Meet the St. Paul UMC Staff
Rev. Cassie Noland Rapko, Pastor
Rev. Cassie Rapko is the pastor-in-charge at St. Paul UMC. She is a transplant from the Midwest, having come to Atlanta to complete her Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology.
She comes to St. Paul from Mt. Zion UMC in Marietta, where she served as the Associate Pastor. Cassie was ordained as an elder in full connection in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2017.
Cassie has a passion for making scripture relevant from the pulpit and applying it to everyday life. She is a runner and a lover of baseball, gardening, cooking, eating, and all things green. She married her husband, Chris, in 2012, adopted her dog Soozie in 2014, and had her daughter Jordan (aka #MiniRap) in 2019.
Rev. Lisa Gwock, Deacon
Rev. Lisa Gwock is an ordained Deacon in full connection in the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church. In August 2018, Lisa and her husband, Eddie, along with their dog, Remy, relocated to Atlanta to be near their daughter, son-in-law, and their three grandchildren. They also have a daughter who lives in New York.
Before relocating to Atlanta, Lisa served several United Methodist churches in the Nashville area, most recently as Pastor of Missions & Outreach at West End UMC. Lisa currently serves as the Director of Operations for Women in Transition, an initiative which supports women who are transitioning back into society from the correctional system by engaging people of faith and community organizations in Metro Atlanta. St. Paul is Lisa’s Secondary Appointment.
Lisa enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends and occasionally running and biking.
Jennifer Greene, Director of Music Ministries
A lifelong church musician, Jennifer Greene has served as music director, pianist, and organist in congregations from coast to coast, including Newport Presbyterian Church (Bellevue, WA), First Christian Church – Disciples of Christ (Tacoma, WA), First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church (Taunton, MA), and St. Thaddaeus’ Episcopal Church (Chattanooga, TN).
Her musical roots source a wide variety of genres that include sacred and secular classical, traditional gospel, jazz, folk, and contemporary styles. She is a graduate of Lesley University in Cambridge, MA (MA, Music Therapy), the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (BA, Piano Performance), and Northside School of the Arts in Atlanta.
In addition to church music ministry, Jennifer maintains an active piano studio teaching children, youth, and adult students in the Atlanta area. She is also a proud aunt, a doting cat mom, and a passionate recycler.
Ginny Pavey, Office Manager
Ginny is the gatekeeper of St. Paul information, as she answers the phones and greets visitors during the week. She prepares the bulletin for service and prepares and makes the weekly deposits.
She also makes sure church staff gets paid by submitting payroll!
Before coming to St. Paul in 2007, Ginny was the Office Manager at Trinity UMC in Austell.
In her free time, Ginny is a year-round Special Olympics Coach and Douglas County meals-on-wheels driver, and enjoys reading, gardening and cooking. She lives in Douglasville with her husband Terry, daughters Heather and Mary, and dogs Oliver and Benji.
Jason Parker, Director of Communications
Jason creates and manages the digital presence of St. Paul UMC. If it plugs in and makes a picture or sounds, he’s at one end of it.
Jason is a longtime media production professional, including time at The Carter Center, Public Broadcasting Atlanta, the Savannah College of Art and Design, and The Savannah Morning News. He holds an MFA in Photography from SCAD and an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from Georgia Southern University.
Outside of St. Paul, Jason runs his digital services company, Peculiar Galaxies, LLC, teaches photography, walks his dog, rides his bike, and spends time with his family.
Jason and his wife moved to Grant Park from Savannah in 2006.
Eli Parsley, Organist
Eli is a passionate music educator, performer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Metro Atlanta. A 2025 graduate of the University of Tennessee–Knoxville with a B.M. in Music Education, he served as music director and pianist at Powell Presbyterian Church and taught orchestra and general music in the Knoxville area. This fall he begins as orchestra director at Brookwood High School in Gwinnett County.
A cellist and pianist, Eli performs in solo and symphonic settings and works regularly as a collaborative pianist for Suzuki recitals and private studios. He studied piano, cello, and organ at UT. As a member of the American Guild of Organists, he loves both playing the organ and sharing its history in worship music.
A self-described hoarder of instruments, Eli also plays mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and the occasional kazoo, and sings in public bluegrass jams. He believes music connects us across cultures and expresses what words alone cannot. When he’s not making music, he enjoys nature and board games with friends.
Zxelema Howard, Nursery Manager
Zxelema cares for our babies and children up to age 3 in the church’s nursery during service.
She grew up in the church and has been coming to St. Paul for more than two decades.
Outside of St. Paul Zxelema is a Licensed Massage Therapist at The Buckhead Massage Company and has been a Therapist there for over 8 years.
Her other interests include taking walks and spending an evening watching her favorite movies. As a person who has decided to live without a car, Zxelema says that being on public transportation has humbled her in ways that she could never imagine and she believes that this was God’s plan. Zxelema resides in South Atlanta with her daughter Kiwani.