Staff

Matthew has served as Lead Pastor at Cedar Ridge since 2006. Originally from England, he trained and practiced as a medical doctor and then worked in Latin America during the ’80s and ’90s developing Mother and Child Health programs in poor and marginalized communities. In 1995 Matthew moved into pastoral ministry, serving as a pastor at Vineyard churches in Cincinnati, Ohio and Exeter, England before becoming part of the Cedar Ridge community. He is married to Lisa (a nurse) and they have four adult children. Matthew loves nature; he is a keen beekeeper, enjoys rugby, football and cricket, and likes nothing more than just relaxing with his family. He is passionately committed to Cedar Ridge because of all the amazing people who have made it their home, and because of our vision to follow Jesus and be the change that can bring healing and reconciliation in our world.

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With over 20+ years as an artist, worship pastor, ministry practitioner, and leader in the area of multicultural work and life, Nikki’s passion is to equip others with the inspiration and information needed to move one step closer towards music, love, deep connection, and self-leadership. As an artist, her musical works include 4 solo music projects along with 20+ years of stage artistry.  Nikki is a Vocal and Leadership Coach and holds her college degree from Towson University with a focus in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy.  Nikki is, additionally, the creator of the Culture Coach Podcast, is the author of Life Whispers, co-author of the book Worship Together: In Your Church As In Heaven, as well as a contributing author to the book, Multicultural Ministry Handbook.  Nikki lives in Columbia, MD with her husband David.  You can find out more about her by visiting nikkilerner.com.

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Briana Teller serves as the Operations Coordinator at Cedar Ridge. With a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland and more than a decade of professional experience in child and family services, Briana brings a love for community building, child development, and service to others. She is passionate about creating welcoming, supportive spaces for children and helping parents feel connected and empowered. Briana grew up in Texas and moved to Maryland after college. She and her husband, Matt have been attending Cedar Ridge since 2008 and have two children. Briana loves spending time outdoors with her family and road trip adventures. She’s been to 47 states and 17 national parks and hopes to visit them all someday. She also loves, board games, movie nights, and curling up with a good book.

Mark Hartley is an invaluable part of the Cedar Ridge Community, serving as the Property and Facilities Manager. Mark leads the way in maintaining the grounds and is always on the lookout for volunteers interested in helping out on Property Workdays.

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Greg grew up here at Cedar Ridge. Now a computer engineering student at Morgan State, Greg prepares our Sunday morning slides and communications. Stop by the sound booth and say hi!

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