Our Team
Pastor
Ralph A. Merante
Ralph Merante is the Coordinating Pastor of the Onteora Cooperative Parish, and you’ll find him leading worship with our congregations in Phoenicia and here at Overlook in Woodstock. At the heart of his ministry is a simple calling: to practice the way of Jesus and to live in God’s unconditional, welcoming grace—grace that goes before us, and carries us outward.
Ordained an elder in 1987, Ralph is a lifelong United Methodist with an ecumenical, interfaith spirit and a heart for creation care and for racial, economic, and LGBTQIA+ justice. He is a certified spiritual director, a commissioned EarthKeeper, a Doctor of Ministry candidate at Drew Theological Seminary, and a recent recipient of the denomination’s #BeUMC Award for his witness and community service.
Ralph and his partner, Todd, together for more than twenty years, made Woodstock their home four years ago. When he’s not in the pulpit, he’s usually singing—or out swimming, cycling, kayaking, or hiking these beloved Catskill mountains. However you come, you’re welcome here.Add profile
Dr. Edward Leavitt
Choir Director and Organist
Dr. Edward “Ed” Leavitt has lived in the Woodstock and Saugerties area for more than 40 years. After a 25-year career as a veterinarian, he turned his attention more fully to music as a pianist, teacher, and accompanist.
Raised in the Methodist Church in southern Maine, Ed began serving as a substitute organist as a teenager. He studied at the University of Maine and Cornell University, where he was a four-year member of the Cornell University Glee Club.
Ed joined Overlook as organist in 1996. He has also taught piano and music appreciation at SUNY Ulster, accompanied college ensembles and soloists, and continues to teach children and adults from his home studio. He serves on the boards of Maverick Concerts and Saugerties Pro Musica and remains grateful to share his love of music with the Overlook congregation.