Emmaus Ministries Staff
Morgan Phaneuf - Executive Director
Morgan spent most of her life either on the beaches or in the mountains of NC. She attended the University of North Carolina Asheville, where she met her husband, Justin. In 2016, they moved to Central Florida, and that's when she found Emmaus. She was a student in the School of Biblical Studies and developed a deep love for Scripture, such a passion for Biblical literacy that she became a part of the staff after graduation and has been here ever since. In 2022 her family grew from 2 children, Drake and Tannis, to 3 with the adoption of her middle child, Favian, from Colombia, South America. She's a member of the teaching team at Emmaus and enjoys her role as "the keeper of the calendar." Outside of work, Morgan is a student at Asbury Theological Seminary in the Masters of Marriage and Family Counseling program and she enjoys reading books, listening to podcasts and hanging out with her beloved dogs. To learn more about Morgan and her family follow her blog: www.phaneufphamily.wordpress.com
Stephen Ray- Communications Director & Teaching Staff
Stephen was born and raised in Michigan. He attended Oakland University in Rochester MI, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Communication and a minor in public relations. In 2016, Stephen moved to Oviedo FL in order to attend the Emmaus School of Biblical Studies. It was during his year at Emmaus that Stephen discovered a great love for digging into the scriptures and Advancing the Gospel in the hearts of students. Stephen is the director of Communications and oversees the Seminar ministry of Emmaus. Stephen also teaches for the school and Biblical Narrative Series. If you would like to learn more about Stephen and his ministry, check out his website: www.stephenray.org
Jacob McRae - Teaching and Administrative Staff
Jacob graduated from the Emmaus School of Biblical Studies in 2017 and immediately felt God calling him to join Emmaus’ mission to promote Bible literacy among the church and their community. Jacob has undergone YWAM’s Discipleship Training School and later spent time as the youth pastor for his home church in Virginia. Jacob is married to Samantha and has two children, Benaiah and Eleanor. Read more about their lives on their website: JacobAndSamantha.org
Sarah Phaneuf
Sarah grew up in a small town just south of Charlotte, NC. She graduated from UNC-Wilmington with her BA in Criminal Justice. In late 2019, she and her husband, Barrett, moved to central Florida. Right away she started getting involved with Emmaus. She attended the online courses they offered during COVID, the Narrative Series, and eventually graduated from the School for Biblical Studies in 2022. Her student year and the following year as Support Staff changed her life, and after three years of investing in Emmaus as a student, she felt God calling her to pursue joining staff. Sarah is passionate about numbers and finances, so to be able to mix that love with the desire to break the cycle of Biblical illiteracy among believers is the epitome of a dream job for her. Together Sarah and Barrett have one baby boy named Micah.
Dena Sites - Teaching Staff
Dena was born and raised in Southern California. She attended San Diego State University for undergrad and then Southwestern Law School for her law degree. She practiced law for six years in California before God called her to move to Florida to attend Emmaus’ School of Biblical Studies (SBS). Emmaus completely changed her life, teaching her how to inductively study the Bible through the lens of historical background, and giving her a deeper understanding of God’s character and an understanding for the first time of how all Scripture fit together. After her student year, Dena felt called to join the staff of Emmaus to pour into new students and walk with them through the same experience that so profoundly changed her life. Dena is on the discipleship and Bible instruction team of Emmaus’ SBS, and on the development team of Emmaus Ministries.