Our Team
The Rev. Dr. Sean Barrett
Pastor
Sean came to Nativity in 2021 from St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Salisbury, where he had served since 2014. He and his wife, April, have three children (who aren’t children anymore): Brittany, Ian, and Addy. April runs a Head Start and Early Head Start center. Brittany teaches high school English and Spanish. Ian is the Finance Director for Waynesville, North Carolina. Addy is a student at UNCC. While in high school, Sean wanted to be a Baptist pastor and went to Grand Rapids Baptist College to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree (double major in Religion and Ancient Languages).
He became a Lutheran during that time. It wound up taking 16 years to resume his studies in seminary. During that time, he worked in management and sales. As you can imagine, both roles translate well to pastoral ministry. He has been ordained since 2014 after graduating from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. In 2024, he completed doctoral studies at Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
Ed Hauck
Director of Music and Worship
Ed joined Nativity in January of 2024 and is a native of Virginia. He attended J. Sargent Reynolds Community College and Virginia Commonwealth University (Sacred Music). For the last 25 years he has lived in Canton, Ohio serving Lutheran parishes. In 2022 he started to attend Music Week at Lutheridge at the invitation of a colleague and friend of 30 years. He has made his home in Hendersonville and looks forward to getting to know everyone.
Ed loves sharing eclectic and diverse music in worship along with traditional/classic offerings. He is looking forward to restarting our bell choir and some short-term musical opportunities with our K-Elementary age kids this coming Lent and Easter season. He is excited to be able to work with our Minster of Learning when they come on board to help build a faith formation program for our Middle and High School youth.
Dr. Aaron Davis
Vicar
Fellowship Engagement Director & Theologian-in-Residence
Aaron in a Hendersonville native who joined Nativity in fall 2024. As Fellowship Engagement Director he helps foster community and develop opportunities for discipleship within and beyond the church’s walls. Aaron is also a candidate for ordination (Word & Sacrament) and serves as Vicar as a part of his candidacy.
Additionally, he is an active theologian, which is recognized through his non-stipendiary role as Theologian-in-Residence. Aaron is an honorary faculty member at Trinity Lutheran Seminary and also teaches at Brevard College. You can learn more about his scholarly work here.
Aaron holds a PhD from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, MDiv and ThM from Union Presbyterian Seminary, and BA from NC State. He previously served Episcopal parishes in VA and NC for five years, and he was a lay preacher in the Scottish Episcopal Church during his PhD studies. He is the husband of Shelby Scattergood, to whom he has been married since 2017.
Michele Grush
Parish Administrator
Michele almost literally grew up in the church having a father as a pastor. She has fond memories of playing hide-and-seek in the building, ringing the church bell, and helping to fill the baptismal pool. By degree, she is an accountant earning her BS from Wake Forest University in 1989. After having raised three children, she has found her passion to be back in the heart of the church. Since 2004, her roles at Nativity have included Preschool Teacher, Youth Leader, Care Director, and most recently, Parish Administrator since 2017. She and husband Mark have been married 26 years and recently earned the status of empty-nesters.
Their oldest son (Aury) and his wife (Callie) live and work outside of Chapel Hill, their daughter (Charlotte) lives and works in Greensboro, and their youngest son (Graham) is a Pharmacy student at UNC- Chapel Hill. Michele thoroughly enjoys the day-to-day activities of the church including the interaction with Nativity parishioners and members of the community, as well as helping ministry staff carry out the mission of Nativity. Michele enjoys traveling, playing cards and games with her family and friends, watching documentaries and college basketball, and taking advantage of the incredible food and beverage scene in Asheville and its surrounding areas.
Colleen Colledge
Financial Secretary
Colleen was born and raised in Asheville. She attended Appalachian State University where she majored in art education. She also studied painting and weaving at the School of the Art Institute Chicago. She was previously employed as the office manager of a chiropractic office for 23 years. Colleen enjoys doing upholstery, knitting and watching sports, especially NFL football. She loves being at home and spending time with her wife Nancy and their two cats.
Marcia Cunningham
Bookkeeper
Marcia is a lifelong native of Hendersonville. She retired after 35 years of banking in 2019. Since retirement, she has enjoyed part time church office work.
She has two children and five grandchildren who are the light of her life. She enjoys reading, crafting, watching Panther football, Duke basketball and NASCAR. She also loves eating out with friends and being home with her little poodle.
Neil Hammond
Sexton
Neil, born and raised in Asheville, joined Nativity in May of 2025. A welder by trade, he completed his diploma from McDowell Tech Community College December, 2026. Neil enjoys hiking, rollerblading, playing Magic The Gathering and traveling as well as spending time with his family. Prior trips have included several states and Canada. Future adventures will include Japan, and Australia.
Ruth McBrayer
Nativity Preschool & Kindergarten (NPK) Director
Ruth has been with Nativity Preschool since 2023. She loves teaching 4-year-olds and preparing them for kindergarten. She stepped into the role of Director in the summer of 2026. She’s very excited about the years ahead and the growth our sweet school can make!
Ruth grew up and lived in Hendersonville until she got the travel bug. For 15 years, she lived in different countries teaching English as a second language. During that time, her favorite school was in the UAE, where she taught Kindergarten for 9 years. She returned from living abroad in 2020 to be closer to family. She is married and has 2 boys (Jon, a current NPK student, and Matthew in Middle school).
Teaching is a joy for Ruth, and being in both the classroom and supporting teachers as the Director is wonderful.
Paula Morris
Respite Director
Paula Morris grew up in Georgia and made the move to North Carolina with her family in 2005. She and husband, Jeff, have two grown daughters -- Emily, who lives in New Bern with her husband, Spencer, and Zoe, who resides in Cary. Jeff's career in NC charter schools has moved their family from Albemarle to High Point and now to Hendersonville where he currently serves as the executive director of Mountain Community School.
Paula earned her bachelor's degree from Berry College and a master's from Pfeiffer University. She has had a varied career working in volunteer services, youth ministry, and higher education. Paula grew up in the United Methodist Church and is a member of Fletcher UMC where she is a member of the choir and a Stephen Ministry leader. Outside of work, she loves to cook, sing, and enjoys community theater. After working with young people for many years, she felt led to work with older adults again. Paula is excited for the opportunity to engage volunteers from around our community as we serve our neighbors who are navigating life with the challenges of dementia and memory loss.