto the Emmaus team, and she’s never looked back.

In 2022, her family leveled up with the adoption of Andres from Colombia, officially bringing the kid count to three: Drake, Tannis, and Andres—plus a small army of furry creatures who think they’re in charge (they kind of are).

When Morgan’s not knee-deep in theology, chauffeuring kids, or tripping over dog toys, she’s probably on a long run, binging a podcast, or wondering what on earth possessed her to go for two master’s degrees at Asbury Theological Seminary—one in Pastoral Counseling and one in Biblical and Theological Foundations (send snacks and prayers).

Want to see the beautiful chaos for yourself? You can follow along at www.phaneufphamily.wordpress.com.

Financial Director- Sarah Phaneuf, staff since 2022

Sarah may have grown up in a small town just south of Charlotte, NC—but don’t let the quiet Southern roots fool you. These days, she’s wrangling spreadsheets, social media captions, and a wildly energetic toddler with equal parts precision and chaos (depending on the caffeine situation). After graduating from UNC-Wilmington with a degree in Criminal Justice, she and her husband Barrett headed to Central Florida in late 2019—where she was introduced to Emmaus by the lovely Morgan Phaneuf (see above) and, well, never left.

What started as attending Zoom classes in the thick of COVID turned into a deep dive into the Narrative Series, and eventually a full-on plunge into the School of Biblical Studies. She graduated in 2022 and has since worn nearly every hat at Emmaus: student, support staff, and now full-time team member overseeing finance, operations, and our little corner of the internet (a.k.a. Instagram and Facebook).

When she’s not color-coding budgets or dreaming up reels, Sarah’s usually chasing around her son Micah—a joyful tornado of a toddler who ensures life is never, ever, ever boring.

Communications Director- Stephen Ray, staff since 2017

Stephen Ray has a passion to advance the Gospel in the hearts of students. After graduating from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, Stephen moved to Oviedo to attend the Emmaus School of Biblical Studies, where he fell in love with studying the Bible. Stephen came on staff at Emmaus full-time in 2017. He is married to Lauren and has two daughters, Stevie and Lucy. Stephen is also on the teaching team at Church of the Commons and regularly speaks at retreats and summer camps.  If you would like to learn more about Stephen and his ministry, check out his website: www.stephenray.org

Administrative Director - Dena Sites, staff since 2021

So Cal born and raised, Dena obtained her Bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University and her Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School. She practiced law for six years in California before God called her to leave everything behind to attend Emmaus’ School of Biblical Studies in Florida. As always, God knew what He was doing and Emmaus completely changed her life. At Emmaus, she learned how to inductively study the Bible through the lens of historical background and, for the first time, understood how all of Scripture fit together. This led to a deeper understanding of God’s character and a deep desire to walk alongside new students through their Emmaus journey. Since joining staff, Dena’s responsibilities have included teaching, discipleship, and all things administrative. Dena is currently enrolled in Asbury Theological Seminary for her Master’s in Spiritual Direction and she is unabashedly passionate about seeing the Church become full of mystics (à la John Mark Comer’s definition: “disciples who…experience spiritually what is true of them theologically”). While not at Emmaus, you can find Dena at a farmer’s market, a salt water pool, or cuddling her not-orange cat named Pumpkin.

Discipleship Director - Jacob McRae, staff since 2017

In 2016, Jacob and his wife packed their home into a truck and trailer and drove to Florida from Alaska in order to attend Emmaus’ School of Biblical Studies. Since joining staff, Jacob’s primary roles at Emmaus have been teaching and discipleship, curriculum creation, and designated brewer of coffee. Jacob is currently working on getting his Masters from Asbury Theological Seminary and is taking Biblical Hebrew classes with Kairos Classroom. As his love for teaching has grown, Jacob has become particularly passionate about the Old Testament, studying Biblical Hebrew, and helping others wrestle through difficult passages in the Bible. He is only slightly less passionate about Tolkien, coffee, and queso. You can follow Jacob and Samantha and their (soon to be) four children at JacobAndSamantha.org

While our team has seen a few changes, our heart for the mission hasn’t changed a bit. We’re as committed as ever to teaching people to engage with the Bible and grow as disciples. Looking ahead, we’re full of hope and anticipation for all that’s to come!

If you haven’t already, we’d love for you to stay connected with us:

📱 Follow us on social media – Find us on Facebook and Instagram at Emmaus Bible Ministries for updates, encouragement, and upcoming opportunities.

🌐 Visit our website – Head to emmausbibleministries.org to explore our latest classes, events, and resources.

🤝 Partner with us – Your support makes this ministry possible. If you’d like to give to the mission or support a specific staff member, you can make a tax-deductible donation here: emmausbibleministries.org/donate

Thank you for walking with us. We’re so grateful for your support and can’t wait to see what God does in this next season. Let’s keep moving forward together, rooted in His Word and passionate about making disciples.