Connect with a Pastor

Nii Addo is a second-generation Ghanaian immigrant who — despite all arguments to the contrary — calls the Midwest his home. He has an M.A. in Religious Studies from Missouri State University and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and was ordained as a PC(USA) minister at Pres House in October 2024. His family in Madison includes his partner, Haley, their child, Bennin, and their cats, Tilly and Dean. Nii Addo has a deep passion for the Star Wars universe (pre- and post-Disney), is an avid, albeit sad, supporter of Manchester United Football Club, and has only recently realized that he is, in fact, an adult.

I grew up in a deeply faithful household and was nurtured in my faith by my parents, my brother, youth pastors, and mentors. But I’ve always been the inquisitive sort. As I got older, I started to probe the boundaries of my faith tradition. Throughout my years in college and seminary, I began to see that God was not who I thought God was. I began to see how God is not bound by our expectations, how God in Christ ‘overturns every notion of propriety to be with us,’ and how God’s Spirit disrupts the status quo and beckons us out toward new horizons. 

I believe that relationships are at the center of what it means to be God’s people. In my role at Pres House, I hope to find new ways to welcome folks into deeper relationships with God and with their neighbors. This community is a place where we can learn how all of our stories—as unique and diverse as they are—intersect with God’s story, and I consider it a privilege to be a part of that journey!

Erica has served Pres House since 2004. She is a second-generation Taiwanese-American who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. She lives in Madison with her partner, Mark, and together they have two daughters. Erica has a B.A. in Mass Communications from UC Berkeley, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. Some of her favorite spiritual disciplines include practicing the martial art taekwondo and Sabbath.

Until I entered college, I thought Christianity was mythology and that Christians were weak-minded people. But I ended up sharing my dorm room with a Christian and to my surprise, we became friends. During that year, I was challenged to examine what I believed about life and community. What I discovered was that the love and power of God bring radical transformation within people and the world. God’s call for our lives goes way beyond what we can imagine–it’s much riskier, bolder, and more fulfilling than the plans we make.

There are many ‘dividing walls of hostility’ we put up between each other–race, class, sexual orientation, gender, politics, and religion, just to name a few. I believe strongly in Jesus’ vision where all people are reconciled to God and one another. I invite you to enter into this community, not to find people who are just like you, but to live out the commandment to love God and ALL your neighbors, which means practicing what I call ‘holy friction.’ I hope you will engage in that journey with the community at Pres House.

Born and raised in Japan, Manato moved to the United States in 2015 and earned his B.A. in Sociology at Calvin University in 2019. Manato has a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and is an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches USA. He has served as an interfaith chaplain at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MIT, and Emerson College. Manato also served in ministry at Old Cambridge Baptist Church.

Manato comes to Pres House Apartments having worked in residential life at Harvard College as a dorm proctor for first-year students. He continues to find joy serving in spaces where residential life, student support, and caregiving come together. In his spare time, Manato enjoys slow mornings with his cat Homer, exploring maps and all things cartography, learning languages, and playing the guitar, trombone, handbells, and organ when he gets the chance. Tokyo, West Michigan, and Boston all feel like pieces of home to Manato, and he looks forward to Madison growing into that family of homes.