Pastor Valerie Paul-Greenaway
Pastor Valerie Paul-Greenaway is a professional leader with a unique combination of team building, education, research, community health promotion, the arts, public health, faith-based ministry, pastoral care, case management, caregiving, leadership, and human services experience.
She completed her Master of Divinity at Drew University in 2025 and is a proud graduate of Leadership Orange (2014). Pastor Valerie is a certified Anger Management Facilitator and a Mental Health First Aid for Youth trainer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science and has completed her pre-law studies at Marist College. She has served four years as Chaplain to the local fire department in the Catskills and has completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education.
In addition to her professional and ministerial work, Pastor Valerie has been a lifelong caregiver to her godson Jaylen, a person with different abilities whose mother abandoned him at just two years old. This calling has deeply shaped her ministry, advocacy, and dedication to ensuring that all people—especially those most vulnerable—are honored as sacred and fully included in community life.
She is also the mother of two teenage children, a singer, a worshipper, and a lover of nature. Pastor Valerie’s passions extend to music and the arts, where she brings creativity into leadership, public relations, human resources, and community building.
Her ministry reflects a deep concern for how the politics of Jesus influence the local community—calling communities toward a standard of humanization. She is committed to peacebuilding, bridging across differences, staying in proximity to those on the margins, and affirming the value of all community members as essential to building God’s kin-dom on earth.
In her own words:
“My desire is to leverage my experience in human services, education, advocacy, mental health awareness, hospitality, self-directing care, management, research, event planning, professional divinity, and chaplaincy training for the glory of God in ministry and in service to the community. By bridging gaps in and declaring God’s kin-dom that is and is to come, I hope to usher in a new world of love, peace, equity, justice, and reconciliation—as humanity acknowledges and honors that all people are made in the image of God, and therefore sacred.”
Mary Ferreira – Administrative Assistant
Born in Georgetown, Guyana in 1957, Mary Ferreira joined the United Methodist Church of Peekskill in 2022 as Administrative Assistant.
Prior to joining the UMC family, Mary worked as a film producer at the United Nations in New York City. During her more than 30 years of service with the UN, Mary travelled to dozens of countries producing films for UN Television on themes such as Health, Poverty, Drug Trafficking, Wildlife, Food Insecurity and many other social issues prevalent in the world today. In 2012, one of her productions, “Africa: Digital Graveyard”, won first place in the Ekotop Film Festival in Slovakia. The film highlighted the growing problem of electronic waste as developed nations ship obsolete and second-hand electronics to countries in Africa.
Mary migrated to the United States with her husband, Nigel, and her two sons, Nigel Dominic and Adrian Ferreira in 1984. She is the proud grandmother of two girls, Riley and Skyler Ferreira and mother-in-law to Christine Grafer Ferreira.
In Guyana, Mary attended St. Rose’s High School. When she came to the US, she enrolled in college and received a Bachelor’s degree in Communications & Media Arts and a Masters in International Affairs from New York State University. She also received a Certificate in Journalism from New York University. Mary enjoys swimming in her spare time, traveling for leisure, and eating healthy coupled with a dedicated exercise routine to stay fit and in good health, especially during times of rare illnesses and disease.
Larry Del Casale – The Guitarist:
“Mr. Del Casale is a solid, musicianly player who performs eloquently.” The NY Times