Beth Ahrenhold is our Wedding Director. She coordinates and directs our weddings here at the church. Beth enjoys meeting with brides and grooms and welcoming their families and friends to our wonderful church. Originally from Alexander City, Alabama, Beth enjoys gardening, traveling, and spending time with friends and her two sons and daughter-in-law. Her church involvement includes New Beginnings Sunday School Class, Altar Guild, Flower Guild, and Women’s Prison Ministry efforts.
Charles Akin is our Director of Sports, Recreation and Life Enrichment. He oversees all operations related to providing youth sports leagues, camps, and enrichment classes to families in our community. He considers his job a labor of love and finds great satisfaction in serving Buckhead with excellent programs. Originally from Atlanta, Charles attended Pace Academy as a child and then Marist High School and Auburn University. His wife, Joeleen, is an Associate Athletic Director at Georgia Tech and they have two children – Bobbie, a Dance Major at the University of Kentucky and Ryan, a student at Marist. When he’s not working, you might find him Kayak fishing on the Hooch!
Scott Atchison is our Director of Music and Organist. He oversees all aspects of our Music Ministry and how it is integrated into our worship each week. Scott loves making music with the extremely talented folks at PRUMC, and especially leading hymns at the Great Organ. He is originally from Atlanta – as his family history tells you. His mother and grandmother attended the premier of Gone with the Wind! Outside of work, you can find him hanging out with his French Bulldog Claude, who really runs the household.
Jill Barnes is our Director of Communications. She publicizes all the happenings of Peachtree Road through printed and digital means. Jill loves the ongoing opportunity to learn new skills through her position and is grateful for her mentors. Originally from North Carolina, she never tires of visiting the Blue Ridge Parkway and her hometown, Winston-Salem. When she is not clocking hours at the church, you can find her spending time with her husband Jack, organizing anything, and walking. Hiking the Lake District in England is on her to-do list.
Geoff Beakley is our Associate Minister who leads our men’s ministries and Scouting programs. He loves working with the men of PRUMC and discussing the scriptures with them in small groups. Geoff is from Atlanta, Georgia, attended Henderson High School in Dekalb County, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from GA Tech in 1994. Geoff had a 21-year career in sales and operations management in the energy conservation industry. The last eight years of his career were with Siemens, where he was a global director. As a member of PRUMC, Geoff experienced the call to ministry. In 2018, Geoff earned a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Geoff currently has a dual appointment with the United Methodist Church as an associate minister at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church and as the Senior Campus Minister of the Wesley Foundation at Georgia Tech. Geoff is married to his wife, Leigh, and they have two four-legged kids – two Labradoodles – named Noah and Fin. Outside of work, you can find Geoff fishing, golfing, or working in the yard.
Wayne Bennett is our Property and Facility Manager. He manages all the happenings of Peachtree Road with AV, Events, event setups, maintenance, custodial, security, renovations, properties, and landscaping. Wayne is grateful for the opportunity to work at Peachtree Road, the busiest place on earth! He attended Dekalb College while studying electrical construction and project management. Outside of work, his granddaughter occupies a lot of his time. He enjoys cars, motorcycles, camping, and home projects. You might even catch him riding dirt bikes with his son. Traveling back to Israel and exploring the United States is on his bucket list.
Bill is from the small town of Thomaston in middle Georgia and is a graduate of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta and his Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife Wendie have been married for 40 years and have two adult children (Sara and Will). Bill has served churches throughout the North Georgia Conference including Trinity-on-the-Hill UMC in Augusta, Trinity UMC in Cartersville, and the First UMC in Athens. He became the senior minister at Peachtree Road UMC in 2008, and his hobbies include spending time with his three grandchildren, playing classic golf courses, and enjoying time at the beach. He loves to eat barbeque and icebox lemon pie!