Meet Our Team
Otto Harris III
Senior PastorThe Reverend Otto D. Harris III, Ph.D., understands and accepts his call to be a steward and shepherd of souls and to lead disciples in making disciples of Jesus Christ.
He serves on the Metro District Committee on Ordained Ministry, the Western North Carolina Conference Committee on Episcopacy, the Board of Directors for Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center, the Board of Directors for Aldersgate Continuing Care Retirement Community, the Charlotte Area Board of the American Cancer Society, and the Board of Directors for the General Board of Church and Society. He also serves as the Elections Secretary for the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. Reverend Dr. Harris served as the interim director of the Comprehensive Plan of Equity for the Western North Carolina Conference for The United Methodist Church and as one of the directors of the Western North Carolina Residency in Ordained Ministry (RIOM) process.
Jeremy Benton
Associate PastorThe Reverend Jeremy Benton is a native of Oxford, Michigan. He completed his undergraduate work at Albion College in 2005 and obtained his Master of Divinity degree from Duke University Divinity School in 2008. During his time at Duke, Jeremy served in a variety of ministry settings including a hospital chaplaincy in Honolulu, a rural parish in North Carolina, and a large congregation in South Carolina. For the past 9 years, he has served as the Campus Minister at Greenville Wesley, the United Methodist campus ministry at East Carolina University. Jeremy's wife is Rachel, and their two children are Eliza Jane and Wyatt. In his free time Jeremy enjoys road cycling, growing bonsai, cooking, eating, and all things Duke basketball.
Paul Collins
FounderPaul was born and raised in Durban, South Africa, and was nurtured in the Anglican Church tradition but has grown to know and love the Wesleyan tradition and the United Methodist Church. He graduated with a BA in Political Science from Gordon College and received his Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Paul discovered his love of journeying with middle and high school students while serving as a teacher, school chaplain, youth minister, and campus minister in several different contexts.
Paul is the father of three sweet “kiddos”: Zion (15), Phoenix (12), and Leilani (9), who look forward to joining him at West Market! In his free time, Paul enjoys running, practicing yoga, and playing tennis. He also likes listening to jazz music and reading historical fiction novels. Paul is a huge fútbol fan and loves following his favorite team, Arsenal F.C. #COYG.
Rachel D. Benton
Director of Children & Family MinistriesA native of Winston-Salem and a life-long United Methodist, Rachel is a graduate of Wofford College (BA in Religion & History) and Duke Divinity School (Master of Divinity with a Certificate in Christian Education) with over 15 years of professional experience in Children’s Ministry and Family Faith Formation. Most recently, Rachel has served as a contributing writer for Building Faith (an online Christian Education resource), and as a consultant for congregations who needed remote support for their children and family ministries during the pandemic and moving forward in this new expanded context for ministry. Rachel is especially passionate about intergenerational ministry, children’s spirituality, faith-at-home resources, incorporating children in worship, Godly Play, Eucharistic theology, Christian practices, seeking God in the everyday, and involving children and families in social justice and community ministries. Rachel believes that children are present-day disciples (not just future or preparatory ones!) whose full participation in the life of a congregation draws all of the body of Christ into deeper faithfulness.
Rachel is married to Rev. Jeremy Benton, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church who is currently serving as the Associate Pastor at West Market Street UMC. Rachel and Jeremy have two children, who constantly remind them (and teach them) of God’s grace and expansive love!
Dreama Lovitt
Director of Traditional Music & OrganistAs the Music Director and Organist for the Traditional services, Dreama leads the Chancel Choir, MarketBell Ringers, Instrumental Ensemble, Children's Music, and more. She hopes that all church members can find and express joy in their faith through music and strives to guide members in ministering to others through music and the arts.
Dreama enjoys a wide variety of music styles (classical, choral, bluegrass, folk, rock, global, etc.), so it is no surprise that she also loves working with a broad range of musicians, from amateur to professional. She is a private piano and organ instructor and holds a Master’s Degree from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, and has additional coursework in Dalcroze Eurhythmics (a fun, game-filled form of musicianship training) in both the US and Geneva, Switzerland.
