Meet the Pastorals
Evie Telfer
Community Life Pastor
Pastor Evie Telfer serves as the Community Life Pastor at Messiah Lifeways. Educated at Vanderbilt University (BA), Asbury Seminary (MDiv), and Loyola University in Maryland (MS), she served for 22 years as the Student Ministries pastor at Messiah University before joining the Messiah Lifeways team in 2019. Evie was raised in the Episcopal Church, came to personal faith through Young Life, served as a missionary in Kenya with Youth with a Mission, and was licensed as a pastor in the Brethren in Christ Church in 2013. Evie also earned her license as a professional counselor in 2017. Evie is passionate about helping others grow in faith through deep engagement with Scripture. She enjoys trips out west to visit family, gardening, hiking, and spending time with horses when she can.
Jacqueline Cook (“Jac”)
CLINICAL Chaplain
Rev. Jacqueline Cook serves as the Clinical Chaplain at Messiah Lifeways. She is an ordained minister with the Federation of Christian Ministries (FCM) and endorsed through FCM for institutional chaplaincy. She completed her Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) residency at Penrose-Saint Francis Hospital in Colorado Springs, and is board certified with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC). Jacqueline earned her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies at Regent University in Virginia Beach and her Master of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary’s Northwest regional campus in Seattle. She brings a wide range of experience to the Messiah Lifeways team, ranging from church administration; young adult ministry; and hospital, hospice, and long-term care chaplaincy. Jacqueline is particularly passionate about providing spiritual and emotional support to those who live and work in long-term care settings. In her free time, she dabbles in amateur photography and enjoys time in nature with her husband, Christian, and their dachshund, Rigby.
Brenda Leibundgut
Spiritual Care Specialist
Brenda Leibundgut serves as the Spiritual Care Specialist at Messiah Lifeways, providing spiritual and emotional support to our Enhanced Living neighborhoods and administrative coordination for the Pastoral Ministries office. She started part-time at Messiah Lifeways in 2020 in Pastoral Ministries while also working as the children’s director at her church. She later became the full-time coordinator for both Pastoral Ministries and Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning®. Brenda earned her degree in education from Messiah University and spent more than 20 years teaching in Christian education, serving a few years as principal. She is passionate about supporting and encouraging others. She was the Director of Women’s Ministry at her church for five years, during which time she was asked to be the speaker at several events and retreats. She continues to volunteer leading Bible studies. Brenda loves to travel, especially to the beach, and to see her children and grandchildren. She and her husband, Jim, enjoy being “Grammy” and “Poppy” and spending time with family.