Rev. Van Staalduinen (Ben) is an Eastern NC native who was born in Beaufort County, and raised in Greenville, North Carolina. Ben received his bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University in 2013 where he studied English with a concentration in Film Studies.
Rev. Van Staalduinen received his Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School in 2018, and is a proud Fellow of the Thriving Rural Communities initiative through the Duke Endowment. Ben is an Elder in the North Carolina Conference of the UMC, and happily serves as one of the Capital District’s disaster response coordinators. Ben enjoys kayaking, fishing, and live music. Ben is joined in Fremont with his wife, Mary and their children Molly and Jack.