Passionate about sharing the pipe organ with the community, she is a founder and organizer of the organ concert series Sounds of the Summer in Winston-Salem, NC; Dreama has acted as a Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza instructor for the local chapter of the American Guild of Organists and has served as an adjudicator for the UNCSA High School Organ Competition and student juries. Her love of the arts extends beyond music to visual art, in particular, and she is an occasional wood block printmaker in various styles from reduction to multi-block to a bit of Moku Hanga.
MJ Johnson
Director of Modern Service MusicMJ joined the Modern Worship Service in March of 2017 and has guided the Modern Worship Team faithfully as Music Director for our band Rising West and as Modern Worship Team Leader, supervising all aspects of Modern Worship @ The Corner. MJ was raised in a musical family and grew up in the Methodist church as his mother, Kay, served as Choir Director of St. Mark’s UMC in Raleigh throughout his childhood and later became an ordained minister. Summers at Lake Junaluska’s Music Week in his youth sparked a deeper passion for worship music that set him on a path to lifelong involvement in music ministry. After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from UNCG and a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from Ohio State University, MJ entered the classroom as a K-12 Music Educator and has achieved many accolades, including National Board Certification, the Grimsley High School Excellence in Teaching Award, and a Grimsley High School Yearbook Dedication, to name a few.
In addition to his work as an educator, MJ is an accomplished vocalist, and has performed in numerous world-class venues. MJ was blessed to sing with the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble Chanticleer, with whom he received a Grammy nomination for the 2002 release “Our American Journey.” Still devotedly leading the Grimsley High School Vocal Music Department, he spends his precious free time with his wife and daughter and making music locally with his other band, Bandemic.
Jah Gilmore
Facilities DirectorJah grew up in Brooklyn NY where his love of tools, fixing and building things was cultivated. He had access to a wide variety of tools from a young age and even started his first business at nine years old building, selling, and painting bikes. Jah played tennis at Pratt University from the ages of 10 thru 12, winning both doubles and singles tournaments.
Jah also enjoys performing; he rapped and performed spoken word poetry in clubs all over New York in his teenage years. One of Jah’s true passions is dancing. He once performed in a duo with his cousin Dorian anywhere there was music and still dances as much as he can to this day. Another of Jah’s passions is cooking and he have something on the smoker almost every weekend, from brisket to pork shoulders and vegetables to smoked mac and cheese.
Jah says that working here at West Market Street UMC has been a joy and that he hopes to be here for a very long time. Having worked in maintenance almost the entirety of his adult life, he loves reaching into his bag of tricks to solve the maintenance needs of the church.
Anna Brown
Financial CoordinatorAnna is a Greensboro native who grew up in the United Methodist Church. She graduated from NC State University with a degree in Business Administration: Human Resources and a minor in Spanish. Anna has worked in both human resources and office management, where she gained experience in financial coordination. She loves to travel and has led and participated in mission trips to Bolivia, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. She has two children, a dog, and a cat that like to keep her busy.
Addie Elliott
Office, Communications & Membership CoordinatorAdelaide “Addie” Elliott joined West Market Street United Methodist Church in January 2026. In her role, she combines her passion for storytelling with a heart for service, supporting the life of the church with clear communication and strong organizational leadership.
Addie brings a diverse professional background in writing and editing to her position. Before joining the West Market Street United Methodist Church team, she worked as an associate editor for a range of business-to-business publications in the gift, home, and interior design industries. Earlier in her career, she gained valuable experience working in internal communications and with various local news outlets as a reporter.
Addie is a 2019 graduate of Greensboro College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Communications Studies, with minors in Religion, Philosophy, History and Creative Writing. In addition to her editorial work, she has more than five years of administrative experience with her family’s commercial plumbing business, where she developed strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
Meredith Kasten
Director of the Early Childhood Center (ECC)
Meredith Kasten is the Director of the Early Childhood Center at WMSUMC. After graduating from UNCG in 2009, she began teaching at the ECC; she taught ages infant through pre-K for 8 years before stepping into the Director’s role in 2019. She enjoys working with the children, staff, and families to ensure that ECC offers the highest quality childcare every day. Meredith is married to a chef, who enjoys cooking meals for her and their 2-year-old daughter. In her free time, Meredith enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her family.